By Connie Lee May 30, 2024
The Nublar Six have finally returned! Since the official announcement of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory back in late 2023, the follow-up has been anxiously anticipated. Thankfully, the waiting has not been in vain. Chaos Theory is the perfect example of when creatives are allowed to stretch their wings and put in the time and love necessary to expand an iconic world and to really develop a sure-footed sequel – not just turn it into another cash grab.
Synopsis
Chaos Theory takes place six years after the events of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. After finally making it off Isle Nublar, the young members of The Nublar Six make their way back into society. But, after going their separate ways, they struggle to lead the normal lives they’d want to live because they’re all navigating their own fears and feelings, living alongside dinosaurs and people who want to harm them, and trying to process the death of one of their own.
The group reunites and tackles their most dangerous adventure yet: A worldwide conspiracy that threatens the livelihood of dinosaurs and humans, and that can help them learn the truth of their inner-circle tragedy.
Review
Sequels always feel risky because it’s hard to gauge what will click with audiences. With the Jurassic Park franchise as a whole, there have been some misses, with the most recent being Jurassic World Dominion. But with Chaos Theory, any uncertainty quickly vanishes as it’s evident how sure the story is of itself. There’s a natural, perfect balance between the compelling characters, overarching mystery, and intense action-packed sequences that often involve blood-thirsty Atrociraptors. It never feels like one or the other is competing for more screen time, being overexplained, or being forced to fit into places that don’t make sense. They all build on each other seamlessly, resulting in something that’s confident and exhilarating, and never awkward or boring.
Accompanying the story are even stronger visuals, bringing out each emotional aspect of the script and adding a realness that’s hard to find in other animations, specifically with the dinosaurs and more suspenseful scenes. With both, there’s nothing that feels two-dimensional and basic about them. Their vibrant, inky hues and superb usage of darker and lighter tones make the stakes feel higher and higher and only add to the nail-biting feeling the show manages to induce from the first few minutes of the first episode. Basically, it's a total upgrade compared to what was featured in Camp Cretaceous.
The major thing that needs to be appreciated here is the special attention given, ensuring children and adults are BOTH catered to, which is actually quite difficult to find in other films and shows! While the conspiracy theme is of course more mature and may get lost with those under 6 or 7 years old, it’s still conveyed very simply so that kids can easily follow, and has enough depth and tension to keep adults intrigued. There are also many other topics shown that parents and children can easily discuss and bond over to really enhance the watching experience, such as the depictions of humans vs. dinosaurs, having empathy for other creatures, friendship, bravery, etc.
Really, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory’s only downfall (I’m just being cheeky here) is that there isn’t enough of it. Each episode is only 23 minutes, and the entire season can be easily watched in one go. The feeling of wanting more now is inevitable, but so far, it’s proving to be a gem worth waiting for.
Note for parents: This show is very heavy on death and violence. Some of the action scenes and depictions of dinosaurs can frighten younger kids, especially as they can sneak up on you. So make sure to take this into consideration if you have little ones!
Star Rating
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory is streaming now on Netflix
Comments