Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) is now out in the world, not unlike the dinosaurs that are roaming North America and beyond in the latest blockbuster sequel in the hugely popular Jurassic Park franchise. The sixth entry in the series has already made a huge dent at the box office, and is set to be the biggest film of 2022.
The Jurassic Park brand has always been considered iconic, and even up until Universal Pictures brought the franchise back from extinction in 2015 with Jurassic World (2015), it was highly lucrative. But post-2015, it has enjoyed even greater success, and not just in movie theaters, but in the theme parks too.
Of course, we aren’t talking about the actual Jurassic Park, or Jurassic World, for that matter, but we are referring to their real-world counterparts in the Universal Studios theme park resorts. Whether it’s Universal Studios Orlando or Hollywood, you’ll find something Jurassic to sink your teeth into.
Between both resorts and beyond, you’ll find the likes of Jurassic World Velocicoaster, Jurassic Park River Adventure, and Jurassic World – The Ride, all of which offer guests the opportunity to get as close to the fictional world created in the popular movies as possible.
But how might the latest entry in the franchise influence these attractions and their respective themed lands? Jurassic World: Dominion is touted as the final film in the series, described as “the epic culmination to the entire franchise” and “the end to the Jurassic era”. But that doesn’t mean that Universal intends to call it a day.
Just as Universal Studios did with implementing the Jurassic World brand at the theme park resorts, integrating Jurassic World: Dominion wouldn’t be entirely out of the question. The question is, what elements of the film specifically could be adapted into a theme park setting?
Well, in true Jurassic fashion, there’s actually plenty in the latest film that could be brought to life here in the real world, and one wouldn’t need prehistoric DNA or the world’s leading geneticists to achieve it. So let’s take a look at some of the most memorable and theme park-worthy moments from the latest box office beast…
As per the official Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment website, here’s the synopsis for Jurassic World: Dominion:
Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live — and hunt — alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.
So, as you might expect, there are plenty of unique locations throughout the movie, as well as some thrilling sequences. But let’s take a walk-through of the film and call out some notable moments. And don’t worry, we won’t get into too many spoilers – just think of it as a walk in the park (a dinosaur-inhabited one, of course).
First of all, Jurassic World: Dominion finds dinosaurs thriving in the North American wilderness, while some have also ventured into urban areas. Re-creating these aesthetics at Universal Studios could be an interesting approach, because who wouldn’t want the opportunity to wrangle a parasaurolphus in the snowy mountains?
There are many other sequences in the film too. Whether it’s seeing moros intrepidus drinking from a pond at a local park, mosasaurus attacking a fishing boat out at sea, stegosaurus causing traffic problems on highways, or tyrannosaurus rex rampaging through an outdoor cinema, there’s a lot of potential here.
Speaking of the Sierra Nevada mountains, which is where most of the dinosaurs escaped to in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, this is also home to Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon), as well as Blue the velociraptor and her offspring “Beta”.
This snowy setting exudes so much warmth in the film, and would fit quite nicely into the Jurassic Park-themed area at Universal Studios Orlando. Sure, you might not think of snow when it comes to the Jurassic movies, but seeing as this area is just a stone’s throw from the Harry Potter-themed area, it wouldn’t look too out of place.
Now, let’s go deeper into the movie…
Going deeper into the movie, and taking note particularly of some of the action sequences, it’s fair to say that Universal Pictures has spared no expense in this department, which is an approach they should definitely take with Universal Studios’ Jurassic attractions, be it Orlando or Hollywood.
For starters, there’s a sequence in which Claire, Owen, and pilot Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise) are attacked in their cargo plane by the winged predator quetzalcoatlus. An even more thrilling sequence involves Owen and Claire being pursued through the streets of Malta by atrociraptor, via motorcycle and rooftop, respectively.
These are two experiences that could be easily adapted into Universal Studios in the form of 4D simulator attractions (because we’re not convinced they’d actually let you hop from rooftop to rooftop or tear through the theme park on a motorcycle – it’s just not practical).
However, Jurassic World: Dominion mostly takes place at Biosyn Valley, a facility where free-roaming dinosaurs are being collected and placed in a jungle habitat that surrounds a large facility where a greedy bioengineering company is up to no good. Here, there are all sorts of unique environments.
There’s the facility itself, which houses some of the smaller dinosaurs as well as a deadly locust horde, but perhaps one of its stand-out features is the Hyperloop subway system beneath it, which allows Biosyn employees to navigate the massive complex with ease.
But the Hyperloop also allows access to some pretty terrifying areas, including an old network of amber mines, where some of our heroes in the film encounter dimetrodon. This would make for a thrilling walk-through experience at Universal Studios, or, coupled with a version of the Hyperloop, a “varied” attraction.
And, last but not least, the third act finds the entire gang – Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), Claire, Owen, and Maisie – facing off against the apex predator giganotosaurus. This epic battle involves an upturned jeep in the jungle (naturally), a communications tower, and a large helipad.
There’s also an epic battle between giganotosaurus and Rexy, the original Jurassic Park T-Rex. And while Jurassic World – The Ride does feature tyrannosaurus rex and indominus rex, we strongly believe that Universal Studios is lacking a dinosaur battle that’s set against the backdrop of a lightning storm!
So, could Jurassic World: Dominion actually inspire new attractions and themed areas at Universal Studios? After all, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is yet to have made any sort of impression. Perhaps then, we should expect to see a dinosaur-inhabited gothic mansion before we see dinosaurs in the wild.
But could the latest movie influence the existing attractions? Well, it’s entirely possible, especially when you consider that Jurassic Park: The Ride was upgraded to Jurassic World – The Ride, not unlike the re-branding of the film series itself with the film of the same name.
On the other hand, never say never. Just because the film series has come to an end (or so they say), this could be the beginning of a new era at Universal Studios. After all, theme parks are obviously the best environment for dinosaurs. Right..?
