Trailer: JURASSIC WORLD (2015)

The good news: they're finally doing a Jurassic Park movie where the park's actually in full operation. It always struck me as odd the original was about a group of scientists getting a sneak peek of the place. I'd like to say it was down to the cost involved in making then-cutting edge CGI dinosaurs, but Michael Crichton's original novel also didn't take place during a fully-functioning park. So—yay!—the dinosaurs are going to escape and terrorise hundreds of people, not just Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and their friends. (Although I guess there's the possibility of a successful Act II evacuation, leaving behind a clean-up team of character actors for the majority of the film...)

The bad news: genetically-enhanced dinosaurs? Is that where this is headed? There were some ridiculous drafts of Jurassic Park IV that involved trained velociraptors armed with guns, and it feels like some of that silliness has seeped into JURASSIC WORLD. The shot of Chris Pratt's character flanked by 'raptors suggests they're domesticated, to an extent. And this new film needs something scarier than a T-Rex and the Spinosaurus from Jurassic Park III, so we're getting a genetically-modified dino that never existed in nature. And while it's a natural progression of the pseudo-science Crichton invented, it feels a bit dumb at face value. Aren't normal dinosaurs scary enough? Do we really need a souped-up chimera?

Still, let's be optimistic. Pratt's star-power is in ascension after Guardians of the Galaxy and he should make a fantastic lead, the technology of the new park looks fun (monorails!), and the special effects are impressive—although the impact of seeing realistic dinosaurs has long since vanished. Jurassic World will have to work extra hard to impress audiences 22-years after the first game-changing blockbuster debuted; especially because, from this official trailer, it really does feel like a loose remake of Jurassic Park, only with members of the public in jeopardy. That should allow for some big-scale action sequences of holidaymakers in peril, but will this sequel have anything else to offer beyond spectacle?

JURASSIC WORLD premieres 12 June 2015 (UK & U.S).