Warning: Spoilers for Jurassic World 2.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom might have received some mixed reviews (and some very brutal ones), but there’s no denying the movie features some truly spectacular moments.
Indeed, the sequel to 2015’s Jurassic World really changes up the formula, with the movie dispensing with Isla Nublar care of a volcanic eruption and moving the action to a gothic estate house. As the posters proclaimed, the park is indeed gone, and this means that director J.A. Bayona has a lot of freedom to play with new ideas.
A lot of the best parts of Fallen Kingdom come thanks to the dinosaurs, who really outshine most of the human characters in terms of both likeability and usefulness. With plenty of terrifying Bayona action, here are the best moments from Jurassic World 2.
10. The Mosasaurus Takes A Leap
From the very opening sequence, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom sets itself up as the “horror-suspense film” that producer Colin Trevorrow promised. It details an mission to retrieve a bone from the Indominous Rex skeleton (so the Indoraptor can be completed). The Mosasaurus still lurks in the lagoon, however, and it’s been waiting for fresh prey. The bone makes it back to the surface, but as the land team desperately await the return of the ill-fated crew, the T-Rex attacks. A rushed evacuation begins, with one poor crew member left clinging to the helicopter ladder… only to be caught when the Mosasaurus leaps from the water and swallows him whole.
9. The Saddest Death Of All
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom contains possibly the most emotional scene of the entire franchise. As Lockwood’s team leaves the island, Claire, Owen and Franklin make it on the ferry with seconds to spare. Not everybody gets away, however. Once the boat has pulled away, a Brachiosaurus comes onto the pier, screaming as the heat, smoke and lava of the volcanic eruption catches up with it.
These gentle giants have been a staple of the Jurassic movies since the very beginning, and a reminder of just how majestic dinosaurs can be. Indeed, just minutes earlier, we saw Zia and Franklin meeting them for the first time. The shot of this giant creature, standing on the dock as the lava slowly envelops her, marks an end to that wonder and conveys just how real the threat of extinction now is.
8. Zia Saves Blue
One of the standout new characters in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is paleoveterinarian Zia. Although the film has come under fire for cutting a scene confirming her as LGBT, Daniella Pineda’s role still has a strong impact; she’s incredibly intelligent, caring towards the dinosaurs, and ideologically strong.
Zia really comes into her own when Blue is injured by one of Lockwood’s mercenaries, taking control of the undercover operation and commanding the film’s leads to risk their lives getting blood from the T-Rex. Zia performs the transfusion correctly, and Blue survives. The best part, however, comes later when Dr. Wu tries to extract the raptor’s DNA and Zia smugly informs him that she performed a transfusion with a T-Rex: “it’s a bit of a sock drawer in there.”
7. Owen Helps The Stygimoloch Escape
Usually in Jurassic movies, the bigger the dinosaur, the bigger the threat. That’s not totally true in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. When Owen and Claire are caged at Lockwood Manor, they take advantage of the headbutting Stygimoloch to escape their cells; the horned dinosaur is being held in the next door cage, so Owen baits it to smash through the wall and break their lock.
Not only does this free our heroes, but also the dinosaur, which goes on to charge straight into the packed auction room, sending the rich and amoral running… and setting up the release of the Indoraptor.
6. Ken Wheatley Meets His End
Of course, the Indoraptor wouldn’t have been released without a seriously dumb - but great to watch - decision. As the Stygimoloch charges through the auction hall, the buyers run for their lives. Ken Wheatley, however, takes the opportunity to try and take one of the Indoraptor’s teeth as a trophy.
Despite having done this to other dinosaurs, Wheatley hasn’t reckoned on the fearsomeness or intelligence of the Indoraptor. It awakens, toys with her prey, then quickly servers his arm before eating him. It’s a gruesome but glorious moment; the bounty hunter deserved nothing less.
Page 2 of 2: More Death, More Dinosaurs, More Goldblum
5. Gunnar Eversol Endures A Grisly Death
An understated addition to Jurassic World 2 is Toby Jones as auctioneer Gunnar Eversol, a role he plays with great relish. Of course, as with a lot of movie villains, he’s all talk; when it comes to getting in the fight, he’s not so hot.
When the Indoraptor is unleashed, Eversol tries to escape in an elevator full of terrified bidders. Thinking he’s safe, he lets his guard down… just as the elevator doors open. He turns, coming face to face with the Indoraptor, and becomes a swift meal - although not before a large roar makes that Trump-like hairpiece fly up.
Blue Comes To The Rescue
Owen may be good with dinosaurs, but he sucks at plans. When Maisie is being stalked by the Indoraptor, Chris Pratt bursts into her bedroom to try and save her, only for his gun to run out of bullets. The hybrid rears up ready to pounce and all looks to be done for.
Enter Blue. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has put a lot of effort into her relationship with Owen, and here it all pays off; she dives right into the fray, saving her childhood friend and the little girl.
The Indoraptor Falls
Maisie and Owen escape onto the roof, but the Indoraptor follows, hotly perused by Blue. Claire also joins them there, and they all try desperately to stay alive against the hybrid. However, while the Indoraptor is arguably more deadly, Blue is more nimble and agile. And, as the two go to battle on the glass conservatory roof, there is only going to be one winner.
The Indoraptor falls first, straight through the glass and onto the skull of a Triceratops. It’s a spectacular death, befitting such a spectacular animal, and perhaps a signal of the end of this branch of genetic meddling; Colin Trevorrow has promised Jurassic World 3 will ditch engineered species.
Read More: Jurassic World 3: Every Update You Need To Know
Beasts Of Nature Meet Head To Head
The end of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom sees the dinosaurs released into the wilds of North America, with no fences to project humans from their rampage. There’s the Mosasaurus attack surfers, Pteranodons flying over the ocean, and Blue is looking down from a clifftop at a sprawling residential area.
Best of all, though is the T-Rex stomping into a zoo and squaring up against a lion. The King of Beasts, it’s quite astounding to see how tiny it looks compared to the T-Rex; more like a kitten than a giant cat. The shot serves as a stark reminder that the world has now changed for good.
Dr. Ian Malcolm Has Some Words Of Advice
Dinosaurs on the loose are cool, but the final awesome moment from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom deals with another welcome return: Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm. Not only is it fantastic to see Goldblum reprising his role, but his two brief scenes contain some of the most important information of the whole movie.
In his first scene, Dr. Malcolm argues against saving the dinosaurs; he believes we should not have messed with nature in the first place and now, with the volcano destroying Isla Nublar, nature should take its course. Of course, that doesn’t happen, but by the end of the movie you can’t help but think that he had a valid point. “These creatures were here before us,” he states, “and if we’re not careful, they’re going to be here long after us.” As the creatures begin to infiltrate everyday life, Malcolm declares “Welcome, to Jurassic World.” The trilogy may be coming to an end, but the real story of the dinosaurs is only just beginning.
Next: Jurassic World 2: Every Easter Egg & Secret You Missed
- Jurassic World 2 Release Date: 2018-06-22 Jurassic World Dominion Release Date: 2022-06-10
