To celebrate the announcement that Michael Giacchino has begun recording the score for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, we wanted to take a look back at his best work from the Jurassic World score. Follow along as we cover the Top 5 standout tracks from Giacchino's Jurassic World score - it's pretty great.
5. Raptor Your Heart Out
When you are terrified and being chased through the jungle, this is the music you will hear. It's such an expressive track, painting the horror that the characters feel as they are on the run from their newly found enemies. A mixture of deep bass and high brass give you the perfect amount of tension, exploding when necessary to keep you on edge. Don't forget the incredibly cool call-back to Giacchino's work on The Lost World: Jurassic Park game for the Playstation and Sega Saturn. Hearing "The Forest Explodes" raptor theme makes my heart swell knowing he created it 20 years ago and used it again in Jurassic World.
4. Ye Old Visitors Center
This one may be a bit unknown to some of you, but you've probably clamored to hear it on the studio released score. This unreleased track brings us back into the original Visitor Center from Jurassic Park, as Zach and Gray Mitchell ogle at the wonder of the old park. While the meat of this track is reverential to the work of John Williams, I still find the orchestration and atmosphere created by Giacchino haunting. It's very dreamlike and ethereal, as the piano winds it's way down the instrument hitting the oh-so familiar notes. Some may take issue with Giacchino blatantly tugging at your heart strings with the single keystroke motif, but I certainly fell for it.
3. Chasing the Dragons
'Chasing the Dragons' is unlike anything we've ever heard before in the Jurassic Park franchise - AND I LOVE IT! It evokes so much of the old adventure themes created by the likes of Lalo Schifrin and Henry Mancini, which gives Owen Grady and his raptor pack a sense of peril. It's constantly in forward motion and gives this series a personal theme for Chris Pratt's character unlike any of the characters in films before it. While the ending is not as uproarious as I'd like, the audible journey in the first half is worth it alone.
2. As the Jurassic World Turns
Probably the most iconic track from Jurassic World, 'As the Jurassic World Turns' sets the stage for the tone and excitement of the fully operational dinosaur park. This track also includes the emphatic 'Journey to the Island' theme from Jurassic Park, but that isn't even the most exciting part - which is saying a lot. The track weaves in so many different motifs, from the slightly less maniacal Indominus Rex theme to the numerous different nods to the original Jurassic Park theme, it's almost tough to keep track. It's also great to hear that Giacchino will be continuing on with this theme, as it has set itself in stone as the theme for "Jurassic World" the park. Hear the new arrangement in the post at the bottom of the page.
1. Nine To Survival Job
The one gives me all the feels. The inclusion of the family theme, the Jurassic World theme from 'As The Jurassic World Turns' and the overall triumphant tone of the track make it tops for me. Each and every time I listen to it, I can visualize the Rex roaring over her kingdom. It's such a bittersweet triumph as well. All is lost in the kingdom, but the dinosaurs live on. Even though the track lacks it's own themes, it expands upon so much of what we heard in the film prior to it and gives us hope for the future of the franchise. It's the emotional heart of this film, tying things together before we become scared again in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom!
Below we've included a few of your thoughts on the score and be sure to check out the post from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director J.A. Bayona with a new arrangement of the 'As the Jurassic World Turns' theme.