The third season of Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous is just around the corner – with a debut date of the 21st of May 2021. The DreamWorks Animations and Universal Pictures teams were kind enough to give The Jurassic Park Podcast a look at the series ahead of its debut, so we wanted to share a non-spoiler review of the series. We will share one spoiler, however – this season was AWESOME!
If you caught my review of the second season of the show, then you will know that I was a little apprehensive about the direction which the series appeared to be taking – but, I was open to the team working on the project to prove me wrong and put my doubts to rest. I am happy to report that the third season of the show did exactly that. It took the time to explore new areas of Isla Nublar, brought in some additional lore which will have wider influences on the Jurassic universe as a whole, and also explored some darker and much grittier story threads throughout the season which I think adult fans are likely to enjoy. The story of the third season is one of desperation – as the Campers plan to escape the island whilst attempting to avoid a new threat which is making its presence felt across Isla Nublar.
The third season’s story really takes the opportunity to explore some fundamental elements of the Jurassic franchise – allowing us to explore certain events and things which may have been happening off-screen during or before the events of the films. I really enjoyed how these sequences added extra context and meaning to moments which we are already familiar with as Jurassic fans, allowing us to revisit these moments and appreciate the extra depth which Camp Cretaceous adds to them. One of my biggest concerns with the third season was how the plot would be handled in terms of its wider implications for the larger story which is taking place as we approach Jurassic World Dominion. I’m happy to report that serious thought has been put into the writing here – finding a way for the story to fit happily within its confines whilst making sense in terms of the wider canon. I was really delighted to see just how hard the team worked to make this fit, and apart from a couple of small moments which contradict smaller elements of the canon, the story itself works really well and feels like a return to the great storytelling present throughout the first season.
The Campers also get the opportunity to see some fantastic growth throughout the third season – with some moments which put them in genuinely challenging and deadly situations that allow for some meaningful growth. The story manages to factor in some of the key elements which many of us face when we are growing up – including things like discovering our own identity – but it does this in a way which complements the story which is unfolding on screen. It’s also worth noting that the growth in the characters isn’t only psychological and emotional in this season. As you can see in the trailers, the assets have been updated to reflect the amount of time which the campers have spent on the island – meaning unkempt hair and dirty clothes are present throughout. The added detail, combined with the emotional development many of these characters undergo in the third season, means that the show helps to provide a snapshot of the real impact that being trapped on Isla Nublar has had.
There is also a lot of variety in Dinosaurs here – with several different animals seen throughout the season, which we really appreciated. As we saw in the trailer, the Dimorphodon from Jurassic World appears in the season for the first time and has some fun sequences which help to remind us of why aerial animals are so terrifying. An assortment of familiar carnivores and herbivores also return throughout the third season – helping to remind us of just how diverse the ecosystem present on the island really is. Alongside all of these expected animals, we also have a couple of surprises which I wasn’t expecting, one of which made me shout out loud with excitement. The show does a really good job of balancing our expectations with new and diverse elements – even if they always don’t make the most sense in the wider context of the confines of the park.
Alongside good variety in Dinosaurs, we also get a good assortment of different locations throughout the season – as well as familiar locations, too. One thing I appreciated was the different weathers and times of day which we got to use to explore some locations, as this meant that some locations got to feel a lot more authentic and therefore complimented them feeling a lot more new, too. It’s safe to say that Isla Nublar is a huge island with lots of unique areas dotted across it, so I really appreciated the opportunity to explore more of that, and to get some insight into the ways in which Simon Masrani opted to run the park. Whilst there are a couple of locations which perhaps feel a little exaggerated due to their location on Nublar, they do provide a welcome change of pace and tone to the story, something which only benefits it as we continue to get deeper into the depth of the real plot points here.
Overall, I am absolutely delighted with Camp Cretaceous Season 3. This season felt like it reigned in some of the more grandiose aspects of the second season – something which felt a lot more grounded, and therefore a lot more appropriate tonally when compared to the other projects within the Jurassic universe. There were plenty of moments when I laughed out loud and had a huge grin on my face watching the show – and I think this is a testament to the amount of passion and love which clearly went into getting this right. There is something for everyone here – from classic call-backs, to action-packed moments and even some subtle nods to the novel – all of which helps to create a season which I am confident will be just as pleasing for adult fans as it will for the younger fans who are growing up with this era of Jurassic content.
Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous Season 3 is exciting, energetic, scary and nostalgia-driven in many of the best ways – and I can’t wait to see how the creative team behind this season continue to build on it in the future.
Written by:
Tom Jurassic