Richie Reviews – Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous Season 2

I’d like to start by saying that this season had high expectations. Despite being aimed at a younger audience, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the first eight episodes, so naturally I was excited to see what the campers got up to in season 2, especially since we were in uncharted territory. Indeed, season 1 differentiates by being in sync with the Jurassic World movie, so anyone familiar with the events of the film can expand the wider context of the story themselves and it gives satisfying nods to events elsewhere. Season 2, however, takes place in an unknown period of time between the fall of the theme park and the events of Fallen Kingdom, the next movie in the franchise. For the most part the animation is solid, though this season did have some questionable moments with some Baryonyx, all with the added benefit of the John Williams epic score, which for me is a must for any Jurassic media. Despite the criticism of the character designs, I’ve never felt it to be an issue with this show, and in fact it’s quite endearing, more so as it progresses.

The story itself, I’m sorry to say, wasn’t quite as enjoyable as season 1. The season suffers from an indecisiveness about who some of it’s characters are, and what role they play, which in turn makes other aspects suffer. This is a children’s show remember, so clear cut character roles are quite important when the series is limited to eight episodes. When you have more time, by all means feel free to develop and change. There’s seemingly three antagonists in season 2, which immediately makes you think there’s a definite increase in the stakes, but it’s not quite that simple. Whereas season 1 had only one baddy; the Indominus is distinct as a dinosaur that has an array of additional abilities, unrivalled intelligence and a malicious nature which, despite having an army of security forces to contend with, was focused and ultimately a bigger threat to our campers than anything in season 2. After introducing a pair of big game hunters, the franchises iconic T-Rex (Rexy) and a trio of Baryonyx, season 2 switches back and forth on whether or not these characters are actually bad, whether or not we should sympathise with them, and whether they are a danger to our protagonists or their saviors, not to mention how they interact with each other. At the end of the day, the dinosaurs are still characters, so trying to justify inconsistency by saying they’re just animals who don’t know any better is redundant, as it’s already been established that they have intelligence and awareness, for the most part.

Whilst some of the dino characters suffer, the campers definitely come into their own in season 2. Last season saw them completely out of their depth during the crisis unfolding around them, proving to be quite whiny and annoying, if not justifiably so, given the circumstances. That said, it seems that being stranded on the island alone was surely a sink or swim moment, and they swam. Indeed, without the adults as a  their safety net, each of them rises to the challenge and foregoes their individual drawbacks to focus on the greater good. Despite their obvious differences when they met, the story makes full use of them uniting and surviving together using their respective skills, which in itself presents a nice metaphoric life lesson for younger viewers in a well-realised way. For a show primarily about dinosaurs, the human characters are well developed and at this point are quite likeable, all in their own way, so it’s satisfying seeing them work together. Having to find a way to overcome new obstacles helped further the campers progression as characters, and we see them organize and coordinate in a way which would’ve seemed impossible when we first met them. Through their ordeals they also tease and set up a potential future story involving the nefarious work of Doctor Henry Wu, which definitely peaked my interest and will have me coming back for season 3.

Despite how generally good the characters advance throughout the season, there was something missing that I expected and we should’ve rightly seen. Early on, it’s established that Darius is suffering a bout of survivor’s guilt from seemingly losing Ben, not knowing that he actually survived. Naturally, we as viewers expect a heartfelt reunion and an enjoyable payoff when Darius and Ben come back together. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite go to plan and it’s almost overlooked. Two other characters find Ben separately, and there is a nice reunion scene, however Darius is not among them. When they do re-establish contact with the others later on, they make no mention of Ben’s surprise return and go about planning their next move as normal, including Darius directly speaking Ben’s name without having been told he’s even alive, let alone there with the other campers. As a child it’s probably not something I would’ve noticed, but it was a definite oversight now that I am watching as an adult. That said, when the campers all meet up  at the end, there is a ‘hug’ moment between Ben and Darius, but it’s already been overshadowed by the previous story gaff. 

Regardless, I can’t shy away from the fact it is a children’s show, and I can honestly say as a child I would’ve loved Camp Cretaceous season 2, even if it wasn’t quite as good as the first. It has realistic characters, that even if you can’t see yourself in, you’ll definitely know someone in your real life that’s similar to one of the campers. Likewise the inclusion of Bumpy is always a welcome sight, and acts as a group mascot but with useful physical capabilities to boot. Whilst I didn’t enjoy the big game hunting storyline as much as last season’s plot, I understood it’s implications and wider world context which helped to lend another life lesson for younger viewers, and as always, a John Williams inspired score is a necessity in any Jurassic instalment. Whilst not as satisfying story-wise as last season, Camp Cretaceous’ second outing provided some welcome development and enjoyable moments, whilst also teasing and setting up a potentially fantastic third season.