Remember when the idea of dinosaurs on the loose came with a sense of tension?

The first trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has found its way online. The footage provides the first look at the long-awaited sequel, specifically a number of dinosaurs running wild while people zig-zag in between their legs, but the plot has left many in the online film community scratching their head.

Picking up after the events of the first film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom finds the island of Isla Nublar under threat of destruction from a volcano. Desperate to save the creatures on the island, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Clair (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a rescue mission that takes them back to the place where it all began. You can view the film’s first trailer at the top of this post.

A few questions:

  1. If all the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and Jurassic World were made by scientists then why do we care if those on Isla Nublar die? Can’t we just make more?

  2. Based on the trailer it appears this massive undertaking requires a team of just five people, and two of them are our leads. Is that really all you need to wrangle an untold number of dinosaurs, especially when at least a few breeds will try and kill those sent to save them?

  3. The roving balls used by tourists to explore in the first film are still functional? Don’t they need, you know, some kind of upkeep in order to work after all this time?

  4. How much screen time does Jeff Goldblum have in this feature? The trailer makes it appears as though he’ll be in the courtroom sequences, but he is nowhere to be found on the island itself. Could his role here be like that of Laura Dern in Jurassic Park 3?

  5. What sense of tension, if any, will this movie possess? You already know the volcano is going to erupt because it’s spoiled in this trailer. You also know Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are not going to die because this franchise never (ever) kills off a lead, so what is left? Are we rooting dinosaurs live? If so, why?

The argument over whether or not dinosaur lives are worth saving is an interesting one, but based on the footage shown above it seems clear the answer (“yes”) is decided pretty quickly. We hope there is more to this film than meets the eye, but right now it looks like another CGI extravaganza lacking heart and tension. Do you agree? Comment below and let us know your thoughts.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom opens everywhere next summer.