JURASSIC WORLD: CAMP CRETACEOUS?

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Just finished binge watching the entire series, overall awesome work by the creators.  Fun a bit humorous, and a little thrilling with a good peppering of nostalgia and melancholy throw in at the appropriate time.

[Faelrin]

Okay so I finished watching the series today. Some non-spoiler thoughts. I enjoyed it, more then I was expecting. Bumpy was also as adorable as I hoped for. The animation quality was definitely poor/low budget in some spots (but kind of used to this after watching Dreamworks RTTE, also on Netflix), but some scenes were high quality.

Spoiler

Episode 1 thoughts:

The VR game intro was pretty cool, and honestly a bit darker then I was expecting, especially the guide (who reminded me of Muldoon) got mauled by the raptors right off the bat. I definitely think this is also an ad for the Aftermath game coming out. The menu for it reminded me of JW Evolution's. The posters and toys in the room were interesting to look at as well. Darius was probably the most relatable character for me throughout the whole show. The backstory between him and his dad really tug on my heartstrings, because I have a pretty good relationship with my father for the most part. Once they are on the island, I liked that the first dinosaur they see is an escaped Compy. If only it could be caught in a cat carrier in JWE, like it was here. Not much else to say here, but I did enjoy the brief little moment to see the raptor squad once again.

Episode 2 thoughts:

Really glad we got to see Toro so soon, and how it got its scar, as well as some backstory for it, as well as adorable little Bumpy, and freshly hatched too. The trip to the maintenance tunnels reminded me of the Telltale JP game. Possible shout out to that? Honestly some of the stuff in episode 5 did as well.

Episode 3 thoughts:
Things definitely start to get really interesting by the end of the episode after Brooklyn catches Sammy getting those samples from the Sinoceratops. A lot more peril in this episode then I was expecting (and the thrills keep coming in the later episodes too). Also that little moment Sammy had with calming the Sinoceratops definitely looked like it came right from HTTYD, but like no surprise when Dreamworks worked on this after all.

Episode 4 thoughts:
Ah finally the Indominus rex gets out. Lots of call backs to JW as expected, such as the camouflage. Kind of a shame it killed a poor Brachiosaurus though. Like once in FK wasn't enough you know. This makes it the first time it was killed on screen (sort of) from a predator as well. And not counting the guy in the VR game we get our first deaths in the show, and despite being off screen they sounded pretty brutal, with the poor kids looking on. Lots of character development with some rather mature tones in this one, particularly the stuff with Darius and his father's declining health.

Episode 5 thoughts:
I was glad to see the group found Bumpy in this one. Despite all the peril, I'm glad they brought her with them (despite some objections). She's precious after all. It was giving Ben some character development too, which not gonna lie reminded me of Hiccup and Toothless from HTTYD (granted Ben also has some similar traits, reptile friend aside, and even sounds similar).

So we get another yet Eddie that gets eaten out of a vehicle by a rex (of sorts). Poor guy went out on his birthday, but like with Gennaro I guess that's what happens when you abandon kids in this franchise. Now I'm only left wondering more about the role he had in the lab, since it seemed to imply he knew about the Indominus rex, if didn't outright help with its creation. Really appreciate the callback to the scene where the Indominus rex slaughtered the ACU, when the camp counselors hear all the screaming over the radios. Also can we talk about cute that poster with Bumpy was? I legit want that.

Episode 6 thoughts:
So the plot thickens with Sammy being a spy for an organization trying to steal stuff from the park (a bit like Nedry in JP, even down to the floral shirt). I wonder if this new organization will show up in Dominion (if not next season)? Could it have ties to BioSyn? So many questions.

Also can we talk about how weird that Parasaurolophus scene was? Like at first it was kind of wondrous, like it was at the JW:Live Tour show, but then what the heck were they doing? It almost looked like they wanted to kidnap the kids or Bumpy or something.

And finally some explanation for why the kids are in canoes in the Mosasaur paddock, which they showed in the trailer. Even with the kids plot armor, this scene was tense, especially with Yas nearly getting eaten like Zara did, or that one guy in FK. Things definitely continued to stay tense after this point, what with her leg being injured slowing the once speedy athlete down, and in turn making her the most vulnerable after Ben and Bumpy.

Episode 7 thoughts:
Okay despite the tension of the situation with Toro being there when they try to get to the monorail, I did find it also pretty funny watching it slide down those stairs, with its useless little arms able to do nothing to help it.

Despite the many cliches this episode had, it also had the most growth, especially for Ben, and of the conversations the teens had on the monorail. I was also really shocked to see him nearly die (because of course he didn't), but it definitely set a morbid tone for the rest of the group, and that doubled into the next episode after Bumpy was lost. Definitely haven't had something like that since JPIII I think.

Episode 8 thoughts:
Toro definitely looked the best here, but it must be said, but what is it with the dinosaurs having "fireproof" scales of sorts (after the Baryonyx surviving lava on its face in FK)? Like Toro looks like it had 3rd degree burns after that explosion it was caught up in. I thought for sure it was going to die, but it just got up and walked away like nothing. That aside though its burned skin definitely reminded me of the one at the end of FK that was fighting with the T. rex. The one that looked like the Kenner "Demon" toy. Granted that one also had scars, but on the other side of its face. I guess it will remain to be seen if these are one and the same, by Dominion if it is still around in that one.

No sign of the red Dimorphodon or Baryonyx trio yet, but probably will show up in the next season (and Ceratosaurus if all the merch Mattel has put out with it is any inclination). Edit: Stygimoloch mia as well, despite the merch implying it would be there.

Also not sure what was up with all the strange hieroglyphics seen throughout, with the exception of that Bumpy poster. Was kind of immersion breaking since they looked more like something out of an alien universe. I mean I get why it was done, but the design could have been better I think.

[close]

[ITdactyl]

I realized I judged too quickly, after watching the last 4 episodes. It's not just Dave - the only way they could highlight the abilities of young people is to make the "adults" seem incompetent. Not complaining though, it's too common a trope.

A pop culture trope that I do want to end is sauropods being soft targets.

A question for the hive mind about Toro though: was she meant to be comunicating with the Indominus, asking to be released? I think her release only coincided with the Indominus destroying the fence, but it seems more people read that scene as the Indominus releasing her intentionally.

[MLMjp]

Well, unlike everyone else on the planet I didn't binge watch it this weekend and I have just started.

Episode 1 first impressions are good.

Spoiler

The good stuff:

-Love the start, even if it was just a VR game. Love the easter egg of the map of Isla Sorna. Also the fact that he used the resonance chamber to call the raptors to attack the T.rex is clearly a reference to the unused ending of JPIII in which raptors attack the Spinosaurus.
-Main character (Darious, was it?) is very relatable, dino nerd whose dream is to go to Jurassic World and has a room full of dinosaur stuff. I am a young adult but when it comes to dinosaurs is impossible not to feel like a kid. If I lived in the JP/JW universe it would also be my dream. Thankfully my father is alive and well (and dont have siblings), but I do feel bit sorry for him.
-The Jurassic Park/World music, as always, CHILLS.
-Dinosaurs, of course, and their sounds, again, chills.
-I WANT TO RIDE ON THAT ZIP LINE! I WANT TO BE OVER A HERD OF DINOSAURS! _{Sorry, that was just too cool}

Stuff I'm neutral about:
-The other kids personalities seem fine, some of them follow basic archetypes but for now none of them is annoying to me. The rich kid is bit of a douche, but that's to be expected, he will probably change later on. The influencer is the one I'm a bit worried about.

The bad stuff:
-That "toxic masculinity" line from the influencer. No girl, thats just the rich kid douche personality. I really dislike that term. I'm going to regard it as a joke and not taking it seriously...
-Why there are no guards in the VELOCIRAPTOR PEN?! Yeah, we saw a guy leaving the place but shouldn´t be always at least one person keeping an eye on that pen?! Again, VELOCIRAPTORS!

[close]

Anyway, I´m looking forward to see the rest. Will say more once I finish the whole show.

[stargatedalek]

That line bothered me too, not because I have anything against the term (I think it's a very real problem), but because it was used so entirely, incredibly, wrong. This is the exact sort of reason people have such aggressive knee-jerk reactions to such terms, because no one knows what they actually mean and just constantly use them wrong even in media. Jurassic World, I get wanting to keep your dinosaurs inaccurate so they all match stylistically, but that doesn't mean your English needs to match...

Fortunately that was the first and last time the writers do that, I can only assume to make themselves feel smart they felt they had to mention one arbitrary thing and explain it wrong.

[ItsTwentyBelow]

I really liked this show overall. After 25 years a Jurassic show finally hit the small screen! I was worried initially that the human characters and Bumpy would look/be too childish, but things were handled nicely.

I'm excited for season 2. The ending of this season was unexpected, and leaves things wide open for at least one more season! A nice expansion to the Jurassic franchise.

[Stuckasaurus (Dino Dad Reviews)]

I really liked this show! It was a fun treat to watch. I wrote down my thoughts about it at Dino Dad Reviews, if anybody is interested.

https://dinodadreviews.com/2020/09/23/jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous/

[The Atroxious]

This show was painfully disappointing. I'd been so hyped for it, between the insistence that it wouldn't be dumbed down for kids and the fact that it premiered on Netflix, which tends to allow some pretty grim stuff in their childrens' programs. Somehow this show managed to use all of the Jurassic Park/World creature feature tropes that I hate as well as many of the kid media tropes I hate. Shallow characters? Check. People acting dumb/anti-social for comedy? Check. Contrivances abound so that the status quo is maintained? Check. Passive herbivores and aggressive carnivores? Check.

Spoiler

The only characters I liked were Darius, Yasmina, and Ben a little at the end because he actually showed some character development. Darius was flat, sure, but he wasn't as braindead as the other characters, and he was one of the few not played for lowbrow humor. His relationship with his dad was incredibly touching and heartbreaking. I really don't buy that he's the only kid at a dinosaur themed camp with any interest in or knowledge of dinosaurs though. Yasmina wasn't too interesting, but she wasn't annoying either. I kind of liked having a shy athlete because that's not something you see very often. I also appreciated the fact that she didn't forgive Sammy. I've encountered too many stories in which one character forgives another far too quickly and it doesn't feel deserved. At least here the act of repairing the relationship is slow and uncomfortable. As for Ben, well, I was sure I would hate him. I typically cannot stand the sort of pathetic, sad-sack, dead weight characters whose only "redeeming" quality is their kindness. It was super nice to see Ben learn from his companions and actually grow a pair. I was genuinely upset at what happened to him. Didn't really enjoy any of the other characters. They all seemed to exist solely to crack dumb jokes or hold the idiot ball, and little else.

The plot was a special kind of stupid. First episode, Darius and Kenji both nearly get themselves killed, and subsequently put the counselors in danger. Those two are an insurance liability, there's no way they should be allowed to stay after that. It's not just about punishment, it's about protecting the camp and the park from lawsuits, skyrocketing premiums, and financial loss. When the show kills my suspension of disbelief in the very first episode, you know there's a problem.

As mentioned above, I really, really, really hate the trope where the carnivores try to kill anything that moves (and some things that don't) while the herbivores can be approached and even petted with no repercussion. I can accept some carnivores being very aggressive, but at this point it's becoming ridiculous. These animals were grown in lab. You'd think that they'd be at least somewhat tame, if not exactly safe to handle. And where are the angry, territorial herbivores? Even horses and cattle can be dangerous when scared or angry. I honestly don't buy that the Sinoceratops was not only gentled that easily (during a thunderstorm no less!) but that it allowed the kids to harness it? Just because an animal won't eat you doesn't mean it's not liable to kill you for other reasons.

Sadly, the show missed a lot of opportunities for the sort of quiet, contemplative moments that made the original Jurassic Park's pacing so great. One thing I've noticed is that those tranquil, character driven scenes in the original really add to the sense of adventure, such as the moment when Alan, Tim and Lex are sitting in the big tree and Tim is telling bad dinosaur jokes, or when Hammond and Sattler are eating ice cream and talking about Hammond's desire to build a theme park. Those scenes really set Jurassic Park apart from all the other action movies by showing the characters' resilience and capacity to find peace even when the world is falling apart around them. It offers a nice reprieve from the action while at the same time making the action scenes more exciting by contrast. None of the subsequent JP spinoffs have used quiet moments like these, preferring instead to make pure action flicks. Camp Cretaceous could have really benefited from moments like this, especially considering how flat the characters were, but aside from a few very brief heart-to-hearts the kids had, nothing really hit the emotional points like the original film. There were some scenes that were begging for more character development too, which made it all the worse. Almost makes me wish they had tried for a ten episode series and spaced out the action scenes a bit more to build suspense and to give the audience a breather.

[close]

Honestly, I really expected better from a Netflix show. Sure it's a kid's show, but Netflix has been pushing the envelope for children's media, and I really thought they had a recipe for something great here. I absolutely adore the complex and heavy themes of things like Next Gen, Tales of Arcadia, and The Dark Crystal, but unfortunately it doesn't look like Camp Cretaceous is anywhere near that caliber of storytelling.

[HD-man]

'Don't do the kiddy version. It needs to feel like it's JURASSIC PARK. It needs to feel like it's JURASSIC WORLD.'

Sounds like an oxymoron, given 1) how different JP & JW feel from each other, & 2) that it's rated PG (as opposed to PG-13 like both movies).

Honestly I'm glad they didn't keep the original designs as some of these are pretty stereotypical.
Nerdy Asian kid, sporty black kid, even the objectifying tempestuous Latina woman trope, it just feels offensive.

Too bad they didn't avoid the "Black Dude Dies First" trope: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlackDudeDiesFirst

[Kotori_Sonoda]

Sat down and and watched all the eps. It's decent, I had fun watching .

[ITdactyl]

'glad there's a second season.

https://youtu.be/RVAFtzv-Gjc

[Flaffy]

Nice to see Ceratosaurus get acknowledged for once outside of JP3.

[dragon53]

JURASSIC WORLD: CAMP CRETACEOUS---Season 2 synopsis released, "Now stranded on an abandoned Isla Nublar, the campers struggle to survive among the wreckage of Jurassic World. As the T.Rex takes over Main Street, forcing the kids deeper into the jungle, the discovery that they may not be alone not only threatens their rescue but may uncover something more sinister."

[Duna]

I almost fell to my knees laughing with the comment "it's not a kid series" ...  Come on, are they joking? It just a typical kid series, with typical stereotyped characters. The animation and graphics are so poor that I can't understand why it's called an "official part of the franchise". For me it's a joke. There are lots of kid series with better graphics than this. I feel the same as when I watched "The land before time" or "Dinosaur". They are entertaining and I liked watching them but they are obviously too childish.

[CityRaptor]

Well, not all stuff aimed at kids is the same. Also the first "Land before Time" is a lot darker than the dozen or so sequels. And it's not about the graphics.

[dragon53]

New trailer released for Season 2.


LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4xBen7X0HY

[CityRaptor]

Seems like Rexy is building a nest.

[HD-man]

Also the first "Land before Time" is a lot darker than the dozen or so sequels.

I too am surprised that anyone who's actually seen The Land Before Time would describe it as "obviously too childish", especially given how it handles things like death & bigotry. Very misleading.

Before Season 2 airs, I just wanna share some thoughts on Season 1.

1) The main characters were annoying at 1st (E.g. Darius, who's supposed to be the smart 1, made some obviously stupid choices), but they got less annoying as time went on.

2) Speaking of Darius, where'd he get all those big-ass journals? Were JW's scientists publishing their studies for the general public? If so, I'm surprised they'd be that affordable.

3) I find it funny that Sean Giambrone uses the same exact voice for 2 teenage characters w/such different personalities, Ben in JW:CC & Joshua in Harley Quinn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlLpHPqrK3o

4) Kenji's face looks surprisingly similar to that of Stingy from Lazy Town: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l22xoffNO9M

5) Why are JW's nests so lame, especially compared to the original JP's? I mean, Bumpy almost fell out of her nest. Very unsafe.

6) I ship Yaz & Sammy (Yammy?) & look forward to seeing how their relationship progresses.

7) Why did both counselors have to go talk to Claire (as opposed to 1 going & 1 staying w/the kids)?

8 ) How did I.rex even reach the treehouse, let alone destroy it?

9) Why didn't Sammy just throw the broken phone into the treehouse wreckage when no one was looking? It would've looked like it was there all along & got broken during the I.rex attack.

[Sarapaurolophus]

Wait, did they just call the T.Rex "Rexy"? I am dying. I always disliked that nickname, lol.
It's like calling Kong "Kongy" or Godzilla "Godzy". Argh. Sexy Rexy

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Wait, did they just call the T.Rex "Rexy"? I am dying. I always disliked that nickname, lol.
It's like calling Kong "Kongy" or Godzilla "Godzy". Argh. Sexy Rexy

Blame Crichton lol  He had Muldoon call her that in the original novel. " Let's go find Rexy an give him a dose. "