I realize this review is extremely late as the new season came out a little while ago. But sometimes life gets in the way of the things you know you need to do and finish up. With that being said, let’s jump right into it.
We all had a dinosaur phase growing up. Some of us never really grew out of it. We saw the movies like Jurassic Park, had the toys and owned countless books talking all about these prehistoric creatures. But what if there was an entire summer camp dedicated to learning more about them? Camp Cretaceous is exactly that.
Just a quick recap as to what happened in season one before we dive into this review. Darius Bowman (voiced by Paul-Mikél Williams) is a hardcore dino fan. He’s invited to the camp when he beats the hardest level in a video game along with a few other kids with their own reasons for being invited. As they each begin to unwind and relax, the camp quickly falls into chaos once the dinosaurs become loose, forcing the kids to try and survive while trying to find their way through the dangerous prehistoric environment around them.
The new season picks up where the first season left off. The kids have been on the island for quite some time (timeline is unknown but I’m willing to bet it’s been roughly 3 weeks or so). The kids are seemingly always running from danger and finding more problems arising no matter what they do. Their main goal is to try to find a way off the island, but even that seems like an impossible task. Every episode has a problem that they need to solve and when they do, they grow closer together and grow more understanding of one another.
Here’s what I love most about the show. If you’re a fan of the Jurassic movies, you’ll notice that the kids arrive before Jurassic World even opens and are there just as it’s opening for the first time. This insinuates that the plot takes place before and during the fourth movie. If you pay close attention, you can spot little Easter eggs here and there throughout both seasons. For example, the first season has a scene where the kids come across a broken down gyrospehere (one of the rides at the park) in the forest. Fans of the movie will immediately spot that this is the same sphere that two of the protagonists in Jurassic World were trapped in during one scene. It’s the little details like these that get me excited and there are many moments that movie fans will be pleased to see. You just have to pay close attention.
The animation is absolute fire. I can’t even find the right words to describe how good the animation for the dinos are. Every dinosaur has their own unique movements and it’s so amazing to see their different movements throughout both seasons. The Compys are small but quick while the Carnotaur are large but seemingly clumsy because of their tiny arms. There are many dinos I want to praise for the animation but that would mean spoiling many scenes. You’ll just have to watch and see for yourself.
I don’t want to give too much away because it’s such a good show regardless if it’s aimed towards a younger audience or not. I think it can be enjoyed by everyone. Kids. Adults. Diehard dino fans. It has something for everyone to enjoy.
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is available to stream now on Netflix.
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