I simply can’t contain my excitement for ‘Jurassic World’
If you’ve been on the Internet at all within the last 48 hours, you know that Tuesday was the day the trailer for Jurassic World was released, a full two days earlier than originally promised! After a cursory scanning of my various friend feeds, I came to the conclusion that reactions were . . . mixed, at best. There were cries of “pointless sequel” and looks pretty “meh.” But not from me.
I watched the trailer first while in line at Starbucks, sans earbuds and mourning my luck but trying to keep the volume down low so as not to disturb my caffeine-deprived peers. I watched it again at my desktop as soon as humanly possible, trying to pick up on everything that I missed the first time. And then I watched it one more time. In fact, I’m writing this with the trailer playing on a loop in the background. Excitement doesn’t even begin to describe my emotions.
So here’s why I’m BEYOND ready for the premiere of Jurassic World:
Childhood nostalgia
To give my emotions a little backstory — I saw Jurassic Park for the first time when I was about 5 years old. I know, I know. I was much too young to be watching that kind of movie, let alone old enough to appreciate its full awesomeness — except for the scene where Mr. Gennaro gets eaten off a Port-A-Potty by a dinosaur. (For the record, I was at a sleepover, and as a result of this premature viewing I had nightmares for weeks afterward.)
Later on, when I was older, I watched it again — and the nightmares were replaced by awe and wonder. Plus, by that point, I had reached the phase of learning about all the different kinds of dinosaurs in school, so it was like education and adventure all in one!
Watching the trailer now brought all of those old feelings back — a combination of giddy excitement and pulse-pounding nerves. (But no nightmares. I think. I haven’t been to sleep yet. Too pumped.) Oh, and here’s the trailer:
Michael Giacchino is scoring the film
From the very first note, the music in the trailer takes you on a journey. There’s roaring brass when you see the huge expanse of the reopened theme park for the first time, suspenseful strings as the apprehension grows and then it all fades away for a series of notes lingering ominously on the piano, which somehow manages to give you heart skips in the best possible way.
I can always count on this man’s music to punch me right in the feels. He’s composed shows like Lost and films like Star Trek, Up, and Super 8 — some of my favorites. Here he’s picking up where John Williams left off with the original trilogy and building on some of those familiar themes while adding his own style. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the movie sounds like if the trailer sounds THIS good.
Some of the old favorites are back (plus some new faces)
I won’t lie to you, I’m still holding out hope for Jeff Goldblum. I’d even be okay with a small cameo role. But for those of us Law & Order: SVU fans who savor any appearance BD Wong, you’ll be pleased to know he’s coming back for this movie. There are also some additions to the Jurassic franchise — Lauren Lapkus from Orange is the New Black, Jake Johnson from New Girl, Judy Greer from everything she’s been in (which has always been fantastic).
And I’ve forever been in love with Bryce Dallas Howard. I’ve been a fan of hers since The Village, and after the peek at her scenes in the trailer, it looks like she’s going to get the chance to really shine. Plus intelligent female scientist as a lead character? Take my money, please.
Dino-Shamu!
The crazy thing is that these people in the trailer are NOT freaking out. I would be, if a giant prehistoric sea creature jumped up out of the water — and not just because my iPhone would get wet. Maybe the park has been around for a while? Either way, it looks like there’s some newbies in the dino-cast as well. The scientists have been working on a hybrid dinosaur — and I’m guessing that means it doesn’t run on electricity.
You’d think that after their predecessors’s attempts to manipulate genetics, maybe the scientists in this movie would be a little less gung-ho about creating their own dinosaur, but it seems not.
Chris Pratt’s everything
Chris Pratt. Chris Pratt’s face. Chris Pratt’s arms. Chris Pratt in a shirt. Chris Pratt in a vest. I could go on, but before I sound too Seussian, I’m just excited about this casting choice in general. After watching him play the supporting actor for a long time, it finally feels like he’s being given the chance to come into his own as a leading man, and that in itself is cool.
Admittedly, what glimpses we do get of his character are a little too serious for me — I’m used to Andy Dwyer or Peter Quill-levels-of-silly-Chris-Pratt — so I’m hoping there will be some comedic moments sprinkled in that don’t feel forced. To me, he’s at his best when he gets the chance to mix funny and heroic, and I’m hoping the script is going to give him plenty to work with from both camps.
June 12. It is so so on.
