Credit: UniversalIn recent years, the Jurassic Park franchise has started to become as busy as any other, with new sequels, animated shows, and short features to add alongside the five films. And now, there’s a brand-new installment on the horizon too, which looks like it’s been spared no expense by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment!
The long-awaited Jurassic World: Dominion is set for release on June 10, 2022. Now, let’s look at the entire franchise so far, which includes all five entries in the film series, TV show Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, the two shorts, and everything that’s heading our way in the coming months (yes, keep your eyes on those cups of water!).
Here’s your ultimate Jurassic Park viewing guide in chronological order.
Jurassic World: Dominion Preview (2021)
While this five-minute film is the most recent live-action entry in the Jurassic Park series, if you’re going to watch everything in chronological order, it should be the first on your list (once it becomes available to stream or buy, of course). Dubbed as the “prologue” to Jurassic World: Dominion, this special preview is actually set 65 million years ago!
In a Cretaceous land teeming with all sorts of species of dinosaurs new to the franchise, we witness a battle between a t-rex and an even bigger carnivore known as Giganotosaurus. We then return to the modern-day (post-Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), in which series regular ‘Rexy’ attacks a drive-thru cinema near the Sierra Nevada Forest. Now that’s a lot of rippling soda!
Jurassic Park (1993)
If you’re watching by order of release, the original 1993 film is of course your first stop. But as this list is in chronological order, then Jurassic Park is the entry that follows the Jurassic World: Dominion special preview (although the short film’s tiny third act is of course set during the present day and after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom).
InGen’s remote theme Park Resort, where man has meddled with nature, is due to open to the public in a year. However, company owner John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) needs endorsement from three scientists. But when the power goes out and the dinosaurs escape, let’s just say the Guests won’t be leaving the best reviews on TripAdvisor!
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
The first sequel in the franchise takes place four years after the events of Jurassic Park, but this time there’s another island inhabited by dinosaurs, in the form of Site B, or ‘Isla Sorna’. The Lost World: Jurassic Park completely abandons Isla Nublar, and it’s a long time before that first island is ever reintroduced into the franchise.
With InGen facing bankruptcy from all the lawsuits, the company decides to pillage the island and bring dinosaurs back to a newly-built theme Park on the mainland. However, when Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) and his team of scientists clash with the game hunters, they become the ultimate walking dinosaur buffet for a pair of angry t-rexes!
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Following the success of The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the third entry in the blockbuster franchise unfortunately takes a dip in quality due to a very troubled production. It’s also a re-tread of its predecessor, taking us back to Site B for a cat-and-mouse adventure (which isn’t really a bad thing where good old-fashioned entertainment is concerned).
When Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) is tricked into visiting the island by a couple desperate to find their lost son, a new predator emerges from the jungle – Spinosaurus. Meanwhile, a new breed of highly-intelligent raptors also enter the hunt. And now, they can even talk to each other – minus the subtitles, of course.
Related: All ‘Jurassic Park’ Movies Ranked Worst to Best
Jurassic World (2015)
After a 14-year hiatus, Universal Pictures finally decided to excavate the Jurassic Park series and genetically engineer it for a new audience (and fans of the original films). This love letter to the original 1993 classic invites us back to the first island, where the Park is now up and running and has been for some time.
But with guest attendance at an all-time low, a new hybrid dinosaur known as Indominus Rex has been cooked up to reinvigorate interest. Naturally, it escapes and wreaks havoc, forcing park operations manager Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) and raptor expert Owen (Chris Pratt) to save the day (they’re also the ones who let it out in the first place).
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Seasons 1 – 4 (2020 – 2022)
The first three seasons of the hit animated show are set between Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The latter Season 3 episodes, however, run concurrently with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’s opening scene, which takes place six months after Jurassic World), while the upcoming Season 4 looks to be continuing to run alongside that film somewhat.
When six teens win a competition to Jurassic World, they arrive just as the Indominus Rex is about to escape and destroy the Park! And when the island is evacuated, they become stranded and must work together to stay alive, With that said, the fact that they’re kids in the Jurassic Park franchise and animated ones too is what will really work in their favor.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
The sequel to Jurassic World is the game-changer of the franchise and marks the beginning of a new era for Jurassic Park. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the first film in the series that isn’t set on one of the islands in its entirety, and despite plenty of criticism, it goes to great lengths to ensure the survival of the franchise.
Three years after Jurassic World, Claire and Owen return to the island to rescue as many dinosaurs as they can from an impending volcanic eruption. But it turns out that their military escort plan to sell the dinosaurs at a black-market auction on the mainland (which by contrast makes our two completely reckless ‘heroes’ look like the good guys).
Battle at Big Rock (2019)
Despite the Jurassic World: Dominion special preview being the first on our list, Colin Trevorrow’s Battle at Big Rock is actually the franchise’s first short film, and is almost twice as long as the preview, clocking in at around 9 minutes. And unlike the preview, it’s actually available to watch on YouTube, courtesy of Universal Pictures.
This film takes place one year after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which means that humans are already living with dinosaurs on the mainland. Battle at Big Rock pits a family on a camping trip against an allosaurus, proving that mosquitos are problems in more ways than one when you’re camping because they’re also responsible for cloned dinosaurs!
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
While it’s still six months from release, we already know that Jurassic World: Dominion will take place four years after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and will see the return of fan-favorites Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum, as well as dinosaurs like Rexy and Blue.
Jurassic World: Dominion will revolve around humans and dinosaurs co-existing – although the problem might not be limited to America, as director Colin Trevorrow has said that the film will have a “globe-hopping” and “spy thriller” nature to it. Sound a bit like James Bond meets The Flintstones – we’re in!
Will you watch the Jurassic Park movies, TV shows, and short films in chronological order in the lead-up to Jurassic World: Dominion?