It's hide-behind-your-hands time again, with the latest Jurassic Park movie set to roar into Cineworld cinemas on 10 June. The sixth film in the franchise (unless you include the 2019 short, Battle At Big Rock), Jurassic World: Dominion is one of the most anticipated instalments in the series. Not only does it unite members of the original Jurassic Park cast (including Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum) with stars from the later Jurassic World films (such as Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard), it will also be the first time we see humans and dinosaurs living freely amongst each other. What could possibly go wrong!
Well, we're not going to give anything away, but one thing that could go very wrong is the fact that the dinosaur fraternity has a new member, and it's really, really scary. Yes, folks, brace yourself for the Giganotosaurus – or the Giga for short. To give you an idea of what you can expect, we've pieced together five key snippets of information about this monster muncher. By the time you've got to the end of the article, you'll be grateful that dinosaurs are extinct...
1. It was a real-life dinosaur
Unlike some beasts we've seen in the Jurassic Park series – such as the iRex and the Indoraptor – the Giganotosaurus isn't a genetically engineered dinosaur; this thing actually existed in real life. Wikipedia describes it as a “genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Argentina, during the early Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 99.6 to 97 million years ago”. The website goes on to say that: “The Giganotosaurus was one of the largest-known terrestrial carnivores.” Of course, carnivore = meat eater = not good news for the humans in this film.
2. The one in the film was modelled on the Joker
If someone makes a new dinosaur movie, you'd expect them to be inspired by previous screen monsters, wouldn't you? Not Jurassic World: Dominion director Colin Trevorrow. When Empire recently published a first picture of the Giga, it was accompanied by a quote from the US filmmaker, who revealed that he'd had a human villain in mind when selecting the monster. Said Trevorrow – who also helmed the original Jurassic World, as well as Battle At Big Rock – “I wanted something that felt like the Joker. It just wants to watch the world burn.” Better call Batman!
3. It lives in the BioSyn Valley
Cast your mind back to the original Jurassic Park film, and you'll remember there was a sinister bio-engineering firm called BioSyn that was using computer programmer Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) to steal dinosaur embryos from InGen, ultimately causing a catastrophe. Well, in Jurassic World: Dominion, the company seems to have been forgiven and is now looking after various beasts, including the Giga. Says Colin Trevorrow: “BioSyn got the contract to house the dinosaurs that have been captured around the world via various governments.” The trust seems to have been misplaced, though. “They claim it’s a research facility where they can study the pharmaceutical values of the animals,” continues the director. “But there’s some other stuff going on.”
4. Sam Neill had “fun” working with it
Some actors would be terrified at the prospect of appearing opposite an enormous monster, but not Sam Neill. The Australian star – who was in the first three Jurassic Park films and now makes a welcome return as dino expert Dr Alan Grant – seemed to have a whale of a time locking horns with the Giga. He told The Project: “I’ve just had the last five months working with dinosaurs, and it was really fun to do. We have a dinosaur called [the] Giganotosaurus. Apparently, that’s the biggest dinosaur that’s ever been discovered. And, you know, it could eat you in a second if the guys on the controls didn’t like you.”
5. It once won a fight against the T-rex... sort of
At this point in time, we don't know if the Giga will be seen sparring with the T-rex in Jurassic World: Dominion. If the two mega-beasts do end up going hell for leather, it'll be really hard to predict a winner – in real life, the two dinosaurs lived on separate contents and 30 million years apart. The two predators did once meet each other in a fight, though – in the introduction to video game Dino Crisis 2, of all places. Who won? The Giga, with ease. However, it should be noted that the Giga in question was an oversized caricature of the real-life dinosaur, so had a bit of an unfair advantage!
Jurassic World: Dominion is showing in Cineworld cinemas from 10 June. To book your tickets, click here.
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