Camp Cretaceus

Dinosaurs run amok in this latest installment of the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchise, which is set to have multiple seasons, the second one coming in 2021. The first season contains only eight episodes has plenty of room for the show to grow and develop. Now I must admit I was hopeful at first. I mean, it couldn't possibly be as bad as Jurassic Park 3, now could it? The first season opens up with what looks to be an expedition, but it turns out to be the show's main central character Darius playing a game set in a Jurassic type world. As the show goes on, we find out that once Darius has completed his game, he has been accepted into a proto-type summer camp set on Isla sorna, once home to Jurassic park and current home of Jurassic world. While the main story is focused on Darius and his obsession with dinosaurs and the relationship between his father, there are other stories running parallel to it. After all, this is a Jurassic park show, and we need some mystery and intrigue. Now when Darius gets to camp, he is greeted by his camp counselors, one of which is steadfast, the other one not so much, and his fellow campers, which is your usual clichéd mix from the nerd to the loner and everything in between. The show in of itself does try to be entertaining at times, with the kids spending time with each other while trying to build bonds and friendships, but it just seems cluttered half the time with people always being in danger from the park's resident dinos. The locations are your standard mix of buildings one would expect to find in a theme park type setting with the exception of the genetics lab where the kids get to see first hand how the dinosaurs who populate the island are made by the famous Dr. Wu, but the show doesn't really go into specifics with this if you want to know watch Jurassic park or read the novel. Now the one redeeming factor for me was that it had dinosaurs consistently on-screen, and there are some who make their screen appearance for the first time. However, it still is a Jurassic world show so expect dinos to cause all kinds of chaos and mayhem, leaving people in peril possibly stranded on Isla sorna. Now don't get me wrong Jurassic park is one of the best films of all time, and the novel even more so, but for me, this show just falls flat. All in all, this is a kids show, and maybe I shouldn't be too harsh, but the writing is lackluster, Darius is way too excited at times, which can be annoying for some people, and the typical element of big conglomerates and their spies are in plain site not to mention the hidden agendas that are there too whether it be the campers themselves or the staff that work at the park. Now maybe this is just meant to be a time filler for kids with just action and no meaningful storylines or arcs, but I hope this show does better the next go around, and the writing is better with a more in-depth look into each character. The show as a whole, from the dinosaurs to the kids, gets a more polished feel; instead, oh, there's dinosaurs loose, the kids are in trouble for the umpteenth time, and the grownups are nowhere in sight. My overall score for season one is a C-.