Season 2 of Jurassic World’s animated show Chaos Theory premieres on Netflix October 17th! We were fortunate to be able to view it ahead of time, and we’re excited to share our review and reactions to the upcoming season!
Chaos Theory debuted in May 2024 and was a follow-up to Camp Cretaceous, a five-season show which saw six teenage campers become stranded on the island of Isla Nublar after the Jurassic World disaster.
Chaos Theory picked things up six years after the campers were finally rescued and brought us into a world where dinosaurs now roam alongside humans on the mainland after escaping from Lockwood Manor, the Arcadia transport ship, and proliferating via the spread of genetic technology.
The first season was a master class in both storytelling and its ability to tie its animated world to that of the live-action Jurassic World films.
We met the more mature versions of the survivors from Camp Cretaceous – dubbed the Nublar Six – as they dealt with a whole new conspiracy that links back to the disappearance of one of their own – Brooklynn.
The question is, will the second season continue the same feeling of thrills, wonder, adventure, and terror as the first? Will we get answers about Brooklynn’s disappearance, and where is the cargo ship heading?
Read on for our review of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Season Two!
When we last saw the Nublar Five they were boarding a dinosaur-filled cargo ship, destination unknown. The first season unraveled the beginning of the conspiracy – the group discovered that agents within the DPW, a Government organization tasked with ensuring dinosaurs and humans can co-exist, were also facilitating part of the dinosaur black-market trade. Brooklynn herself had been investigating dinosaur trading by DPW agents since the events at Lockwood Manor, and was believed to have been killed by a rogue Allosaurus at one of these dino-drops.
The season showed us the Nublar Five reuniting in the wake of Brooklynn’s death, and trying to find answers to exactly what happened to her. This led them to many places across the USA, and introduced them to a handful of new characters – the mysterious raptor handler, DPW regional manager Dudley Cabrera, Bobby Nublar, and Mateo, the DPW worker who was driving the truck containing the Allosaurus, and witnessed Brooklynn’s supposed death. These characters all help piece together the puzzle of what exactly happened that fateful night and established that a much larger conspiracy is at play.
It is revealed to us at the very end of the season that Brooklynn survived the attack and has been monitoring both her friends and the DPW’s dinosaur trading in hiding, using the website DarkJurassic and a “new working relationship” with Daniel Kon to collect data and communicate with whistleblowers.
The first season did a wonderful job of showing us a world post-Fallen Kingdom, where dinosaurs now roam free across many states in America. We saw both the havoc they can cause, whether intentionally or not, and the many ways in which humans capitalized on the de-extinct animal’s arrival.
Given how high the stakes were following the end of the first season, has Season Two managed to capture the same success, and also expand on it?
In short: yes, it absolutely has.
Season 2 picks up exactly where we left off – the group are holed up in an empty dinosaur container awaiting the ship to reach its destination, and we get a sense they’ve been traveling for quite some time now. This season continues to expand on our titular characters, and focuses in on their internal struggles.
A highlight of the first season was the PTSD the characters faced after their time on the islands – specifically Yaz, who was dealing with some serious trauma. This season continues this thread, but focuses more on Kenji, who – while stoic and acting strong in front of his friends – is struggling immensely with the death of Brooklynn and his father.
The characters pick up on this, and we’re treated to some rather tender moments between members of the group – a credit to the writers’ work managing to intertwine these characters internal struggles with the dangers that surround them. It continues to be refreshing having a show aimed at a younger audience that is willing to mature with its characters and its audience, and not pull away from portraying complex human emotions.
While all the characters get their screen time, a large focus is put on Darius and his own memories with and feelings for Brooklynn – something that caused conflict between he and Kenji in the first season, and continues to be something the three of them contend with.
The first episode truly throws us right into the adventure. After a storm knocks out power on the ship, some of the dinosaurs escape their containment – including the new, big bad dinosaur, the Majungasaurus. This menacing dinosaur and the escape of others on-board are shown to us in a brilliant, tension-building way – mostly through strikes of lightning that show the chaos of panicked dinosaurs and their predatory drive in flashes of light, chasing and hunting the humans on the ship.
It poses a serious threat to the characters aboard the ship, which is something Chaos Theory season 2 continues to do so well: showing us the true terror that can come from these de-extinct beasts, but also the relationships that can form between humans and calmer species. And we must say, especially in the first episode, Chaos Theory season 2 builds excellent, suspenseful atmospheres for our characters to interact with these creatures in.
After a turbulent first episode, the group manage to escape the ship and eventually make it to land. The first season did a great job of showing us dinosaurs across America and what the reality of that means, and this season is no different. It takes a big swing taking us to environments entirely new to the franchise, outside of the USA, but it’s handled perfectly.
The introductions of a new location and two new characters (a mother and daughter native to the region) all feels natural, and is a welcome change. The inclusion of this new culture, language, and environment are presented flawlessly and are exciting to have joining the Jurassic franchise. Many of this season’s main dinosaur species being native to the continent or area of the world is a great real-world paleontology nod as well.
As many have guessed, we are taken to a country in Western Africa and introduced to Zayna and Aminata who have found ways to co-exist with the dinosaurs that recently arrived. A small herd of Stegosaurs live nearby to their home, and a particular Gallimimus becomes somewhat of a Bumpy-like figure to Zayna.
We learn through dialogue that the dinosaurs aren’t supposed to be here – and that Darius didn’t think other continents even had dinosaurs. This all ties into the larger conspiracy at play, which leads the group to travel up-river to find answers about where the dinosaurs are coming from – and who is behind it. New dinosaurs and some familiar favorites fill out this season, with a particular spotlight given to the Suchomimus – a semi-aquatic dinosaur that becomes quite a concern for the group. As the group continues to explore this new location and find answers, we are finally re-introduced to Brooklynn, and find out exactly what happened on that dreaded night.
Her character is handled carefully and her own storyline is expanded, providing evidence and much-needed context for her actions following that attack. Like the other characters, she’s dealing with her own post-traumatic stress coupled with the high-stakes nature of her investigation activities, and this is something navigated expertly as we move through the story.
However, she’s on a mission and will seemingly stop at nothing to get it done – even at times putting herself in more danger. She’s following leads and not letting her newfound disability hold her back. Season 2 tackles the two storylines at once, jumping between Brooklynn’s own globe-trotting adventure and the Nublar Five’s survival and simultaneous investigation in Western Africa.
We are also shown further examples of how the world post-Fallen Kingdom dinosaur escape is dealing with these creatures. After a few years attempting to co-exist, you get a sense that people are beginning take matters into their own hands. A particular vigilante group emerges, Dinosaur Liberation Now, showing that people are growing tired of the dinosaurs being there, and are also not happy with the captivity that many of them involuntarily find themselves in.
Many are curious about the identity of The Broker. The character was teased in the first season, and is unveiled in the new season. We can’t say anything about that yet – but it’s worth the wait and something you will want to uncover for yourself. The character will be a big surprise to many.
The writers of Camp Cretaceous and Chaos Theory successfully tied some of the show’s elements to the live-action movies and the second season expands on this – we learn more about the state of the world between Fallen Kingdom and Dominion, and certain plot elements tie the show even closer to the third Jurassic World movie.
As the show continues it could tie even closer to the movies, perhaps aligning directly with Dominion or even filling in more gaps in the Jurassic timeline after the events of Dominion. Regardless of where we’re headed, season 2 certainly progresses and modernizes the Jurassic franchise in great ways.
This season continues to deliver on the gorgeous settings and animation. The locations are diverse and intriguing, with the lighting and composition aiding in the storytelling and providing some very Jurassic visuals. It all comes together to deliver on a truly great looking show, with fantastic dinosaur textures and character animation throughout.
Leo Birenberg delivers on the score yet again, providing a terror-inducing soundtrack that is clearly inspired by the films and music of Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann. It is concurrently mysterious, intense, moving, and perfectly synthesized to match this modern Jurassic thriller.
Season two is full of terror, adventure, and well-written characters, with plenty of mysteries to explore. It also has enough connective tissue to the Jurassic Park franchise as a whole to satisfy any fan. It takes the Jurassic story to quite unexpected places, and certainly ups the stakes to progress even further in the animated Jurassic World.
As a whole season 2 delivers on the premise established in the first, and continues to expand the stories and mysteries that this animated show has crafted. It might not be quite as hard-hitting as the first season, but following that fantastic debut was always going to be tough, and nothing really holds this back.
This season quickly advances the Chaos Theory adventure into its next phase, and brings the story to places never before seen in the Jurassic franchise, all while providing just as much intrigue and suspense. It features some nice ties back to season one of the show as well as some great references to multiple films in the Jurassic franchise. Importantly, season two also does a great job building on the themes of disability and inclusion with another diverse roster of characters and creatures.
But that’s just our opinion! And when the season drops, we’d love to hear yours down below in the comments!
Chaos Theory’s second season arrives on Netflix October 17th, and if you enjoyed the first season, get ready to continue this thrilling adventure! Check out our full video review below!
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— March 6, 2024— 