Colin Trevorrow, director of next year's Jurassic World: Dominion and 2019's short film Battle at Big Rock, recently shared details on how the events of the short will be featured from a new angle in the upcoming third film. Battle at Big Rock is a short that takes place after the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, where dinosaurs were let loose in North America. It sees a family camping in Big Rock National Park when their RV comes under attack from an Allosaurus. Battle at Big Rock was released on FX in September 2019 before making its way to YouTube, where it has gone on to earn over 8.7 million views.
Battle at Big Rock gives audiences a taste of where the world stands and acts as a lead-in to Jurassic World: Dominion. Dominion brings back Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard from the previous two films while also focusing on a parallel storyline that reunites Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern from the original Jurassic Park. All the characters will then unite, bringing a unique setup for an installment unlike any the franchise has ever seen before.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Trevorrow broke down the extended IMAX trailer that will debut in front of Fast & Furious 9 later this month. He was asked about the interesting angles used to show events in the sizzle reel that ends the trailer, which appear to come from the viewpoints of everyday people. Trevorrow then began to elaborate on these moments, discussing how they incorporated shots that were intended to be cellphone videos. The RV encounter from Battle at Big Rock is also featured from a new perspective. In the short, the events mainly play out inside the RV, but the IMAX trailer shows the attack as seen by a witness on the outside. Check out what Trevorrow had to say:
"Yeah, one is of a Gallimimus in a neighborhood. We wanted that footage to essentially be like an iPhone - someone in the front seat of their car. The second is actually from an alternate angle on the event in Battle at Big Rock, where the Allosaurus flips over the camper van they’re all in, but it’s taken by a neighbor, someone at one of the other camper vans watching the dinosaur flip it over. And the third one is the Mososaurus taking down a crab-fishing boat, because if there’s a Mososaurus out there, you probably shouldn’t be hanging giant crab fishing nets out because they’re delicious."
These small moments that fill out the sizzle reel are very reminiscent of clips that played through the credits of Battle at Big Rock. Those credits feature similar footage that looks to be captured on mobile devices, such as a Stegosaurus in some dashcam footage and a Mososaurus chomping down on a shark that just lept out of the water. The use of fake viral videos to tease dinosaurs roaming the world in Jurassic World: Dominion is a fantastic way to connect audiences to the story in a way that relates to their everyday lives.
As the hype for Jurassic World: Dominion continues to build, it's nice to see the filmmakers continue to tease the new installment while connecting it to their earlier material. To further these efforts, Trevorrow has even said that the Netflix animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous will tie into the new film. With the debut of the IMAX trailer drawing near, audiences can expect major implications that will ripple through the film and the world they have created beyond it. As Jurassic World: Dominion won't hit theaters until June 10, 2022, there are sure to be more unique aspects of the film teased before its premiere.
