The new trailer for Jurassic World came out this week, to what seems like mostly positive buzz. For myself — while the image of Star-Lord leading a raptor pack on a motorcycle makes me as giddy as the next geek — I have to admit I had been wondering, Why now? The first Jurassic Park movie came out 22 years ago. The current members of the #1 movie-going demographic either weren’t born yet or were still in diapers. The two JP sequels were flat, ridiculous monster movies, uninspired and uninspiring. Why return to a well that seems so thoroughly dry?
After watching the latest trailer, though, I think that Jurassic World has ambitions to be more than another mindless summer monster mash. Rather, I think they’re aiming for one of speculative fiction’s most important and valuable cultural functions. I’ll explain more about what I mean after the jump.