Today marks Jurassic Park's 25th anniversary so what better day to take a look at the many Easter Eggs, references, and cameos in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom? The movie isn't out in North America yet but it has hit a number of overseas locations and this list is essential reading regardless of whether or not you've seen the sequel as we delve into every single Easter Egg you guys should watch out for.
Needless to say, spoilers do follow but there nothing here that's so major it would totally ruin the movie for you (we do vaguely touch on the ending, though). However, there's a lot of nods here which fans of the franchise are sure to appreciate and by checking these out now, you'll know what to look out for when the 22nd rolls around. So, to take a look, click on the "View List" button down below.
Isla Sorna
Thankfully, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is considerably better than The Lost World: Jurassic Park but there is a reference to that critically panned sequel here. During one point in this sequel, Benjamin Lockwood mentions the second island (which was used for research rather than entertainment).
Unfortunately, we don't learn what became of the dinosaurs there but it's hard to imagine this reference was completely accidental, especially as we could very well return there down the line.
Raptor Throwbacks
The Velociraptors have always been a highlight of these movies and there's a couple of nods here to some memorable moments featuring the dinosaurs in previous instalments. For example, the shadow of the Indoraptor creeping toward Maisie is a clear nod to a similar sequence in Jurassic Park, while the hybrid dinosaur tapping its claw on the floor is no doubt another reference to that scene in the 1993 classic when the kids are hiding out in the kitchen from a couple of hungry and fierce raptors.
Margaritas
Do you remember that guy in Jurassic World who went on the run from that swarm of Pteradons with two Margaritas in hand? It quickly went viral and we later learned that it was musician Jimmy Buffet and that his cameo was related to his Margaritaville chain business. Well, look closely and you'll notice that the Margarita Hut isn't faring well because its ruined remains can be seen in this sequel.
Journey To The Island
Something you may not have noticed during a first viewing is the fact that the movie's end credits kick off with a new take on John Williams' iconic "Journey to the Island" theme from Jurassic Park.
It's clearly been included because of the way things play out at the end of the sequel and it's almost a twisted joke about where things will go next for humanity - now, the entire world is the island!
Welcome To Jurassic Park
In what was a pretty hard to miss nod to a line from Jurassic Park, the movie ends with Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm providing a voiceover about humanity's uncertain future now that dinosaurs have been unleashed across the planet. He concludes that speech with a line from the trailers: "Welcome to Jurassic World." It's a cool nod to the past but a little more serious than the last time we heard it.
The Goat
This is a fun one. I'm sure you remember that iconic scene in Jurassic Park when the T-Rex is lured out of hiding to eat a goat and that sequence is reimagined here - with the same T-Rex - as Eli Mills' men manage to tempt the massive beast into a cell with a goat that's been tied up for it two chow down on.
I would say this is the best reference to what's come before as it's just so much fun to see play out!
Claire's Heels
There was a great deal of controversy surrounding the decision to put Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire in heels for almost the entirety of Jurassic World, especially when she was being chased down by dinos.
Fallen Kingdom pokes fun at that by having the camera focus on the character's feet when she first shows up in the sequel and, yes, she's wearing heels again. That's the last we see of them, though, because she dons something a little more practical throughout the rest of the movie - thank goodness!
Jurassic Park Explorer
When Owen is finally reunited with Blue on Isla Nublar, their exchange takes place in front of an overturned Jurassic Park-era Ford Explorer. You'd have thought that those would have been removed when Jurassic World was built and a popular fan theory is that the overturned 4x4 could be the same one which was terrorised by a T-Rex in the first movie. Does that work geographically, though?
Feeding Time
In what is quite clearly a throwback to the first movie, the massive Mosasaur leaps out of the ocean to snack on an unwitting tech guy hanging from a helicopter ladder. In Jurassic World, it obviously chowed down on a shark which had been placed there as bait and this visual nod to what's come before works.
John Hammond Returns...Sort Of
Jurassic World cleverly paid homage to John Hammond by showing a statue of the Jurassic Park creator and this movie does the same when the camera lingers on a painting of him in Lockwood Manor. He also ends up being a pivotal part of the plot when it's revealed that he parted ways with business partner Benjamin Lockwood when he decided to clone his daughter following her tragic demise.
7337
Here's an obscure one for you. When Gunnar Eversoll (Fallen Kingdom's villainous auctioneer) taps a code into the elevator which will take him to safety and away from the Indoraptor, he types in "7337." That doesn't mean much, right? Wrong. When writer Sergio G. Sánchez offered then rookie filmmaker J.A. Bayona the chance to direct critically acclaimed movie The Orphanage, he got his first big break.
However, the director only met with Sánchez after watching the award-winning short film he'd penned. That was titled 7337, so this moment was clearly a nod to how Bayona got his star in Hollywood.
A Big Jurassic Park Nod
Jurassic World was crammed full of references to Jurassic Park but Fallen Kingdom manages to fit at least one in. That comes when we see a model of the 1990s era park (including those iconic gates) in the mansion of Benjamin Lockwood. While he may have split with John Hammond when he chose to clone his daughter, it's apparent that he still had strong feelings about the Park his old friend built.
Amber
As you may recall, John Hammond had a cane with an amber top which contains a mosquito from which dinosaur DNA was harvested. Look closely in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and you'll notice that Benjamin Lockwood does too; alas, his is destroyed when he's murdered by his trusted aide.
What did you guys think of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom? Did you spot any Easter Eggs we missed? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section and stay tuned for more.