13 incredible Easter Eggs hidden in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Mosasaur munching

One of the most enduring images from Jurassic World was when the aquatic mosasaurus leapt vertically from the water to eat various creatures, from a piece of bait during a live show to one of the park workers and then eventually the terrifying Indominus Rex itself.

In Fallen Kingdom the mosasaurus gets to repeat the trick by unexpectedly appearing to munch on a character played by British actor Robert Emms, just as it seemed he’d escaped the jaws of the T-Rex. Oh well.

Ian Malcolm

Jeff Goldblum’s chaos theorist and mathematician Ian Malcolm returns to the franchise in Jurassic World after a 21-year absence, having previously played a supporting role in the original Jurassic Park and the lead in 1997 sequel The Lost World (he was mentioned by name in Jurassic Park III and appeared on various book covers in Jurassic World).

This time, Malcolm turns up at a hearing near the beginning of the film and right at the end, explaining the risks of dinosaurs – but it’s still great to see the series acknowledging its past with a bit of Goldblum action.

The only other Jurassic Park alum joining Goldblum in the film is geneticist Dr Henry Wu (BD Wong), who only has a small role to play in this film after taking a fairly central one in Jurassic World.

Hell in high heels

Bryce Dallas Howard recently revealed that she insisted on keeping her character Claire’s controversial high-heeled shoes for the sequel, after fans disputed whether she’d really keep them on while fleeing a T-Rex.

And while Claire does wear slightly better footwear for most of Fallen Kingdom, her first appearance in the new movie is definitely heels-first, with the camera panning up opening elevator doors to reveal her clothes, beginning with the heels.

This is a recreation of the character’s introduction in the original Jurassic World, though in Fallen Kingdom her generally more casual outfit, haircut and arms full of coffee orders show her change in circumstances since the last film ended.

Richard Hammond looms large

Jurassic Park founder John Hammond (as played by the late, great Richard Attenborough) loomed large over Jurassic World, and Fallen Kingdom follows that thread by introducing his original business partner Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), who helped Hammond develop the cloning technology that enabled him to bring the dinosaurs back from extinction.

Accordingly, in Lockwood’s home Hammond can be seen smiling down from a painted portrait, watching over the future of his dinosaurs as his dream spirals more and more out of control.

Caning it

Speaking of Hammond, Lockwood also has another memento to help keep his old colleague in his thoughts – an amber-topped cane, just like the one Richard Attenborough uses in the original Jurassic Park.

Isla Sorna

At one point during the film, Lockwood name-checks Isla Sorna, the second dinosaur-packed island (used for research, as opposed to the main Isla Nublar theme park) which was the central location of both The Lost World and Jurassic Park III. It’s still unclear what happened to all the dinosaurs on that island, now we think about it…

Retracing her steps

In another echoing of Jurassic World, the first time Claire goes to visit Owen (Chris Pratt) in this film sees her making the trek up to his trailer in a remote area – exactly the same way she first enlisted his help in the previous film.

Jurassic Park lives!

While there aren’t nearly as many references to the original Jurassic Park in this film as there were in Jurassic World, there are a few subtle nods to the earliest incarnation of the franchise, perhaps most notably in a model of the 1990s park – complete with the iconic gates and straw tiki hut – kept in the mansion of Benjamin Lockwood.

Must go faster

Another callback to the original Jurassic Park is actually also a callback to Jurassic World, in the best Easter Egg two-for-one deal you’re likely to get outside of a Sainsbury’s in Spring.

Look closely during the scenes on Isla Nublar and you can spot an overturned Jurassic Park jeep from the original film, which ended up being brought out of retirement to help our heroes during the events of Jurassic World.

The Margaritas are off

Remember that guy in Jurassic World who wouldn’t drop his pair of tasty Margaritas, even as a swarm of pteradons attacked? Well, that was musician and entrepreneur Jimmy Buffett in a sneaky cameo related to his own Magaritaville chain business – but sadly his Jurassic World Margarita Hut hasn’t stood the test of time. Look closely, and you can see it in ruins during scenes set in the park.

Blast from the past

When we rejoin the dinosaurs in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom the first species we see is the diplodocus. Combined with the inclusion of the classic Jurassic Park theme it’s a clear callback to the original film, specifically the above scene where the visitors encounter dinosaurs for the first time.

Good things come in small packages

After all the Jurassic Park references, where’s the love for The Lost World? Well, watch closely – because there are a few subtle nods to the 1997 film.

Note the inclusion of one of The Lost World’s most memorable dinosaurs the Compsognathus, AKA the tiny little ones who attack a small girl in the opening of The Lost World and who later torment a dino hunter on Isla Sorna (Peter Stormare).

You can spot one of them posing in the gift shop, and others bound away from the ash cloud alongside Owen.

T-Wrecked

Another Lost World callback comes when the T-Rex is subdued and brought to society in a mouth-clamping, cage-like rig, which can only be glimpsed from afar but appears to be the exact same specialist equipment used to restrain the species during the 1997 film. After a while they let the T-Rex stretch out in a storage container this time, though - even the bad guys are getting a little more considerate to animal welfare these days.

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