“Officially,” the final installment in the Jurassic Park movie franchise premiers today in the United States. But everyone knows that for motion pictures of the Jurassic World Dominion caliber, that means sometime during the evening prior. [1-3]
But those who attended this pre-premier at State Theatre in Ann Arbor saw the bar raised on their experience. By special arrangement with The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, docents were setup with a table in the lobby for almost an hour before the 7:45pm showing of Jurassic World Domination here. [4-8]
Prepared with a dozen castings made from dinosaur artifacts unearthed during archeological digs, Grey Rivet and Melinda Verhage engaged with arriving patrons on any and all matters jurassic. [9-11]
Those who stepped up for a closer look were not only allowed to touch anything on the table, they were encouraged to pick up items, hold them, examine them, and ask questions. It certainly conveyed the sort of well-organized, patient, as-detailed-as-you’d-like offering that the Museum has been doing for years in school classrooms.
Saline Journal began coverage as they opened, noting that small groups of two to six persons were gathered close-in throughout; all ages. Some individuals seemed there to tell about their own experiences in the field, others simply immersed in all that was there to be gathered.
A dark, bread-plate-sized piece resembling a fin merited longer explation at several points. At first glance, Mr Rivet pointed out, “it looks like armor.
But you can look at the texture in the casting and that tells you it was used for thermal regulation” — to help control or maintain body temperature for the dinosour of which it was a part.
In another instance, Ms Verhage pointed to a skull that had been brought along as part of the special selections chosen in anticipation of likely Jurassic World Dominion movie inquiries. It looked like it could have come from a Shetland Sheepdog — or, rather, its feroceous cousin.
“It’s a lot small than the Velociraptors they showed in the first movie,” she smiled. “And they had feathers.” [12,13]
At the same time, both clearly appreciated the balance they were striking between providing science-based connection and the commercial fantasy that was driving interest in their work. To them, this latest adventure in the world that has come from Jurassic Park was a commendable effort. [14]
The State Theatre lists showtimes for Jurassic World Dominion from now through a week into the future on its website. [15]
References
- “Jurassic Park Franchise” Jurassic Wiki.
- “Jurassic World Domination (2022, PG-13, 2h 26m)” IMDb.
- “Jurassic World Dominion – Official Trailer [HD]” Universal Pictures (February 10, 2022) YouTube (2:50 minutes).
- “Now Playing at the State” Michigan Theater Foundation.
- “About” Michigan Theater Foundation.
- “Watching a film with others: Towards a theory of collective spectatorship” Julian Hanich (September 2014) Screen.
- “Museum of Natural History” University of Michigan.
- “Jurassic World Domination: Now playing at the State!” Michigan Theater Foundation.
- “Jurassic Period — 201.3 to 145.0 MYA” National Park Service.
- “Dinosaurs 101 | National Geographic” National Geographic (June 29, 2018) YouTube (3:47 minutes).
- “What Dinosaurs Actually Looked Like?” Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell (October 21, 2021) YouTube (11:40 minutes).
- “Velociraptor: Facts About the ‘Speedy Thief’” Joseph Castro (March 18, 2016) Life Science.
- “Here’s What Velociraptors Really Looked Like” Grunge (December 20, 2019) YouTube (4:44 minutes).
- “Jurassic World Dominion First Reviews: A Franchise Finale Full of Fan Service and Dino Action” Christopher Campbell (June 9, 2022) Rotten Tomatoes.
- “Jurassic World Dominion” State Theatre, Michigan Theater Foundation. https://secure.michtheater.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?epguid=83683564-3500-4e9a-8221-b074c769a042&evtinfo=736640~c76be4f4-22b5-4bed-a89c-7def863b8c53
