After experiencing forty-nine episodes of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, and thirty-nine episodes of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, it is fair to say that fans will have spent a lot of time with the characters who form the Nublar Six – but is our final outing with them a satisfying conclusion?
I think for me, Season Four of Chaos Theory is a mixed bag. There are lots of moments and set-pieces which feel exciting, and there is a strong emotional undertone which felt stronger than anything seen in recent movies in the Jurassic franchise, but beyond that the series leaves me largely wanting more from these characters and their conclusion.
In this review, we’ll chat non-spoilers, but give you a good overview on our thoughts for the final season in Chaos Theory’s run.
Whilst we won’t get into spoilers here, the plot of Season 4 pretty much focuses on wrapping up a lot of the underlying plot threads from across the season in interesting ways. Setting this in BioSyn Valley brings some interesting synergy with the events of Jurassic World Dominion. There are moments where this feels very strong to me, and moments where it feels a bit more contrived – something we can talk more about once the show has released.
The Characters here are the same Nublar Six we have come to know and love, but with arguably some of their most emotionally rich and engaging performances yet. We can really get a strong sense for the final climatic transition to adulthood that these characters have gone through this season, with some mature and grounded performances.
I have to give huge credit to both the actors and the writers for how these characters are handled throughout this season. There are some of the strongest performances we have seen to date here, with some real grounded plot beats which are relatable to the everyday challenges that can come from entering adulthood. I really enjoyed how the show handled these beats.
Dinosaurs and animals are a huge part of the Jurassic franchise’s identity, and I am really happy to say that the fourth season of Chaos Theory has a ton of fantastic inclusions. Returning favourites from Jurassic World Dominion are back here, and I really enjoyed just how much time these animals get on screen, and how unique the ways they are used feels. There is a lot of really great stuff to enjoy in this season.
As fans have already seen, the location we spend the fourth season in is pretty familiar, and without spoiling anything, I really enjoyed how we visit parts of the valley that are both new and familiar. We get a really good flavour for the scale of the BioSyn operation in this season, and it left me feeling like the film franchise missed a huge opportunity by moving away from this location so quickly.
When I talk about animals, I think it is really important to talk about set pieces. Chaos Theory Season Four has some fantastic set pieces packed in here, and there is one set piece which uses one of the Valley’s observation towers which is one of the most fantastic set pieces I have seen in Jurassic.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a couple of moments here which feel like they push the boundary of plausibility and grounded storytelling a little, but overall, there are some really strong set pieces packed into this story which feel like they complement the emotional beats of the story and compound the key themes explored through the narrative threads of this season.
The world building present in the fourth season goes hand-in-hand with some of these set pieces. If you’re coming into this season expecting some expansive storytelling, I’d advise caution. This is more a wrapping-up of existing threads which the series has laid over the previous three entries, but we do get some cool broadening of some of the plot points found in Jurassic World Dominion. There is one detail in particular I am very excited to talk about more after the release of the show.
There isn’t much more I can say without spoiling this series, but I have to admit I finished the season wanting a bit more. If you’re looking for a large and bombastic conclusion to the series then you’re not going to get it here – this is much more of a smaller-scale and tighter story which puts the characters at its core. Whilst that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does feel like the guard rails of this season running parallel to the events of Jurassic World Dominion are more present in the background than in previous seasons.
We have a good story here which is full of emotional tension and adult reflection, but it very much feels like a gradual winding down over the course of nine episodes – which I guess is what a conclusion is? Still, for me I perhaps longed for a little bit more. With that said, I am happy with where each of these characters ends their story and the ramifications of the ending, and I think the door is still open to continue some of their stories in the future if Universal Pictures and Netflix wanted to round this out with a trilogy.
I’ve really enjoyed my time with Chaos Theory, and not just the series itself, but the way that these animated shows have brought new fans into the franchise and connected people over the past few years. I know I’ll look fondly back on this time reviewing these shows with Brad, and that is perhaps the best legacy a project like this can leave.
Huge thanks to Netflix and Dreamworks for early access to Chaos Theory Season 4. You can stream the full season from November 20th exclusively on Netflix.
Written by: Tom Jurassic