Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles from previous films in the series, with Toby Jones, Ted Levine, and Rafe Spall joining the cast.

The story follows Owen Grady and Claire Dearing as they return to the fictional Central American island of Isla Nublar to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from an impending volcanic eruption, only to discover a mercenary team's ulterior motives to bring them to the US mainland.

Six months after the Indominus rex incident,[b] a small mercenary team arrives on the abandoned Isla Nublar to collect DNA from its remains in the lagoon.

After the Senate votes against government involvement in rescuing the animals, Hammond's former partner, Sir Benjamin Lockwood, invites Claire to his Northern California estate.

[35] He dropped out of that project three months later due to other commitments,[36] and was hired as Jurassic World 2 director in April 2016, with Belén Atienza and Patrick Crowley joining Marshall as producers.

[37] Spielberg, Marshall, and Kathleen Kennedy had been impressed by Bayona's 2012 film, The Impossible, and initially considered having him direct Jurassic World, which he declined as he felt there was not enough time for production.

[50][51] Trevorrow said the story was inspired by a quote from Dr. Alan Grant in the first film: "Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution, have suddenly been thrown back into the mix together.

"[52] He also said it was heavily influenced by the idea that "a mistake made a long time ago just can't be undone",[53] and stated further that the film deals with themes of political megalomania, greed, and "making decisions with lack of care for how it affects people's lives".

I honestly think it's like killing off a character in a way, and if you're going to do that, as long as you approach it with the proper respect and acknowledgement that you understand how indelible and permanent what you're doing is, then hopefully people will have an emotional response but they won't hate you for it".

[56] Trevorrow was nervous about how audiences would react to the story's human cloning aspect, an idea supported by Spielberg, who was excited about the questions it could raise in the film's sequel.

He felt the sequence was too lengthy and required some action, leading to his suggestion of Owen and Claire retrieving blood from the T. rex to aid in Blue's surgery.

[77] According to Trevorrow, the auction scene was initially envisioned as "a dirty, unsavory bunch of animal traffickers" but he said that Bayona "kept us from going too far", embracing the darker elements while adding his own "sense of playfulness and humor".

[108][109][110] In Hawaii, scenes where characters are running were filmed with the use of the Edge Arm, a stabilized camera that was attached to a crane, which was mounted to a truck that drove alongside the actors.

[112][111] In England, an outdoor roller coaster track with a 40-foot drop was constructed for the Gyrosphere, which Howard and Smith rode in to shoot a scene where the ride plummets off a cliff and into the water surrounding Isla Nublar.

[113] The last part of the scene was shot at Pinewood Studios, where a large indoor tank was constructed and filled with water to depict the submerged ride as Owen tries to break it open and rescue Claire and Franklin.

[121] Scenes were also filmed on sets at Hampshire's Hawley Common,[119] where the exterior of Lockwood's mansion was built, as well as a mainland loading dock where the dinosaurs are brought.

[2] Their encounter takes place in front of an overturned Ford Explorer, previously featured in the original film as a Jurassic Park tour vehicle.

[113][136] The Main Street section of the Jurassic World theme park was rebuilt on Police Beach in Hawaii for a scene where Owen and Claire return to the island.

[54] The dinosaur's death was the last shot on the entire film to be finished; Bayona and the post-production team struggled to perfect the CGI of the scene with only several days left to complete it.

[179][180] The campaign included nine partners—Dairy Queen, Doritos, Dr Pepper, Ferrero SpA, Jeep, Juicy Fruit, Kellogg's, M&M's, and Skittles—who aired television commercials and sold products to promote the film.

[184][185][186][187] Mattel produced a variety of toys,[188] including dinosaurs and action figures,[189][190] as well as Barbie dolls featuring the likeness of Pratt and Howard as their characters.

The website's consensus reads: "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom adds another set piece-packed entry to the blockbuster franchise, although genuinely thrilling moments are in increasingly short supply.

[223] Lindsey Bahr of the Associated Press wrote: "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will not stand up to rigorous scrutiny, and yet, it's kind of an enjoyable, preposterous and thrilling ride that ticks through nostalgia beats like a shopping list".

[224] The Boston Globe's Ty Burr likened the film to a "Universal Studios theme park ride" noting: "It's enough for a fun fright night at the movies but lacks anything else: character, mystery, wonder, danger.

[225] In a more critical assessment, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said "...this sequel has the perfunctory vibe that comes from filmmakers who cynically believe the public will buy anything T. rex-related, no matter how shoddy the goods or warmed-over the plot".

[226] Senior Editor Matt Goldberg of Collider also criticized the screenplay stating that "the film is too lazy to even bother with the modest housekeeping of explaining its characters' motives".

Bayona's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom says goodbye to the park for good, not just carrying the de-extincted dinos off the island but freeing itself from the genre trappings of the previous four films".

[233] Sam Prell of GamesRadar+ compared the film to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, stating that both represent turning points for their respective franchises: "Both movies tear down the old to give us something new".

[235] Many reviewers singled out the scene where a lone Brachiosaurus, stranded on Isla Nublar, succumbs to the volcanic fumes while the characters helplessly watch from the departing ship as "poignant" or "haunting", especially given the species' role in the first film.

[246] Pratt, Howard, Johnson, Sy, Pineda and Smith reprise their roles from the previous two films, while original Jurassic Park stars Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill also return to the franchise.