'Jurassic World Chaos Theory' Season 2 Review

Get ready for another thrilling adventure, Camp Fam.

Contains spoilers for Season 1, and the basic premise of Season 2.

After about five months since the release of the Netflix Camp Cretaceous sequel series Jurassic World Chaos Theory, the second season has finally arrived. For those yet to watch Chaos Theory, the series picks up years after the events of JWCC and follows our campers, now young adults, grappling with their lives and reeling from the apparent death of Brooklyn (spoiler alert: she’s alive). In the first season, the Nublar 5 quickly realized they were being hunted, and they knew it had something to do with what happened to Brooklyn. From there, they were thrust into an adventure to survive while uncovering a dinosaur smuggling conspiracy.

Much like Season 1 of Jurassic World Chaos Theory, Season 2 is more serious in its delivery of story and themes than Camp Cretaceous. This season continues to raise the stakes with a thrilling blend of character-driven drama, moral dilemmas, and dino-action. Splitting the narrative into two points of view—following the Nublar 5 on to a new location, and Brooklyn's globe-trotting antics—the season cleverly interweaves themes of trust, responsibility, and accountability.

Picking up shortly after the events of the first season, we are immediately thrust into the thick of it with the Nublar 5, who are stowed away on a cargo ship filled with dinosaurs being illegally trafficked. As a storm rages, Kenji, Yaz, Sammy, Darius, and Ben are trying to keep a low profile on the ship while also figuring out where they’re headed—and why. Soon, hijinks ensue, forcing them to escape on a lifeboat to a landmass on the horizon: Senegal, Africa.

The characters, as always, are a highlight and serve as the true heart of the story. Each member continues to receive meaningful development, with Kenji's journey being a particular focal point. Grappling with the trauma of his father's death at the claws of an Atrociraptor, Kenji’s internal struggle with self-worth leads to recklessness that contrasts sharply with his otherwise cheerful facade. His repeated life-risking stunts, like jumping into fire or a stormy ocean to save dinosaur eggs, are alarming and signal that he’s not doing well. His growing recklessness, further fueled by Brooklyn’s presumed death, pushes him into dangerous situations that affect not only him but the entire group. This leads to intriguing dynamics with other characters, like Yaz, who tries to reach out — it also leads to interesting developments with Ben, who is harboring secrets of his own. This focus on Kenji gives the character new depth, making his internal struggle a compelling thread throughout the season.

Brooklyn’s arc, meanwhile, is equally captivating, as it’s revealed she narrowly survived a brutal Allosaurus attack, only to immediately have a near-fatal encounter with an assassin Atrociprator, where her hand is bitten off. These physical and emotional scars drive her to become even more determined in her undercover mission to expose a global dinosaur trafficking ring. While presumed dead by her friends and the world, she goes deep undercover all while learning to live with her new limb difference. Her mission takes her into dangerous territory, including joining a questionable dinosaur rights group, Dinosaur Liberation Now – however, this group seems more interested in self-promotion than true activism. That’s no issue for Brooklyn though, as she can capitalize on their resources as a stepping stone to reach her own goal: infiltrating the criminal underworld. Her story is full conspiracy-thriller meets adventure, taking her to unexpected locations and introducing her to intriguing characters as she grapples with the moral complexities of this dangerous path.

Morality and accountability are major themes this season: While Brooklyn’s arc may have the highest stakes, Ben also faces significant moral dilemmas — particularly regarding Brooklyn’s survival. Unsure whether to tell the group about his suspicions that she’s alive or keep them to himself until he has proof, Ben finds himself in a tight spot, leading to many lies by omission. His decision to hide the truth causes mild turbulence within the group, as others sense he’s withholding something. As Ben further uncovers the truth, he faces even tougher choices, with no clear right answer. This internal conflict adds layers to Ben's character and to the story, as the weight of his decisions becomes more integral as time progresses.

Newcomer Zayna, a local from Senegal, is a welcome addition to the group. Despite being younger than the Nublar 5—roughly the same age they were in Camp Cretaceous—she is resourceful and witty, using her knowledge of the local environment to guide the group through treacherous terrain. Zayna adds a fun new dynamic to the season and shares some great scenes with Darius and Sammy especially.

Of course, Season 2 also delivers compelling villains as the mystery of “The Broker” intensifies (the presumed figurehead in charge of the dino-smuggling), with significant revelations about their connection to the DFW, the dinosaur activity in Senegal, their ties to Brooklyn’s attempted assassination plus the Nublar 5's predicament. After Season 1 did a great job of making ‘The Handler’ a terrifying antagonist, season 2 had its work cut out. Without giving too much away, we are introduced to a villainous character with some surprising depth and scenes that stand out. While much is unveiled throughout the season, there are still plenty of unanswered questions, leaving viewers eager to learn more about these nefarious players in future seasons. 

Dinosaur fans will be thrilled with the new species and set pieces this season—especially the extended sequences involving the Suchomimus, which serve to move the story forward rather than just provide action for the viewer's excitement. The Majungasaurus makes its franchise debut, bringing a terrifying presence, often lurking in the shadows before launching ambush attacks. Like the Suchomimus, I expect the Majungasaurus to quickly become a fan favorite.

The action-packed sequences keep the adrenaline pumping with the return of the deadly Atrociraptors. Their intelligence is explored in greater depth this season, adding a fresh layer of terror and fascination. Meanwhile, Zayna’s ‘pet’ Gallimimus, Geba, provides a touch of charm amidst all the chaos. Further, paleo-fans will enjoy the show’s paleontological deep cuts, with authentic behaviors and seamlessly interwoven facts when appropriate.

On the topic of dinos (or rather, flying reptiles), I do want to set expectations: there is no new Pteranodon design this season, despite what the marketing suggested. The Pteranodons featured are the well-established short-crested designs from Jurassic World, and it appears the designs featured in the marketing are not canonical nor official franchise designs.

Visually, the season impresses with dynamic camera work and stunning lighting that elevate the show’s cinematic feel, sometimes rivaling the films in scope and beauty, especially during the more intense sequences. However, it’s worth mentioning we don’t see much of Senegal outside of constrained environments, making it easy to forget that we’re not back on Isla Nublar. This seems to be a budgetary trade-off, with the money spent bringing the story's main action to life with complexity, including incorporating modern-day Senegal wildlife which add another layer to the thrills.

Though the plot follows a somewhat predictable trajectory for what I presume to be a middle chapter, it doesn’t lack excitement or importance. It’s not just Lockwood’s wild dinosaurs on the loose: the season introduces other entities experimenting with dinosaur creation, including a genetically engineered twist on a familiar species, while also slowly unraveling the mystery of The Broker and intertwining the stories of Brooklyn and the Nublar 5. The pacing is tight, with the first three episodes setting the stage, whereas the rest of the season is more of a seamless tension-filled journey that crescendos as the stories begin to converge.

Season 2 is not the end of Chaos Theory: it concludes with a tense cliffhanger, leaving much unresolved with lingering rifts between the camp fam. Trust needs to be rebuilt, and the mysteries of The Broker and their connection to the larger events at play remain potent. With plenty of questions left unanswered, Season 3 promises to further explore these storylines while likely becoming more connected to the events of Jurassic World Dominion.

Jurassic World Chaos Theory continues to be a top-tier Jurassic story, surprising and delighting at every turn. While there are times when the budget could have been expanded for greater impact and one or two moments that stretched believability a little more than I would have liked, Chaos Theory is a must-watch for fans of charming characters, thrilling drama-filled adventure, dinosaurs, animation, and the Jurassic franchise.

SEASON 2 DETAILS:

Release Date: October 17

Episodes: 10 Episodes (22 min)

Voice Actors: Paul-Mikél Williams as “Darius,” Sean Giambrone as “Ben,” Darren Barnet as “Kenji,” Raini Rodriguez as “Sammy,” Kausar Mohammed as “Yasmina,” Kiersten Kelly as “Brooklynn, Anaiya Asomugha as “Zayna” 

Executive Producers: Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow, Frank Marshall

Executive Producers & Showrunners: Scott Kreamer, Aaron Hammersley

Supervising Producer: Zesung Kang

Animation Studio: DreamWorks Animation

OVERALL SERIES SYNOPSIS:

Set six years after the events at Camp Cretaceous, members of “The Nublar Six” are struggling to find their footing off the islands, navigating a world now filled with dinosaurs and people who want to hurt them. Reunited in the wake of a tragedy, the group comes together only to find themselves on the run and catapulted into a global adventure to unravel a conspiracy that threatens dinosaur and humankind alike and finally learn the truth about what happened to one of their own.

SEASON 2 LOGLINE: 

With the Nublar Five stowed away on a dinosaur-filled cargo ship headed to parts unknown, their mission to find who is after them sets them on a collision course with the mysterious Broker. Unaware that Brooklynn is alive, the discovery of her whereabouts will call into question everything they thought they knew about each other.