Review: LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit

Imagine a world…a Jurassic World, if you will, where the worst isn’t the dinosaurs but rather the people that visit the park? That’s right. In a prequel two-part special that’s meant to be a prelude for the Jurassic World blockbuster film franchises, in Lego Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit we see the early development stages of Isla Nublar trying to shed it’s more murderous past into a playtime attraction for families to enjoy for generations. That said, don’t expect your little ones to be scared off during the primetime NBC two-parter, because really most, if not all, of the dinosaurs are about as playful as pets! The only real threatening monster is that of the T-Rex, however, after a talking to by Rex, Owen’s dog, and Blue, a baby velociraptor out on the prowl, he becomes rather tame enough for a quick lasso and back to where he came from.

We do get a heaping helping of notable names even if they aren’t voiced by their live-action big brothers. Owen and Claire begin their kinship in this 44-minute affair, and we’re also introduced to a cookie-baking Henry Wu and a pre-helicopter crash victim Simon Masrani. We also get an evil IT guy who tries to cause all sort of mischief around the park and has with him an interesting pedigree for those that know the Jurassic franchises well enough.

Most of the two episodes feature a bunch of dialogue-driven scenes that don’t really amount to anything and are more silly than anything. I was half-hoping for something a bit more educational due to the fact kids love learning about dinosaurs and wouldn’t a primetime animated special be a great way of reminding parents that educational animated series used to live on NBC. Not so much anymore, though I did enjoy the surprise twist, the dino-action is very light and rather non-sensical. I mean, we’re riding on the backs of carnivores like ponies at the end of the second episode and no one seems to mind. This is probably the kind of crap we’ll see on the Netflix Jurassic Park series coming in 2020. If your kids love dinosaurs, they could do a lot worse than this, but if you’re of the age group that prefers the more advantageous ideas of the movies, you’ll be somewhat let down.