Netflix’s Jurassic World tie in is so much better than you expect. It follows six kids – dinosaur geek Darius, streamer Brooklynn, rich brat Kenji, ranch girl Sammy, athlete Yaz and hypochondriac Ben – as they win a chance to stay at Camp Cretaceous, Jurassic World’s kids’ resort. It goes exactly how you might think.

The first half of the season plays fair, using the island as a canvas for the kids’ issues and plots to play out on. A pre-Wednesday Jenna Ortega impresses as Brooklynn who struggles to balance being a kid with being a star. Raini Rodriguez’ Sammy is the heart of the group, desperate for everyone to get on and hiding a secret of her own while Sean Giambrone’s Ben is the perpetually terrified, hyper-prepared kid every school trip has. Kausar Mohammed is excellent as Yasmina, the cautious track star forced to contend with other people and an injury too. But the two breakouts in the first season are Ryan Potter and Paul-Mikél Williams. Potter plays Kenji, long on money short on social skills and by turns comic relief and antagonist. Williams’ Darius is the big hearted, big brained dino-nerd running from family bereavement, desperate to prove himself and convinced he can’t. They’re all likable, all familiar and the show deals with the heavier plots with a kindness and open heart that’s an enormous relief. Darius’ bereavement, and the surprising nature of Sammy’s secret especially. The guest cast impress too especially Jameela Jamil and Glen Powell as the two guides separated from the kids and desperate to get back to them.

But it’s the second half of the season where the show bares its teeth. Jurassic World is happening just to the left of these last four episodes and crucial events play out from a different perspective. Simon Masrani’s helicopter crash, the escape of the Indominus and the evacuation of the island, as well as a chilling sequence in the Mosasaurus enclosure all feel like we’re on the set of the movie a few seconds after the main characters have passed through. It’s a great, difficult feat of writing but the show lands every shot it takes. The result is a season that feels increasingly dark but never without hope. The final episode’s frantic sprint for the evacuation ships, and apparent main character death, is real heart in mouth stuff and it leads to a moment where these six disparate kids come together as a team. None of them are okay, none of them are safe but none of them are alone. It’s not enough, but it’s what they’ve got.

Verdict: A thrilling first season that sets up much more to come, this takes some big chances and they all pay off.  10/10

Alasdair Stuart

Highlights: The dinosaur herding episode, the entire back half of the season.