How J.A. Bayona avoided an R rated Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

This Summer we will see the release of the much-anticipated sequel to Colin Trevorrow's blockbuster reboot of JURASSIC WORLD. The film scored a PG-13 rating via the MPAA a few months back for "intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril" and this brings about an interesting point. JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM is directed by J.A. Bayona, a man known for his horror movies such as THE ORPHANAGE. And his horror movies tend to be rated R.

So how did Bayona keep the blood and gore in check enough to score the JURASSIC PARK sequel's PG-13 rating? Well, Bayona talked about just that issue recently with Cinema Blend, telling the site: 

You know what I'm learning when you do these kinds of movies, you know, when it needs to be PG-13, there are certain red lines that you cannot cross. For example, we knew that we couldn't show much human blood. So for example, there's a moment when you can see a dinosaur biting the arm off a man, and we designed the scene in order to make it very effective, but without showing any blood. It's kind of fun when you do that, you try to find a way of making what you really want to do, in order to provoke that effective feeling, but without crossing the red line.

Personally, I would have loved to see an R-rated version of JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM. After all, if LOGAN and DEADPOOL taught us anything, it's that audiences these days are just as willing to fork over their hard-earned cash for an R-rated motion picture just the same, if not more, than a PG-13 teen-fest. That said, I understand that more than a few people would totally just EXPECT this sequel to be PG-13 and bring the little kiddies in droves. And seeing blood and dino gore splattered across an IMAX screen without warning would be a bit traumatic, to say the least. 

I can still dream though.

Anyhow, the PG-13 rated JURASSIC WORLD 2 will be hitting theaters this Friday, June 22nd, and I know I will be making my way to my local IMAX to check it out ASAP. I have a big spot of love reserved in my horror heart for Steven Spielberg's original 1993 classic, and I like Trevorrow's JURASSIC WORLD a bit more every time I see it. So again, I'll be there for this new film once it hits and I hope to see you there!

JURASSIC WORLD FALLEN KINGDOM is directed by Bayona from a screenplay by JURASSIC WORLD's Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly, and has the following synopsis: 

It’s been three years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment.  Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles.

When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.  Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who’s still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times.

With all of the wonder, adventure and thrills synonymous with one of the most popular and successful series in cinema history, this all-new motion-picture event sees the return of favorite characters and dinosaurs—along with new breeds more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before.  Welcome to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, B.D. Wong, and Jeff Goldblum return to the franchise for this new entry and are joined by JURASSIC newcomers such as Daniella Pineda, Toby Jones, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Geraldine Chaplin, Brooke Norbury, and Ted Levine. Again, it hits theaters this Friday, June 22nd.