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Review
Jurassic World: The Exhibition – what to expect
Inside the immersive experience that’s 65 million years in the making
Welcome… to Jurassic World. It might only be a few steps from Manchester’s Trafford Centre, but the world-famous prehistoric park is brought to life this summer as a living, breathing, roaring dinosaur zoo.
“Is… she a… herb-a-saurus?” asks one little girl as a park ranger approaches cradling a baby Ankylosaurus, probably not realising that she’s almost quoting the 1993 film that started it all. She needn’t worry, this one’s a plant-eater, and this is Jurassic Park as it’s supposed to be: a family-friendly and perfectly safe dinosaur zoo that’s a long way from the all the running and screaming seen in the movies. Mostly…
Getting there
Jurassic World isn’t coming to Manchester, of course, Manchester is coming to Jurassic World. The giant new exhibition space outside The Trafford Centre is just where you need to head to catch the ferry to the remote island of Isla Nubla. It all takes less time than you’d think though, and the screens on board the boat do a great job of letting you know what kind of flora and fauna to look out for when you arrive.
Young travellers can also pick up an Explorer Guide (available as an add-on when you buy your tickets) which includes access to interactive missions and a collectable guide – perfect reading for the sea crossing.
The big entrance
If you’ve seen the films, you know what to expect here – but opening the ferry doors to see the towering gates of Jurassic World (John Williams score blaring) is still a pretty special experience. And if that’s not enough, there’s a full-sized Brachiosaurus poking its head through gap – the first dinosaur encounter of many and the perfect way to welcome guests into the first forested herbivore area.
Here there are plenty of other dinos to spot and photograph (get ready to feel very small next to the Pachyrhinosaurus), along with a chance to spot a genuine Jurassic Park jeep and a few other hidden easter eggs.
Into the lab
The big draw of Jurassic World: The Exhibition is obviously the chance to see the dinosaurs up close, but there’s also a lot to learn along the way. The experience does a great job of balancing prehistoric thrills with real natural history, and every zone is lined with interactive learning screens, information boards and helpful park wardens to tell you more about the real-life animals.
After you’re done meeting the herbivores, head into the Hammond Creation Lab to see how the dinosaurs were bought to life. Check out the DNA extraction tools, brush for fossils and see some genuine dinosaur bones up close. Also you can touch the dino-poo, which will never not be fun.
Meet and greets
The park’s biggest guests might be the loudest, but they’re definitely not the cutest. That credit belongs to any of the baby dinosaurs that guests get to meet in person as they walk around the experience. Bumpy (from Netflix’s Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous) is available for a selfie, as are a few other choice species – all handled by the park’s wardens and perfectly safe for little fingers. Remember to only use the back of your hand to stroke them though, as the oils in our skin can give the dinosaurs a nasty rash.
Scary stuff
The jungle canopy sounds of Jurassic World: The Exhibition are all sublime – but the further you get through the experience the more you start noticing other noises. Growls that become screeches… screeches that become roars… all coming from the other side of the locked metal door beyond the Gyrosphere photo spot.
When you’re ready to move on, it’s finally time to meet the meat-eaters. The Velociraptors are up next, and guests are invited to watch a training session with Jurassic World’s most famous star, Blue. This is the kind of show you usually see at your local zoo with a barn owl – now ramped up to blockbuster levels with the bird’s oldest, meanest ancestor (also boasting the best special effects of the whole experience).
But maybe that’s not where the biggest roars were coming from? No spoilers here but if something was going to go wrong with any of the safety fences at Jurassic World, the chances are it’ll happen somewhere around the T-Rex paddock… As with any good family-friendly and perfectly safe dinosaur zoo, stay alert, stay low, and be ready to run.
A triumph of advanced animatronics, puppetry, actors and an impressive level of immersive detail, Jurassic World: The Exhibition is everything fans of the franchise could want it to be. All zoos should have a T-Rex.
Jurassic World: The Exhibition is open now at Manchester’s Trafford Centre. Find tickets here
