from Back Lot Music (2025)

Get it: If you enjoy the traditional sound of grandeur and pure orchestral glory that have come from the previous works in this franchise

Don’t get it: If you were hoping for a more whimsical or subdued style of score from Desplat

It’s no hidden secret that any composer would be apprehensive to have to follow in the footsteps of the maestro himself, John Williams. Beginning in 2015, Michael Giacchino did just that for the relaunch of the Jurassic Park franchise with Jurassic World (and later again, albeit in a new way, with Rogue One – originally slated for Desplat). Now, we have the return collaboration of director Gareth Edwards and composer Alexandre Desplat, who worked together previously on 2014’s Godzilla. It’s not exactly a stretch to use that as a baseline for expectations on how this project would come together. I liked Desplat’s work on Godzilla. To be completely forthright, however, I have to say that a rather large part of me was disappointed when he was announced to be the composer for this film, mainly because I allowed myself to buy into the rumor mill, which had named another composer as the likely one for the movie, and I simply got too attached to that idea. When they announced Desplat, I felt let down (through no fault of anyone other than myself). Having now listened to the final product, let me be the first to say that I could not have been more wrong in my disappointment. From the first notes of the first track, you know you’re listening to Jurassic Park.

I’m about to give a bit of a hot take in order to make my next point, so please don’t click away when you read this — I admit it is an unpopular opinion! I am not a huge fan of Don Davis’ score for Jurassic Park III. I admire his attempt and do not envy his position, and yes it is nearly impossible to follow Williams’ work on the first two — that work is nearly untouchable. The track Journey to the Island is near perfection in my book. But, I see so many people giving JP3’s score such high praise, and I just don’t think it quite has it where it counts as a follow-up. Again, admirable, but it falls short to me. The reason I say that is because this score doesn’t. Musically, it is a great successor to the first films in the series, and also does some sneaky, subtle homage to the previous Giacchino work in the new World side of the franchise as well. The track Mayday made me instantly think of War for the Planet of the Apes, which while not coming directly from this franchise, did come from the same composer of the same era. If you listen to Boat Chase (embedded below via Spotify), there are some more clues to the newer World music there as well.

But forgetting for a moment the other work in the series, this score stands out on its own as something special to me. It has a quality to it that almost feels like a dying breed in many modern film scores, which is its sense of grandeur. Sure, there are moments more properly characterized as tender, or perhaps tense, but throughout, it never loses the sense of quality. Desplat is able to blend it all together while adding a layer of maturity to the whole thing. I am quite grateful for this score and, frankly, I find it has an importance to it that I hope inspires others in the industry to continue in this same vein. If you have ever found yourself listening and enjoying any of the previous soundtracks to a Jurassic Park or World film, do yourself a favor and check this one out as well. You won’t regret it.

Oh, and one final note. If anyone was wondering if we have any of the classic themes in it or not, well that’s what this little paragraph is about. If you do not want to know, simply skip this paragraph to the links below to listen for yourself. Okay, now that the warning is out of the way — oh yeah, they’re in it. And they’re good. As you would expect, it’s almost like musical cameos where they are, but they’re there, and they’re loud and proud. When the first one comes up, to say I had a huge grin on my face and goosebumps somehow seems like an understatement. So, while they are not plastered all over the place, the classic themes are definitely there and are ready for you to enjoy in every bit of their majestic splendor.

It’s really good.



Below is a track from the score via Spotify, or you can stream the entire OST by clicking the links to Apple Music and Amazon Music.