There are very few actors out there who can sell a movie by their name alone, but Glen Powellis quickly proving that he’s in an elite club. Thanks to his work in movies like Anyone But You, Top Gun: Maverick, and Twisters, Powell’s combination of charm and dedication to his roles has made him an actor to watch. It’s also led movie fans to slowly discover his earlier roles, including a Netflix series that puts a fresh spin on a long-running science fiction franchise. What’s more, Powell isn’t the only recognizable face in the cast, as Jenna Ortegahas a major role in the series as well.
The series in question? Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. As its name suggests, Camp Cretaceous is an offshoot of the Jurassic World movies, and follows six teenagers who’ve won a trip to Camp Cretaceous, a program that’s part of the Jurassic World theme park. However, once the events of the first Jurassic Worldkick off, the teens are stranded and have to learn to work together in order to survive the packs of wild dinosaurs and other threats on Isla Nublar. Running for five seasons, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous not only manages to replicate the danger and spectacle of the Jurassic World movies, but exceeds them in one key way.
‘Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous’ Thrives Thanks to Its Characters
Image via Netflix
What makes Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous stand outis its focus on its human characters, particularly the six teens it follows. The differences between these teens are stark, as dinosaur fanatic Darius (Paul-Mikél Williams) initially butts heads with rich kid Kenji (Ryan Potter), while the athletic Yaz (Kasuar Mohammed) couldn’t be more different from vlogger Brooklynn (Ortega) or farm girl Sammy (Raini Rodriguez). As Camp Cretaceous progresses, the teens start to form a friendship and even put their skills to the test, whether it’s Darius’ dinosaur knowledge helping them survive or Yaz and Sammy forming a relationship. The character who changes the most is Ben (Sean Giambrone); once a shy and socially awkward teen, he grows into a more confident survivor and even forms a relationship with an Ankylosaurus he names “Bumpy.”
The same treatment is even given to Glen Powell’s character, Dave. Dave and his fellow camp counselor Roxie (Jameela Jamil) are polar opposites, with Roxie being hyper-focused on keeping strict schedules while Dave is more laid back. However, Dave does show flashes of humanity beyond his laid-back surfer boy persona, as he winds up saving Kenji and Darius early in the series; he and Roxie also try to save the teens in the back half of Season 1. The duo even reappears at the end of Camp Cretaceous to get the campers home, which gives the series a full circle moment and Powell a chance to flex his dramatic chops.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
‘Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous’ Spawned A Sequel Series
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous became a major hit, scoring the highest ratings of any entry in the Jurassic World franchise and a dedicated fanbase. Netflix capitalized on this success by releasing a sequel series, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory. While Chaos Theory still keeps the strong mix of characterization and spectacle that defines Camp Cretaceous, it takes a major leap forward in time and shows the characters six years later and how their experiences on Isla Nublar affected them. Showrunner Scott Kreamer said that the biggest draw of working on Chaos Theory was exploring the dynamic between man and dinosaur that was teased in Jurassic World: Dominion.
“What’s great about Dominion is it tells this big story about what it looks like with dinosaurs in the world. Well, what does that look like for an everyday person?”
Those who watched Dominion know that the final result left a lot to be desired, but Jurassic World: Chaos Theory leaped at the chance to show how living among dinosaurs affects Darius and his friends. While Glen Powell didn’t return for Chaos Theory, his role in Camp Cretaceous shows that the trick to making a great Jurassic movie isn’t big dinosaurs and cutting edge effects but having actual characters the audience grows to care about.
