Jurassic Park was first gifted to viewers on June 11th, 1993 and since then, the franchise that followed has pulled down a colossal $4.6 billion worldwide. The film held the record for Steven Spielberg’s most successful movie until five years later when Titanic beat it to the top spot and it created so much interest in dinosaurs that since its release, record numbers of students have chosen to study palaeontology. It’s a timeless classic with an unbeatable cast and fantastically entertaining story arc.
The first instalment, based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, could quite easily have been a gruesome horror but with the upbeat, relatable characters and more complex story, Jurassic Park became more of an exciting adventure with teeth. The rights of Crichton’s novel were purchased by Universal for $2 million before it was even published.
After the pre-plot scenes, the story begins when palaeontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and palaeobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) are approached by eccentric billionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) about endorsing a theme park. Along the way they meet a slimy lawyer (obvious dino-fodder), weird chaotician Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) and Hammond’s two grandchildren. It transpires that the park, based on a remote Island off the coast of Costa Rica, is full of living cloned dinosaurs. The gigantic spectacle has been brought to life in order to attract patrons from all over the world to marvel at the power of Hammond’s creation. All goes wrong of course as a fiendish side-plot begins to unfold. Dennis Nedry, a computer technician at the park, tries to steal a handful of dinosaur embryos and smuggle them off the island but falls victim to a tropical storm and never makes it to the boat. In the wake of his sabotage of the park’s system, the island is left without power and is overrun by wild, de-extinct predators.
The second in the series, The Lost World (1997) takes place on a second island named Sorna. The story takes an odd turn as the island is invaded by money crazed bureaucrats, hatching a mad plan to take the dinosaurs back to the States and open a dino-zoo in San Diego, partaking in some light trophy hunting to pass the time. Chased by a family of T-Rex’, they must survive the harsh, predator-infested jungle and find safety. A single T-Rex is brought back to San Diego and obviously escapes into the city, killing everything in its wake.
Jurassic Park III (2001) begins as a young boy and his uncle are trapped on Isla Nublar after attempting to get a close look at some dinosaurs. The boy’s parents hire Alan Grant under false pretences to help them find their missing son, but things become even more dangerous as they discover new dinosaurs that weren’t on the original list. A deadly Spinosaurus chases the survivors across the island from end to end, eventually to find itself pitted against a T-Rex in a dramatic fight to the death.
Eventually after fourteen years of waiting, Universal gave us Jurassic World (2015), the story of a rejuvenated park on the same island on a much larger scale. Dr. Malcolm’s metaphor from the first film about “slapping it on a plastic lunchbox” has become even more of a vivid reality as the park becomes just another frivolous attraction. This time, they switch things up a little with the addition of Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) who has been working on taming a small family group of raptors. Alongside this, R&D at Jurassic World have developed a super-hybrid dinosaur designed specifically to be extra-terrifying to thrill fickle holidaymakers. The new monster escapes and terrorises the island, killing everything in sight.
Finally, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) brings us a new twist on the story as the original island is consumed by a deadly volcano, threatening to kill what’s left of dinosaur population. A few familiar characters return as a sick plan is hatched to “rescue” the dinosaurs and sell them off to the highest bidder, while secretly working on a new, much smaller genetic hybrid designed to be the ultimate weapon.
The Jurassic Park franchise has brought viewers into a unique world of thrilling adventures. We’ve had drama, comedy, romance and horror all in one single set of stories. We’ve had a spectacular cast of regulars and one-offs alike over the years creating both lovable and hate-inspiring characters. The franchise remains a true lesson for humanity, a lesson that they never seem to learn: just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should.
