Jurassic Park, later known as Jurassic World, is a popular American sci-fi franchise about a failed attempt to create a dinosaur theme park. It all started in 1990 when Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment acquired the rights to Michael Crichton’s novel, even before it was published. The book and the 1993 film adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg were both successful. A sequel novel, The Lost World, was written by Crichton at Spielberg’s and fans’ request, followed by a 1997 film adaptation which was also helmed by Spielberg.
From Jurassic Park III (2001) onwards, the series departed from Crichton’s novels as well as no longer involved Spielberg as director although references to the books that inspired the first two films were retained. In 2015, a new trilogy began with Jurassic World, which was a massive hit, setting records in its opening weekend and overall box office performance. It is the third highest-grossing film ever at the time. A sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), also surpassed a billion dollars in global earnings. The final film of this trilogy, Jurassic World Dominion, released in 2022, also crossed the billion-dollar mark and became a major success.
Additionally, a short film titled Battle At Big Rock, released in 2019, is set between the second and third films in the new trilogy marked the first time that an element related to short film in the franchise was added.
Jurassic Park is one of my favourite film franchises mainly because (apart from being a dinosaur fan like so many people) the first two films are based on books and their director is one whose movies and style I admire deeply. I also read the books that became the movies and loved the novels as much but it came to me as kind of a revelation that unlike the second book, its film adaptation does not seem to conclude where the first story (in both the novel and film versions) began. For a while, I had no inclination to see the new trilogy (directed by Collin Trevorrow and J.A Bayona for the first and third films and second films respectively. Trevorrow also directed Battle at Big Rock) but when I gave it a go in doing so, I realized that the final film actually culminates in where the first film and the novel it came from began which should have ended in the second movie like the book that the second movie came from and it resulted in me becoming a fan of the three recent movies.
I tried to be a fan of the third movie which Joe Johnston directed but later on I realized that there was no need for it and even the author of the books admitted that he had not seen the third film and never had any plans to do so and I agree with him so for me the third film does not exist; it should have ended with the second film and only after the second film should the new trilogy have come. While watching the movies, I realized perhaps by co-incidence there were some references both in plot as well as characters to the previous entries which inspired me to reveal what they are.
Vikram Wagh
1.
- Zach and Gray Mitchell’s mother sends them to Jurassic Park to meet her estranged sister Claire Dearing to ensure that they know nothing about her divorce from their father. In both the Jurassic Park book and its film adaptation, Lex and Tim visit the park to see their grandfather as part of the endorsement team, but it is unclear if they’re unaware of their parents’ impending divorce. Also since the film takes place in Christmas 2015 (although it was released six months before the timeframe of the movie), the brothers’ reasons for being sent to meet their aunt also had to do with the Christmas holidays
- While the ages of Lex and Tim in the novel are reversed in the film, it is retained in both of the latter’s versions that he has a strong interest in dinosaurs. This alludes to Gray who is the younger of the two siblings and has a strong interest in dinosaurs as well.
- Simon Masrani despite being a new character who is evidently not from any of the novel elements of Jurassic Park does seem to share some similarity with John Hammond, the park’s creator in both the book and film who has since died here; he is now in charge of the park which has been renamed Jurassic World and is more focused on ensuring the enjoyment of Jurassic World’s guests rather than just its profits. Even though he is greedy and somewhat shady like the novel Hammond, he is a sincerely caring person much like the film version of Hammond.
- Owen Grady is a raptor trainer and is quite skilled in gaining their trust and them his so that he can instruct them. Raptors in the Jurassic Park novel were allowed to interact with humans as infants upon hatching and Tim Murphy at one point in the novel is given permission to hang out with a young raptor who seems quite attached to him until later on during the chaos of the story when the young raptor is killed by two rogue raptors. Also, in the film version of Jurassic Park much like the novel itself a worker on the island is mauled by a Velociraptor and one worker is close to being so after trying to feed the raptor in question but is saved by Owen. One of the raptors in the first movie for reasons unknown (but not said in the dialogue) is referred to as the ‘Big One’ and many of the raptors are given named by Owen like ‘Blue’
- Dinosaurs from the original films and the novel adapted from them return to the movieVelociraptor appeared both in the novels and their film adaptations and returns in the new film/s
Tyrannosaurus (Rex) appeared both in the novels and their film adaptations and returns in the new film/s. By happenstance the Tyrannosaurus from the first film ‘Rexy’ returns to the screen
Gallimimus appeared in the first novel’s movie version and in the second book and its movie adaptation
Parasauraolphus (which appeared in both the books and their movie versions
Stegosaurus was present in both the novels but only appeared in the movie based on the second book
Triceratops appeared both in the novels and their film adaptations
Pachycephalosaurus appeared in the second book and its film adaptation but only appears on security footage in the movie
Dilophosaurus appeared in the first book and its film adaptation but only appeared as a hologram in this movie
Pteranodon was present in the first novel and appeared in the film that was based on the second novel, being joined by other pterosaurs such as dimorphodon
- The Cretaceous cruise river trek where tourists can kayak around the island while encountering apatosaurus and stegosaurus as well as other dinosaurs may possibly be based on a sequence in the novel which never made it into the movie but may have inspired the ride at the Universal Theme parks. In it, Dr Alan Grant and the Murphy children are rafting down a river in an attempt to escape the stalking Tyrannosaurus and are nearly killed by her when they fall down a waterfall but survive.
- While most of the characters from the first two novels or their film adaptations do not return, Dr Henry Wu who died in the first book but survived in its movie adaptation does return. Simon Masrani who is revealed to have purchased InGen, the company which created the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park reveals he has taken it upon himself to carry on the legacy of John Hammond who was the chief of InGen. A statue of Hammond also appears in the movie.
- Vic Hoskins and Dennis Nedry both work for InGen before betraying the company and meeting their demise at the hands of dinosaurs. Hoskins falls to a velociraptor, while Nedry is taken down by a dilophosaurus. Nedry’s attempt to steal Jurassic Park’s assets for the benefit of InGen’s rival company Biosyn mirrors Hoskins’ actions although Hoskins is more interested in weaponizing the animals mostly the Indominous Rex. Additionally, Hoskins’ view that extinct animals have no rights aligns with Lewis Dodgson’s stance in the novels, which is reiterated by Peter Ludlow, the greedy and corrupt nephew of John Hammond in the film adaptation. This belief sparks a heated disagreement between Ludlow, Nick Van Owen, and Ian Malcolm although unlike Hoskins, Ludlow meets his end due to an infant Tyrannosaurus.
- Gryospheres take the place of tour vehicles in the movie. Visitors driving them are instructed to return after the Indominous Rex breaks lose in a nod to the first film although the tour vehicles are instructed to return when a storm hits
- Zach and Gray escape from the Indominous Rex in their Gyrosphere, echoing Lex and Tim’s attempt to save themselves from the Tyrannosaurus in the first novel and its movie adaptation. In the past, the Tyrannosaurus tries to get at Lex and Tim into their vehicle while Alan Grant and Ian Malcolm distract the Tyrannosaurus and eventually saved the children. Gray takes charge when their Gyrosphere malfunctions, and the Indominous attempts to break in. Lex, futilely fending off the Tyrannosaurus with a flashlight, later gets rescued. This mirrors Claire and Owen’s attempt to save her nephews, similar to Hammond’s directive to Robert Muldoon to rescue Lex and Tim. However, Hammond does not directly join Muldoon and Ellie Sattler in the rescue operation. Unlike the Murphy children who are accompanied by Grant, Zach and Gray are on their own until Claire and Owen find them.
- Much as goats are used to lure the Tyrannosaurus in the first movie, sharks are used to lure the Mosasaur in the new movie.
- While Lex and Tim are not technically attended to by Gennaro in the movie (unlike Ed Regis in the book who accompanies them) he is somewhat responsible for them until he abandons them due to being chased by the Tyrannosaurus at which Alan Grant saves the children and becomes their caregiver until getting them to safety. Zara Young until her death at the claws of one of the Pteranodons is assigned to take care of the Mitchell brothers although they seem to want to do their own thing not necessarily with her.
- At the climax of the first movie in a seemingly drastic differentiation to the novel, the Tyrannosaurus ends up inadvertently rescuing the human characters from the raptors while they escape the island. This time, both rivals team up to defeat the Indominous Rex together thanks to the new characters although the Mosasaur plays the main killing blow to defeat the Indominous Rex.
- At the end of the novel, the survivors are detained in a Costa Rican hotel and questioned before being allowed to leave although except Lex and Tim none of the others are going to be allowed to leave any time soon. However, the survivors on the island are maintained in a safe area before being reunited with their loved ones who arrive on the island to receive them, especially the Mitchell brothers who their aunt helps reunite with her sister and brother-in-law (their parents)
- Much as the Tyrannosaurus roars triumphantly at the end of the first movie, this is the case at the end of the second