Line #113 YMMV/JurassicPark


1	Works with their own YMMV pages:
2	* ''YMMV/{{Jurassic Park\|1990}}'' (novel)
3	* ''YMMV/{{The Lost World\|1995}}'' (novel)
4	* ''YMMV/{{Jurassic Park\|1993}}''
5	* ''YMMV/TheLostWorldJurassicPark''
6	* ''YMMV/JurassicParkIII''
7	* ''YMMV/JurassicParkTheGame''
8	* ''YMMV/JurassicWorld''
9	* ''YMMV/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom''
10	* ''YMMV/JurassicWorldBattleAtBigRock''
11	* ''YMMV/JurassicWorldCampCretaceous''
12	* ''YMMV/JurassicWorldDominion''
13	----
14	[[foldercontrol]]
15
16	[[folder:The Franchise in general]]
17
18	* AdaptationDisplacement: The films overshadow the two novels, though not as badly as some other cases due to Creator/MichaelCrichton's decades-long superstar author status. This is, in part, because of Adaptation Distillation. By this point, the film franchise has a longer and much different continuity than Crichton created in the books. In fact, Crichton never intended for ''Jurassic Park'' to become a franchise when he published the original book in 1990.
19	* AluminumChristmasTrees: The 3D file manager that Lex uses near the end is actually real. It was a shell for the IRIX operating system (which is indeed a UNIX derivative) made by Silicon Graphics, who used to be a major Hollywood supplier of CGI technology. They even released a limited ''Jurassic Park'' edition of the computer with the company co-founder's signature.
20	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is the eyesight of the ''Tyrannosaurs'' actually "based on movement"? Technically, Grant only had ''a theory'' that ''T. rex'' had vision like this, but no other character in the first film states this (and Muldoon decides to drive away from Rexy instead of staying still, despite having worked with her most of her life). There are also multiple points where the characters staying still ''doesn't work'', such as Eddie in ''Lost World'', and Alan in ''III''. The rexes are also clearly able to see still objects, as they are able to navigate around them. Rather, it is more likely that movement simply triggers the rexes' instinct to chase, similar to real life wolves and big cats. When Grant and Lex stayed still for example, Rexy may have actually known they were there, but didn't feel like eating them because they weren't giving any chase. She wanted to hunt, after all, and them not running or hiding was no fun. Which is why she goes after Tim instead (who is still hiding in the jeep), and Ian when he runs away.
21	* BaseBreakingCharacter: Ian Malcolm, the BreakoutCharacter among the humans, is a pretty divisive one. On one hand: His arguments can easily come off as anti-science and anti-intellectual, and it certainly [[StrawmanHasAPoint furthers Hammond's point]] that he's more of a "rock star" than a scientist. On the other: '''All''' of his predictions about how dangerous "playing God" with science could be, turn out to be true across his film appearances, and in the second film, he's the OnlySaneMan of his crew. On top of that, his wit, his [[FriendToAllChildren saving the kids in the first one]], and his [[TookALevelInBadass taking on the raptors in the second one]] make him fairly popular. Being played by Creator/JeffGoldblum helps him, too (though that's also something that bugs the non-fans).
22	* CommonKnowledge:
23	** A frequent complaint thrown against the films in memes or critiques is that supposedly all six films depict confined dinosaurs escaping to devour people, yet the humans have AesopAmnesia and keep reopening the theme park. This only comes into play in the first and fourth films, the former where the park isn’t even open yet, and the latter being about the Jurassic World theme park indeed fully breaking down. The second, third, and sixth films deal with the humans surviving wild, non-caged dinosaurs, and the fifth film sees dinosaur refugees from Isla Nublar trafficked and ultimately set free into the wild.
24	** The raptors in the franchise are well-known for [[RaptorAttack not actually representing]] what ''Velociraptor'' looked like in real life, but the actual basis is often stated to be ''Utahraptor'' by fans. However, ''Utahraptor'' had only just been named in the same month the first movie was coming out, it would be basically impossible for them to be based on it considering production had started a year prior, as well as the fact ''Utahraptor'' is actually much larger than the films' raptors. In actuality, the ''Velociraptor'' are meant to ''Deinonychus'' (even if they are rather larger than real ''Deinonychus''), the name change was due to the franchise citing Gregory Paul's text, ''Predatory Dinosaurs of the World'', as its primary source, which made the controversial choice to lump ''Deinonychus'' into ''Velociraptor''. This idea had few adherents even then, and none today, so the fact it was ever an idea at all is not very well known.
25	* CompleteMonster:
26	** ''Redemption'' comic, written by Bob Schreck, gives two characters AdaptationalVillainy:
27	*** [[spoiler:Peter Ludlow, surviving [[Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark his encounter]] with a baby ''[[TerrifyingTyrannosaur T. rex]]'', becomes maniacally obsessed with spiting the entire Hammond family, specifically his nephew-in-law Tim Murphy. Secretly endorsing Tim's efforts to construct a new Jurassic Park in the middle of Texas, Ludlow works with Lewis Dodgson in ensuring carnivores populate the park before having Dodgson [[HeKnowsTooMuch murder Dr. Henry Wu to silence him]]. Eventually revealing himself to Tim, Ludlow gleefully reveals his intent to unleash the entire populace of the new Jurassic Park onto Texas to slaughter as many innocents in their path as possible, uncaring of the immense body count that will result so long as Tim is [[FrameUp framed]] for the crime. So deep is Ludlow's hate for the Hammond lineage that Ludlow hopes for Tim to stay alive for years just so he'll suffer guilt for his hand in the coming massacre, and Ludlow even [[KickTheDog goes so low]] as to inform Tim that his sister Lex will be one of the victims of Ludlow's scheme.]]
28	*** [[TheHeavy Lewis Dodgson himself]], who previously caused [[Film/JurassicPark the first Jurassic Park incident]] by paying Nedry to steal dinosaur embryos, returns [[spoiler:as a game warden at Tim's new Jurassic Park, [[TheMole but is secretly working for Ludlow]]. [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals Torturing the dinosaurs under his care]], Dodgson gleefully participates in the murder of Dr. Wu by allowing a predator to rip him apart and helps release the dinosaurs to kill countless innocents in Texas]].
29	** ''[[Film/JurassicWorldDominion Dominion]]'': [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Dr. Lewis Dodgson]], debuting in the [[Film/JurassicPark very first film]], proves to be [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters much more destructive than any of the dinosaurs]]. Having been a member of [=InGen=]'s competitor Biosyn for decades, Dodgson's attempt to sabotage the rival company involves him having Dennis Nedry mess with the controls of the park so Nedry can make off with embryos while everyone else is put in mortal jeopardy--even Nedry himself. Years after the fact, Dodgson eventually becomes the CEO of Biosyn, and [[spoiler:not only does he have an involvement in the BlackMarket dinosaur trade, he also has Dr. Henry Wu genetically mutate [[BigCreepyCrawlies locusts]] designed to attack and eat the crops of all his competitors to force humanity to either buy his own food sources or suffer extinction by malnourishment. Even when all that goes wrong, Dodgson tries to wipe out those who opposed him and flee with the embryos he has left, intending to continue his immoral desire for scientific superiority over everything and everyone]].
30	* ContestedSequel: Most of the sequels fall into this. ''The Lost World'' is criticized for being rather {{Anvilicious}} and having annoying characters but has its fans for having more dinosaurs, well directed action, and a darker tone. ''Jurassic Park III'' is mostly considered either an entertaining if simplistic film or a total abomination. ''Jurassic World'' seems to be the most well received film in the franchise since the original though it's not without its share of detractors. ''Dominion'' seems to be the most divisive and controversial film in the franchise even topping ''The Lost World'' and ''Fallen Kingdom'', with mixed audience ratings and very low critic ratings.
31	%%ZCE* CreepyAwesome: The ''Velociraptors'' and the ''T. rex''.
32	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: The novel was intended as a warning about the dangers of playing God and performing unnatural acts. Yet, let's be honest. When it was adapted to film, how many people walked out of the theater after seeing it thinking, "Awesome! I wish we could bring dinosaurs back to life! Get cracking, scientists. [[ComicStrip/FoxTrot Increase dinosaur DNA research!]]"? This is, of course, because Ian Malcolm's message on why it was bad in the first place was not the focus of the movie.
33	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
34	** Robert Muldoon and Roland Tembo are usually quite popular among the fandom. Justified, as both are the OnlySaneMan and GreatWhiteHunter in their respective novel/movies. Not to mention that both are the ones in [[RankScalesWithAsskicking charge of the security of a lot of people]]. Bob Peck's and Pete Postlethwaite's intense performances certainly have a lot to do with it as well.
35	** ''Dilophosaurus'' within the larger ''Jurassic Park'' franchise itself. Only a single individual has appeared in any film ([[TheBusCameBack until]] ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion''), but you'd be hard-pressed to find ANYTHING else in ''Jurassic Park'' that DOESN'T feature them.
36	* EvilIsCool: The ''Velociraptors'' are intelligent predators who are responsible for one of the film's tensest moments. There's a reason that it becomes a [[SmallTaxonomyPools stock dinosaur]] after the film came out.
37	* FairForItsDay: ''Jurassic Park'''s depiction of dinosaurs is [[ScienceMarchesOn generally considered very outdated compared to the modern view of dinosaurs]], and is largely blamed for the stagnation of their image in public perspective over the last few decades. But for its time, the original novel and film were very progressive and greatly moved forward from the slow, plodding reptiles that also stagnated in the years beforehand.
38	* FandomRivalry: A one-sided one with ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' back in UsefulNotes/TheNineties, as both works came out in the same timeframe and provided ''radically'' different portrayals of dinosaurs. ''Jurassic Park'' was loved by the general moviegoing public for bringing its dinos to life via SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome and using them masterfully for suspense and action scenes, a stark contrast to ''Barney'' giving a saccharine portrayal of dinosaurs for very young children [[FleetingDemographicRule and nobody else]]. ''Jurassic Park III'' even takes an apparent shot at ''Barney'' by featuring a young child distracted by an episode of the show during a pivotal moment.
39	* FirstInstallmentWins: The original film is the only one which is nigh-universally considered great. The others fall into ContestedSequel territory at best, but few will argue that any are equal to the original in overall story quality.
40	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The series is quite popular in Japan. There was even an exhibition based on the franchise which was meant to educate the public about paleontology.
41	* HilariousInHindsight:
42	** John Hammond lamenting the fact that he didn't build the park in Orlando. [[Ride/JurassicParkRiverAdventure He later would, it seems]].
43	** After Ellie gets ambushed by a Velociraptor, [[Creator/SamuelLJackson Ray Arnold's]] arm falls on her shoulder. So ''that's'' where [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith Mace Windu's]] arm went!
44	* JerkassWoobie: Dennis Nedry. Sure, the guy's a greedy jerk who insults dinosaurs, but considering the financial issues he was facing, as well as Hammond's (possible) disregard for them, it's easy to see why he resorted to thievery. Additionally, his death is a bit too gruesome (''especially'' the novel version).
45	* JustHereForGodzilla: Let's face it -- the dinosaurs are the whole reason why we come to see these movies in the first place.
46	* MagnificentBastard:
47	** [[Film/JurassicPark1993 Original film]]: The ''[[Characters/JurassicParkVelociraptor Velociraptor]]'' alpha is a terrifyingly intelligent predator and one of the most dangerous dinosaurs in the park. Introduced killing one of the park's crew, the alpha [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership killed all but two of her pack to assert her dominance]], using her remaining pack to constantly check their old pen for flaws so they could make their escape. When the power finally goes out, the raptors bust out of their new pen and go on the hunt, with the alpha setting up a trap for Robert Muldoon when he tries to take them out. Learning how to open doors, the alpha and one of her pack bust into the visitor centre and relentlessly chase the heroes, nearly killing them were it not for the surprise interference of the ''[[Characters/JurassicParkTyrannosaurus Tyrannosaurus rex]]''. The alpha and her pack are some of the most iconic dinosaurs in all of fiction, and stand as one of the most shining examples of [[ItCanThink surprisingly clever creatures]] in cinema.
48	** ''[[Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark The Lost World]]'': [[DragonInChief Roland Tembo]] is a badass GreatWhiteHunter who, having hunted the most dangerous animals on Earth, decides to culminate his career by taking down the greatest predator on Earth: a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' buck. Acting as TheHeavy for Peter Ludlow in the dinosaur hunting expedition and ensuring his incompetent, greedy boss stays well away from the operation, Tembo baits out a ''Tyrannosaurus'' couple by using its baby as bait. Even when a gaggle of strangers free the baby and confiscate his ammo, Tembo saves their lives and still manages to bag the adult ''Tyrannosaurus'' in the end. Arguably the sanest and most rational character in the movie by the end, when Ludlow tries to offer Tembo a job as cheap compensation for the loss of Tembo's friends, Tembo politely tells Ludlow to shove it.
49	** ''[[Film/JurassicWorldDominion Dominion]]'': [[ArmsDealer Soyona Santos]] is a BlackMarket trader specializing in selling dinosaurs, particularly ''Atrociraptors'' for numerous things, including as weapons or for dogfights. Hired by Biosyn's CEO Dr. Lewis Dodgson, Santos makes the arrangements for both Maisie Lockwood and the young raptor Beta to be captured and then brought to Malta before then being sent from there to Dodgson at Biosyn shortly after. Upon a deal being busted up by a sting, Santos [[ConsummateProfessional shows no signs of panic]] and uses a laser-pointer so that [[NothingPersonal specially-trained raptors will attack the agents surrounding her]] and targets Claire Dearing and Barry Sembène to prevent them from pursuing her too. While giving up info after being interrogated with a taser, Santos, while in the process of being arrested, stealthily sics the raptors on Owen Grady as he's escaping.
50	* MemeticMutation: Now with [[Memes/JurassicPark its own page]].
51	* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: The franchise is very popular in Costa Rica, despite the fact that it shows several misconceptions about the country itself (like the depiction of the capital or the idea that it has an army) because it is one of the very few instances in which the country is part of a world-famous movie franchise.
52	* OlderThanTheyThink:
53	** The concept of cloning dinosaurs for use in theme parks was actually done first by ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd''.
54	** The idea of cloning a dangerous extinct life form without the ability to produce certain amino acids for safety reasons was used in the 1974 novel ''The Godwhale''.
55	* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: ''The Lost World'' has a divided fan-base and it was almost entirely different from the plot of the book, while the ones starting with the third are entirely original stories within the established setting.
56	* PopularWithFurries: The ''Jurassic Park'' franchise is one of the most popular series with scalies and is ''the'' most popular with fans of dinosaurs. It's a GatewaySeries into paleontology and being a dinosaur fan.
57	* RootingForTheEmpire: Who ''doesn't'' want to watch the dinosaurs eat people?
58	%%ZCE* TheScrappy: Kelly from ''The Lost World'' and, though not as commonly, Tim and Lex from the original also have their share of detractors. Why?
59	* {{Sequelitis}}: Critically at least. The first film was acclaimed and is often considered a masterpiece, but every other film following it has gotten mostly mixed or negative reviews. Although ''Film/JurassicWorld'' bucked the trend by getting somewhat positive reviews, the series has otherwise gotten a consistently lower and lower Website/RottenTomatoes score with each new film, from the original film's stellar 92% down to ''[[Film/JurassicWorldDominion Dominion]]'''s abysmal 29%. [[CriticalDissonance Among general audiences however]], the subsequent films fall under ContestedSequel, with much more mixed opinions.
60	%%ZCE* UglyCute: The ''Dilophosaurus'', sick ''Triceratops'', and baby ''Velociraptor'' from the first film; the baby ''T. rex'' and ''Stegosaurus'' in the second; and a whole petting zoo of baby dinosaurs in ''Jurassic World''.
61	* ViewerGenderConfusion: A surprisingly large amount of people assume the dinosaurs are male despite most of them actually being purposely made to be female. This is mentioned several times throughout the films and is a plot point.
62	* ViewerSpeciesConfusion: For the most part avoided, since all of the dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals are clearly named, even if they don't look accurate. However, a couple cases of this stand out.
63	** In the first movie, the two skeletons in the Visitor Center are a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' and a sauropod. Said sauropod is often called an ''Apatosaurus'' or a ''Brontosaurus'', but according to the script, it's an ''Alamosaurus'', a species that has never appeared in the franchise in any other form (but it ''is'' the only sauropod species known to have actually coexisted with ''T. rex'').
64	** The unnamed sauropod that appears briefly during the roundup scene in ''The Lost World'' is neither an ''Apatosaurus'' nor a ''Diplodocus'', which it is often mistaken for by causal viewers. It's actually a ''Mamenchisaurus'' (although mid-production, it was briefly planned to be changed to ''Seismosaurus'', nowadays a species of ''Diplodocus'', which would explain its more diplodocid-like appearance).
65	** In ''Fallen Kingdom'', the skull that the ''Indoraptor'' is impaled on during the final battle is often called a ''Triceratops'' skull. According to the script, it's an ''Agujaceratops''. However, ''Agujaceratops'' had holes in its frill that the skull in the movie doesn't have, which makes it look more like a ''Triceratops'' skull anyway. The producers, on the other hand, have said that it's [[CartoonCreature not meant to be any real kind of ceratopsian at all]].
66	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: The PG-13 rating for all the films do not stop the franchise from attracting child viewers since most parents assume that their children would love dinosaurs. ''Jurassic Park'' and ''Jurassic World'', in particular, are especially guilty of this. The DarkerAndEdgier ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'' is possibly the least kid-friendly. This is not helped by every film including at least one KidAppealCharacter and tons of merchandise marketed towards kids.
67	%%* TheWoobie:
68	%%ZCE** Many of the characters that play victim to the dinosaurs count, but Lex and Tim, from the first movie, stand out the most, at least for those who don't consider them TheScrappy. Explanation?
69	%%ZCE** Eddie Carr, Howard King, and Hammond (at least the [[AdaptationalHeroism movie version of him]]) are very sad characters, too. Why?
70	%%ZCE** The sick ''Triceratops''.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:The Video Games]]
74	* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: {{Creator/Sega}} always did ''Jurassic Park'' justice. JP was impressive on the [[Platform/SegaMasterSystem Master System]], Platform/GameGear, Genesis/Mega Drive and especially their arcade coin-ops. (We don't talk about the Platform/SegaCD one...)
75	** The [[Platform/SegaGenesis Genesis/Mega Drive]] side-scroller had a better sense of horror, backed by excellent pacing music by Sam Powell.
76	###You play as Grant in both versions (although a Raptor is the VillainProtagonist in the Sega version's secondary mode), but Sega Grant looked more like a believable human because he was made up of motion-captured sprites. Creator/BlueSkySoftware, makers of ''{{VideoGame/Vectorman}}'' 1 and 2, used puppets given to them by {{Creator/Universal}} for {{stop motion}} animation, which made the dinosaurs look scarily-real. Spared no expense!
77	###All of that being said, Sega ''JP'' isn't an easy game to get along with. Both casual and hardcore gamers today find the controls to be stiff, the graphics rough-around-the-edges, and the gameplay somewhat sluggish and poorly-paced. The lethargic enemy AI was "balanced" with some surprisingly tough platforming and demanding gameplay shifts; it was hard to navigate the raft maze without constantly running out of fuel [[SuperDrowningSkills and drowning]], or figure out [[GuideDangIt what to do with that brachiosaurus]], but that's how old games were: [[TrialAndErrorGameplay die and die again until you figure it out.]]
78	###''Trivia'': At the end of the Grant campaign, you [[PuzzleBoss use explosives to knock the T-Rex skeleton onto the Raptors]]. This was what was originally scripted for the movie, but at the last minute Creator/StevenSpielberg decided that audiences would want to see the T-Rex one last time, so he changed the final cut. Also, the rafting and pump house levels were in [[Literature/JurassicPark the book]], but not the movie.
79	** [=BlueSky=] released ''Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition'' soon afterward based on the previous game's amazing sales. It fixes almost all of the problems with the first game, is lightning-fast this time, and clearly uses a revamped game engine: Everything from the controls to the screen scrolling is liquid smooth. The Raptor is especially fine-tuned with more moves and is easier to control (gotta double-jump-kick a helicopter to death at one point). ''Rampage Edition'' is one of the most technically-impressive games on the console, period.
80	** 2003's ''Operation Genesis'' was a surprisingly solid VideoGame/ZooTycoon-style park-building sim (which let you [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential unleash hordes of carnivores upon your guests]], but not without [[VideoGameCrueltyPunishment paying for it big-time]]).
81	* TheProblemWithLicensedGames:
82	** The [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] FetchQuest looked amazing in the intro, what with that rotating Mode 7 Isla Nublar, the mouse cursor on the main menu (very faithful to the movie), and its Dolby Surround sound support. But when you got to playing it...The Genesis version is tricky, but most gamers never even got close to beating this one without cheats. ([[AWinnerIsYou Not that they missed much from the ending.]]) It's a giant pain in the ass, with a Hyrule-sized island, no extra lives, no save feature and [[WhereWasIGoingAgain no clues as to where to go,]] constantly touching the [[MissionControl information stations]] and having your ears blasted by the uncharacteristically-stern, digitized voice of Malcolm shouting at you, "GRANT!" The respawning dinosaurs look nothing like they do in the movie, you never have enough ammo, and Grant [[FakeDifficulty can never seem to aim correctly]]. It does have [[FirstPersonShooter FPS]] sections that supposedly use the ''Doom'' engine. Those were really neat at the time, but just barely work. Thankfully the ''Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection'', released in 2023 by Limited Run Games [[MileStoneCelebration to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the original film's release]], adds an in-game map of the overworld and (like all the other games included in the compilation) a much-needed save feature, thus fixing much of the flaws inherent to the SNES version.
83	** Oddly, the Super Nintendo had its own standalone sequel, ''[[VideoGame/JurassicPark2TheChaosContinues The Chaos Continues]]'', which is a side-scroller. The Genesis/Mega Drive adaptation of ''The Lost World'' is a top-down shooter; an inversion of game styles. Both games were a major letdown, but the latter has a cult following.
84	** The ''Platform/GameBoy'' and [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] versions of the game released for the first movie, which were severely cut-down versions of the already-unforgiving SNES game.
85	** ''VideoGame/JurassicParkTrespasser''. Even if it is responsible for innovations that are still felt in games today (truthfully, it was probably ''too'' innovative for the time it came out), it's still one of the most {{Obvious Beta}}s in video gaming history.
86	** ''Jurassic Park Interactive'' on the [[Platform/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3DO]], a title that has no clear idea of what it wants to be, as well as not using the ''JP'' license for anything worthwhile.
87	** Creator/TelltaleGames' episodic ''Videogame/JurassicParkTheGame'' received mixed reviews, both praising and criticizing the attempt to take inspiration from ''VideoGame/HeavyRain''. Favorable reviews praised the atmosphere and the respect for the franchise's spirit, while negative reviews criticized the graphics and (some of them) the gameplay as more akin to an FMV game, lacking the amount of player agency of previous Telltale games or the games by David Cage.
88	* RetroactiveRecognition: A surprisingly subtle example; the musical composer for the [=PS1=] games ''VideoGame/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' and ''VideoGame/WarpathJurassicPark'' was Creator/MichaelGiacchino, over a decade before he would take over as the lead composer for the films.
89	[[/folder]]

Context YMMV / JurassicPark