With another Jurassic movie coming out in just a few months, it’s a good time to revisit everything we’ve had so far! Jurassic Park has built quite the empire for itself over almost 30 years, and who knows if the upcoming movie will be the last.
Since humans are so fascinated with dinosaurs, we’ll probably keep making other films that feature them. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane with the Jurassic films and shows, so we’re all up to speed for the next offering come June.
Jurassic Park (1993 – movie)
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The movie that started it all came out 29 years ago and was an adaptation of Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel of the same name. The film caused a sensation in 1993 with its mix of mechanized wonder and horror.
Playing God usually doesn’t bode well for humans, so it’s no wonder that bringing dinosaurs into the present isn’t a good idea. It does make for an interesting premise though, as we learn that they extracted dinosaur DNA from a mosquito to create them. But things inevitably go wrong, as we follow Alan, Ellie, and Malcolm who try to navigate this real dinosaur amusement park and fight to survive. Surely, no one would ever make this mistake again… until The Lost World.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997 – movie)
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Poor Malcolm gets roped back in on a mission to an island where some dinosaurs from the first movie survived. This time he’s heading in there to save his girlfriend, who was working on a research team there and needs rescuing.
Unfortunately, his daughter also follows him along, so Malcolm has more to take care of than he anticipates. Once again, they must fight for their lives against overwhelming odds. There is even a baby T-Rex with a broken leg and other misguided adventures that will have you scolding the humans through the TV.
Jurassic Park III (2001 – movie)
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In the final of the Jurassic Park titled films, we reconnect with Alan from the first movie. You’d think he wouldn’t get roped into a trip to mingle with dinosaurs again, but he is tricked by a couple who insist they just want to have a flyby of the island.
He agrees to be their guide because they are willing to pay him a bunch of money that he needs. Well it turns out they lied to him, and the trip becomes a rescue mission for the couple’s son who crash-landed there while paragliding. We do have some pretty cool scenes here with Pteranodons and their aviary.
Jurassic World (2015 – movie)
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14 years later, we were treated to a resurgence in the Jurassic Park story with the release of Jurassic World. It seems that humans never learn and now they have created a full-on theme park rather than the safari-style experience of old.
What could go wrong?
Only the same mistakes as before really – dinosaurs getting free and attacking humans, namely dinosaur trainer Owen and park operations manager Claire, again, with dino trainer Owen and park operations manager Claire trying desperately to patch things up. With the park boffins this time engineering the baddest dinosaur to have ever existed, you have to say there’s a sense of karmic payback in this one.
Stop playing God, people!
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020 to present – animated TV series)
Watch on: Netflix (subscription)
Although released after the next two installments, this animated Netflix Original show fits in chronologically after the initial Jurassic World movie. The first season coincides with those events and follows six students attending an art adventure camp on the other side of the island from the dinosaur amusement park.
When those events go down, they find themselves stranded there and have to figure out how to survive on their own. The third season leads neatly into the beginning of the next film. The fourth season was just released at the end of 2021.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018 – movie)
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In an interesting turn of events, it’s actually the humans, who come back to save the dinosaurs this time. As if genetically engineered beasts weren’t enough, let’s add in some more danger! Turns out that the island they left the dinosaurs on has a previously dormant volcano about to erupt.
Malcolm returns, insisting they let the dinosaurs die since they shouldn’t have been cloned in the first place, but Claire thinks they should be protected, despite the danger she narrowly escaped in the last film. She enlists Owen’s help, and soon they uncover that dinosaurs are being auctioned on the black market.
Battle at Big Rock (2019 – short film)
Watch on: YouTube (free)
This short is an interesting glimpse into what the next film is going to be exploring- dinosaurs gaining their freedom. It was originally released on FX, but you can now watch it online. If you’re waiting with bated breath for the next movie, this will rev you up even more.
At just eight minutes long, it is more of a teaser as it shows the first major confrontation between civilians and dinosaurs since their full escape. They freak out a family of campers and present a foreshadowing of what is to come.
Jurassic World: Dominion (June 10, 2022)
The first official trailer was just released in February and it really looks like it’s going to bring things full circle because Alan, Ellie, and Malcolm are all back for this one – a tantalizing reunion that fans will surely approve of.
There will also be some new dinosaurs not seen in previous installments and some stunning visual effects that we can already see in the trailer. As dinosaurs and humans struggle to survive together, the premise would work as an elegant conclusion to the series but is more likely to mark a whole new chapter and its own offshoots. Whatever happens, we’re all aboard for this terrifying and intriguing movie.
If you want to know more about real dinosaurs, check out the best YouTube Channels to learn about them.
Image credit: dinosaur in the jungle background by 123RF
