Jurassic Parkwas groundbreaking, and many of its original dinosaur effects still hold up today. There are now six movies in theJurassic Parkfranchise, and another is due to be released in 2025. However, if theJurassic Parkfranchise has one flaw, it is with the dinosaurs featured in the original trilogy. Some ofJurassic Park’s most iconic dinosaur scenes, like the Velociraptor hunt in the kitchen and that final shot of the T. rex roaring under the Jurassic Park banner, should not have happened, because those dinosaurs should not have appeared inJurassic Park.
The most memorabledinosaurs in the originalJurassic Parktrilogywere not from the Jurassic Period. The T. rex, Velociraptors, and Triceratops are all from the Cretaceous Period. This means thatnot all of Jurassic Park’s stars are technically dinosaursin the first place.Jurassic World’s Dimorphodon is a flying reptile, for example, not a dinosaur. The inaccuracies work inJurassic Park, by highlighting that John Hammond doesn’t know what he is doing. However, ifJurassic Parkhad cast its dinosaurs from just the Jurassic Period, these should have been the stars.
Brachiosaurus
The Iconic Dinosaur With A Long Neck
The Brachiosaurus is one of the most iconic Jurassic Park dinosaur species, and features in two of the originalJurassic Parkmovies' most memorable scenes. It isthe first dinosaur that Alan Grant sees, and this scene is central to the movie. This sets upJurassic Park’s story, developing the main characters within a few seconds, and gives audiences a full view of the dinosaurs for the first time. It is also one of the few non-predatory dinosaurs that the original movie shows close-up when it sneezes over Lex, and actually interacts with the human characters without hunting them.
As the herbivorous Brachiosaurus lived during the Jurassic Period, it was a scientifically accurate addition toJurassic Park. OtherBrachiosaurus were later shown to be living wild on Isla Sorna inJurassic Park IIIand Isla Nublar in the animatedJurassic Parkspin-off series,Camp Cretaceous. The dinosaur has become a fan-favorite over time, likely due to its peaceful interactions with the human characters. WhenFallen Kingdomdirector J. A. Bayona confirmed that one of its most emotional scenes showedthe originalJurassic ParkBrachiosaurus being left behindto die on the island, the scene became doubly tragic.
The Ceratosarus Has Proven Itself InJurassic World III&Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
Though the Ceratosaurus would have fit in with Hammond’s dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, it did not appear in theJurassic Parkseries untilJurassic Park III. TheCeratosaurus looks terrifying as it emerges from the darkness, but its brief appearance lasts for less than a minute. Although it is a cousin to the formidable Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus is revealed to be less of a threat than it first appeared to be. Ceratosaurus looks unusual - even improbable - with his nose horn and bright red coloring. However, thoughJurassic Parkincludes both real and made-up dinosaurs, Ceratosaurus is based on a real dinosaur.
2001
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
2020-2022
While Ceratosaurus did not get a chance to feature heavily in the originalJurassic Parktrilogy, its distinctive appearance made it memorable. A Ceratosaurus appears regularly inCamp Cretaceousin a more frightening role.Ceratosaurus often attacks the central characters inCamp Cretaceous, but one is later killed by the hybrid dinosaur, Scorpios Rex. It might be surprising that Hammond would have overlooked such a distinctive dinosaur when choosing exhibits forJurassic Park. Because the Ceratosaurus appears on the Isla Sorna storage and research island, it may have factored into his long-term plans for the park.
The Real Dilophosaurus Is Very Different From The Movie Version
Dilophosaurus’s role in a keyJurassic Parkscene was teased earlyin the dinosaur car tour when the voiceover guide can be heard in the background saying that Dilophosaurus was poisonous and “a beautiful but deadly addition to Jurassic Park.” Though its scenes in theJurassic Parkmovies feature its brightly-colored frill and ability to spit poison,Jurassic Park’s portrayal of the Dilophosaurus is wildly inaccurate. Both the frill and the poison-spitting were invented forJurassic Park. As theJurassic Parkfranchise later featured engineered dinosaurs, Dilophosaurus could have been used as an early example of this.
Dilophosaurus is responsible for one ofJurassic Park’s most memorable deathswhen it kills the double-crossing Dennis Nedry. The scene is iconic for its difference from most otherJurassic Parkdinosaur kills because while other dinosaurs like the T. rex are presented as dangerous from the beginning, Dilophosaurus appears harmless at first. A relieved Nedry even makes fun of it, before the scene quickly turns to terror. Despite its unmistakable appearance and potential to be terrifying, aDilophosaurus did not appear again untilJurassic Park: Dominion, when it stole the show by killing Lewis Dodgson.
Deadly Things Can Come In Small Packages
The Lost World’s chillingCompsognathus scenes show that the small dinosaurs can be just as deadlyas the larger ones. Thoughthe fate of the little girl attacked by CompsognathusinThe Lost World’s first scene is not immediately revealed, Hammond later tells the story to Ian Malcolm, explaining that she survived the attack. Although the little girl survived, some of the other characters are not so lucky. The villainous Dieter Stark dies after a prolonged attack by a pack of Compsognathus. While he dies off-screen, the river runs red, making this scene one of the more disturbing in theJurassic Parkfranchise.
Dieter Stark’s death inThe Lost Worldis based on John Hammond’s death in Michael Crichton’s book,Jurassic Park.
Many of the originalJurassic Parktrilogy’s most terrifying scenes center on the biggest or most intelligent dinosaurs, like the T. rex and the Velociraptors. WhenJurassic ParksequelThe Lost Worldintroduced the small but deadly pack-hunting Compsognathus, often called “Compys,” it showed viewers an interesting (and at first, disarming) new dinosaur encounter. As Compsognathus lived in the Jurassic Period, including this species in the originalJurassic Parktrilogy, this was a good move for both scientific accuracy and storytelling. This makes theCompsognathus' memorable (and terrifying) scenes all the more impressive.
An Iconic Dinosaur That Was Missing From The FirstJurassic Park
Stegosaurus is one of the most recognizable dinosaurs, but, surprisingly, they were not in the originalJurassic Parkmovie. When Sarah interacts with the baby Stegosaurus inThe Lost World,her sense of wonder is similar to Alan’s inJurassic Parkwhen he first saw a dinosaur. Several herbivorous dinosaurs could have featured in this scene, but the Stegosaurus was a Jurassic Period-accurate choice.Jurassic Park’s sick dinosaur should also have been a Stegosaurus rather than a Triceratops, but the dinosaur was changed for unknown reasons.
AJurassic Parkdinosaur battle between one of the scarier carnivores and a Stegosaurus could have been an exciting spectacle.
The originalJurassic Parkmovie rarely showed herbivorous dinosaurs defending themselvesor their young against predators. Although this made the T. rex and Velociraptors appear even more formidable, it did not make use of the features that herbivorous dinosaurs had evolved. AJurassic Parkdinosaur battlebetween one of the scarier carnivores and a Stegosaurus could have been an exciting spectacle, especially asThe Lost Worldshowed characters like Sarah as naturalists with an attachment to certain dinosaurs. This could have raised the stakes for the human characters as well as the dinosaurs.
The Apatosaurus Deserved To Debut BeforeJurassic World
Though the Apatosaurus was not featured in the originalJurassic Parktrilogy, there were some memorable (and emotional) scenes for the dinosaur inJurassic World. A T. rex slaughtered an entire herd of Apatosaurus for sport, leaving Owen, played by Chris Pratt, to comfort one as it died. A cuter scene involved a baby Apatosaurus in Jurassic World’s petting zoo being hugged by a child. Though the Apatosaurus might have seemed like an obvious choice to include in Jurassic Park,there are some likely reasons why the Apatosaurus was only featured in the laterJurassic Parkmovies.
Apatosaurus is one of many similar-looking, long-necked species of sauropod dinosaur. When Steven Spielberg and the visual effects team chose which dinosaurs to feature inJurassic Park,Apatosaurus might have looked too similar to a Brachiosaurusto be made. The makers and effects team behindJurassic Park’s dinosaurs would probably have wanted each dinosaur to be distinctly different to stand out in their respective scenes. Asthe originalJurassic Parktrilogy’s creative effectsstill look good today, the decision to spend time on creating a few truly excellent dinosaurs was likely the right choice.
A Deadly Pack Hunter that Eventually Became A Much Bigger Threat
Allosaurus is fast and smart, but it is only about half the size of a T. rex. As a result,the originalJurassic Parktrilogy may have overlooked the Allosaurusbecause, due to its looks and characteristics, it resembles a cross between a T. rex and a Velociraptor. The carnivorous dinosaur has appeared inCamp Cretaceousand the more recentJurassic Parkfranchise movies, includingJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, but its role was small here. Allosaurus was seen running from an erupting volcano before being killed by falling magma. As such, the Allosaurus’s potential has not yet been shown.
Jurassic Park: The 20 Most Powerful Dinosaurs, Ranked
From the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex to the vast Mosasaurus, here are the most intimidating and powerful creatures in the Jurassic Park franchise.
Even though it only appeared in the original trilogy in the form of a skull, theAllosaurus would have been a formidable dinosaur to exhibit inJurassic Park. It hunts in packs, and, due to its stature and the size of its potential pack, Allosaurus could have stood a chance at breaking the electric fence that the smaller Velociraptors had been testing inJurassic Park. Showing features found in both dinosaur species, Allosaurus might have been the best option to replace either the T. rex or the Velociraptors if the originalJurassic Parktrilogy had featured only Jurassic Period dinosaurs.
Jurassic Park
The Jurassic Park franchise is an action-adventure sci-fi series that began with Michael Crichton’s original novel. The series explores the dramatic repercussions of resurrecting dinosaurs through advanced genetic science. Set primarily in a disastrous theme park, Jurassic Park explores the profound ethical dilemmas about tinkering with the DNA of long ago extinct creatures and the manipulation of the natural world through science.
