“Jurassic Park” 25 Years Later

By Reggie's Take on June 12, 2018

“Hold on to your butts.” As one of the best action adventure movies of all time putting dinosaurs and man together after 65 million years celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Originally conceived as a screenplay about a graduate student who recreates a dinosaur, Michael Crichton had a fascination about exploring dinosaurs and cloning causing him to write a novel that would become Jurassic Park.

In October of 1989 Director Steven Spielberg learned of Crichton’s novel. Spielberg was fascinated with the idea that Jurassic Park was “a really credible look at how dinosaurs might someday be brought back alongside modern mankind”.

Crichton was originally hired by Universal to write the script. Because his book was fairly lengthy Crichton’s script only featured about 10 to 20 percent of the novel’s content. Despite the gory descriptions in the book, the violence was toned down.

Changes were made to some of the characters when it came to the movie compared to the novel. John Hammond went from a ruthless businessman to a kindly old man, because Spielberg identified with Hammond’s obsession with showmanship.

Hammond’s grandkids Tim and Lex were also changed when it came to the film. In Crichton’s novel Tim was eleven and interested in computers, and Lex was only seven or eight and interested in sports. Spielberg made the changes so he could work with Joseph Mazzello and to show Lex’s adolescent crush on Grant. Grant’s relationship with the kids was changed making him hostile to them initially allowing for more character development.

Something some fans may not be aware of when it comes to the casting of Alan Grant. William Hurt was initially offered the role, but turned it down. Harrison Ford, Han Solo / Indiana Jones himself was also offered the role of Grant and also turned it down. Sam Neill would eventually be cast in the role just three or four weeks before filming began. Jim Carrey auditioned for the role of Ian Malcolm, but the film’s casting director, felt that Jeff Goldblum was the better choice.

Dinosaurs and man depending on what or whom you believe are separated by roughly 65 million years. Jurassic Park fulfills a fantasy many children and some adults have if we allow ourselves to believe. What the book does is makes us see what bringing two species together would mean and the ramifications of that kind of power.

What Spielberg did was adapt Crichton’s book in such a way to show the pitfalls that come with reckless abandonment when humans try to play God. The movie cannot give the viewer the full spectrum of imagination and wonderment like the book does. Dinosaurs, creatures who had they’re shot at life and lost due to a global disaster.

When it comes to Jurassic Park, there is no denying that the true stars of this movie are the dinosaurs. When the movie starts we see a shot of the jungle and a huge crate being moved into position to release a dinosaur we can’t see into the park. It’s reminiscent of other Spielberg movies like Raiders of The Lost Ark, where he mystifies the audience before unleashing the action.