I like dinosaurs, you like dinosaurs, and America LOVES commercialism.
So naturally, in the over 30 years since Michael Crichton wrote Jurassic Park and Steven Spielberg adapted it into one of the greatest films of all time, the franchise has grossed over $2 billion at the box office alone (according to Box Office Mojo).
With additional merchandising, releases, and book sales, the Jurassic intellectual property is an asset well worth a T. rex’s weight in gold. But when is it too much? When do we lose the message behind those original works?
In his 1990 novel Jurassic Park, Crichton tells the story of an arrogant, wealthy, stuck-up fictional millionaire named John Hammond, who, in an age of a vast and quick genetic science explosion, opens a dinosaur theme park called Jurassic Park. Ignoring the dangers, he brings in scientists and a lawyer who come to the park to give the okay.
In this process, the dinosaurs escape, people die, and Hammond’s corrupt mindset ultimately leads to his death at the hands of his own creation. The movie paints us a very similar picture, but this time, Hammond is a dreamer: an elderly man with the dream of furthering his education by showing the world prehistoric plants and animals. In this version, he lives. The novel focuses on the idea that nature is not ours to control, emphasizing environmentalism and the evils of capitalism.
Now, in 2025, we have countless movies, shows, games — and honestly, it is simply too much.
The newest films vastly steer off course and miss the boat completely. They aim to wow audiences, and no longer hit home with the same emotional themes. While watching Jurassic World Dominion, I felt that the only thing preserving the true spirit of the originals alive was the return of four original characters. Ian Malcom (Jeff Goldblum), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Alan Grant (Sam Neill), and Lewis Dodgeson (Campbell Scott) all play their characters with the same spirit as their 1993 counterparts, but the fictional world around them has just lost its charm.
With reused sequences — such as Chris Pratt always riding around on a motorcycle with raptors chasing him — and the constant “genetically superior dinosaurs,” like the D-Rex in the newest installment (D-REX, are we so serious right now???), we’ve completely lost the plot.
And may I just add: please, can we write dialogue that people would realistically say in their actual day-to-day lives?.
Now that being said, I love Jurassic Park. Hell, I just spent almost $80 on the newest Jurassic Park building simulator (Mom and Dad, if you’re reading this, I promise I’m spending my money well). However, if we want to utilize this intellectual property the way Critchton intended it, we would let old characters die and do a better job of basic storytelling.
Nostalgia is all well and good — I mean, it works on me — but the entertainment industry as a whole should shift back towards art and storytelling.
So my challenge to you is to pick up Chritchton’s original novel, which is a work of art, and go on YouTube and watch some short films.
There are so many young people out there making truly captivating stories with almost no budget and a wild imagination.
Just like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park itself, the Jurassic IP has escaped and gone wild. I hope that soon (if we keep making these films), we can find some of that original spark that brought the dinosaurs to life in the original book.