Jurassic Park (franchise)

Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park in English) is a literary, film and video game franchise that began with the novel of the same title by the American writer Michael Crichton, first published in the United States in 1990. It was later adapted as a film of the same name directed by Steven Spielberg. It is often regarded as a worrying tale of biological manipulation in the same way that Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein did in her time. In this story, the mathematical concept of chaos theory and its philosophical implications are used to explain the collapse of an amusement park whose main show is certain species of artificially recreated dinosaurs.

With the publication of the novel, an inordinate interest in dinosaurs arose, a phenomenon known as dynomania, which led to the film version of the novel, starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough.

The film shows dinosaurs recreated from robotics and digital animation, in a very realistic way, never seen before, which earned it three Oscars in the categories: best special effects (Stan Winston), best sound and best sound editing In its time, the film was the greatest success in the history of cinema, and led to the publication of a second novel, The Lost World, by the same author, and the corresponding film version, released in 1997.

In 2001 the third part of the saga was released, which is not based on any novel; It was the first of the series not directed by Steven Spielberg, although he was still part of the production.

The fourth film for a time was canceled due to the death of Michael Crichton, but on January 14, 2010 an interview with Joe Johnston confirmed otherwise when he assured that a new film would be shot, which would probably be the beginning of a new saga In May 2013, Universal Studios defined June 15, 2015 as the release date, calling it Jurassic World, directed by Colin Trevorrow. The world premiere was brought forward to June 12, 2015 and in Mexico it was released on June 11 of the same year. 3 years later, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom would be released, the sequel to the film was released on June 7 in Spain and the world premiere on the 22nd of the same month of 2018. With $4.997 million at the box office, it is the second most important franchise for Universal Pictures, behind only The Fast and the Furious and the ninth most successful film saga. In 2019 the short film Battle at Big Rock was released, which takes place after the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. In 2020, the first official series of the saga was released on Netflix, and it is set during the events of Jurassic World; that is, during the escape from the I-Rex. Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) is the last part of the franchise.

Plot of the book

The novel's introduction is presented as a brief account of the aftermath of the InGen incident, which occurred in August 1989. This "fiction as presentation of fact" it had been used by Crichton before, notably in Corpse Eaters and The Andromeda Strain. Shortly after the start of the story, a group of scientists (including paleontologist Alan Grant and mathematician Ian Malcolm) are invited to preview Jurassic Park, an amusement park created by millionaire John Hammond (founder of InGen). on Isla Nublar (fictional, located near Costa Rica). Hammond wants to hear the opinions of the scientists and finally get their approval of the park; Malcolm expresses doubts from the start.

The park contains dinosaurs, which have been reconstructed from DNA found in mosquitoes preserved in amber. Hammond and his genetic engineers, led by Dr. Henry Wu, explain the ways they recreated dinosaurs. Scientists are apprehensive when they discover that the dinosaurs have been procreating themselves, despite InGen's efforts to keep their self-procreation in check by engineering them sterile.

The action begins when Dennis Nedry, the lead computer programmer for Jurassic Park, attempts to steal dinosaur embryos under a deal with Lewis Dodgson, who works for one of John Hammond's competitors, the Biosyn company. In order to achieve this, he must disconnect the security systems; This means that the electrified fences where the dinosaurs inhabit are deprived of power and, in fact, causes many dangerous species to escape. Therefore, large numbers of dinosaurs cause fatal encounters with park staff and visitors, who remain inside the park.

Eventually, several of the characters make it off the island alive (Grant, Gennaro, Sattler Muldoon) but others don't. The island is destroyed by the Costa Rican Air Force, although troubling evidence is shown that several velociraptors may have escaped, as well as a number of procompsognathids. The Costa Rican government detains the survivors of the incident indefinitely.

The book has a sequel, The Lost World, also written by Michael Crichton.

One of the themes expressed through this story and its aftermath is about homeothermic (warm-blooded) dinosaurs; a theory popularized by paleontologist Bob Bakker. The novel is darker than the film in tone and content, with graphic violence and a greater number of deaths.

Movies

Steven Spielberg later directed Jurassic Park, filming the film on the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Kauai in September 1992. It was released in 1993, and stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough. Many plots of the novel were changed or eliminated, and the darker or more violent aspects of the story were transformed into much kinder aspects. The subplot involving animals escaping the island was ignored, and the number of dinosaurs was limited to make it more manageable.

Many supporting characters were also dropped. Some scenes were done the same as in the novel, but with some changes to the relevant dinosaur species. The film was extremely popular, grossing $919.7 million worldwide, the highest level at the time, and seventh worldwide in gross gross as of 2006.

Much of the film's success was due to its special effects, created primarily by Industrial Light and Magic. With the use of conventional mechanical effects and CGI graphics, the dinosaurs in the film appeared relatively realistic, due to the experience ILM had gained on previous films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Jurassic Park marked a before and after in the Hollywood industry, as it went from conventional optical effects to digital techniques.

The film won three Academy Awards for visual effects, sound effects, and sound editing, and spawned five sequels, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) Park Jurassic III (2001) Jurassic World: Jurassic World (2015) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) There are also attractions based on Jurassic Park at Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando, California, Osaka and Singapore and in the future in Beijing

Reception

Fundraising

Criticism

The entire saga has received generally positive reviews. The first film received positive reviews and was praised by critics and the audience. The second and third films received mixed reviews, with the third receiving less fan acceptance. The fourth film once again received generally positive reviews from critics, as well as from audiences and fans. The fifth film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and audiences. The sixth film received mixed to negative reviews from critics and audiences.

The following table shows the ratings each movie has received on different review sites, as well as the average rating for the entire franchise.

Characters

Actors

Creatures

Creatures in bold appear alive. The animals of Jurassic World: The fallen kingdom have been cataloged from what has been seen in the different teaser and trailer of the film. The Tyrannosaurus and the Velociraptor are by far the most important and most involved dinosaurs throughout the saga.

• The indominus rex, the Indoraptor, the Scorpios Rex and the Spinoceratops, are hybrid and totally original species of the saga, so these never existed.
  Main article: Annex: Extinct Gloves in Jurassic Park

Differences between the novel and the film

There are some substantial differences between the book and the movie. Some of these differences are the removal of characters and an altered timeline. In addition, some characters are modified with respect to their equivalents in the novel.

• Ian Malcolm, as he appears in the book, is a man with a sense of acid humor and brilliant intelligence that could not appreciate the accuracy of his theories about the mistakes of the management of the park because a dinosaur attack hurts him seriously and consequently is immobilized. Malcolm's extensive monologues are attenuated in the film. In the book allegedly dies at the end, since medical aid does not arrive on time (at least it is what Grant and Sattler are informed once outside the island), however, Ian Malcolm reappears in the second part The lost world.
• The relationship between Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler in the book was purely professional, while in the film they are romantically involved.
• Donald Gennaro is described as a musculoskeletal type in the novel, and his age is stipulated around 40. In the film he is presented as an older man and more fine features. In the book, Gennaro is more courageous than in the film. This character survives in the book, but not in the movie.
• The character of John Hammond is completely different - in the book he dies at the end at the mercy of a large group of small dinosaurs, the procompsognathus ("compis"), while trying to climb a hill to his bungalo with a broken ankle, having in mind plans to rebuild the park somewhere else, to irritate his guests and grandchildren. We are also shown as a character lacking in scruples, capable of anything in pursuit of economic success. In the film, Hammond escapes completely unharmed, humiliated and terrified by the monstrosity he has created. In the book, they also portray him as a capricious and absurd old man. It's much wiser and nicer in the movie.
• In the novel, Lex Murphy is younger than Tim and portrayed as a daring child, while Tim is a computer fan with a dinosaur obsession. In the film, Tim is the youngest of both and his computer hacker personality is portrayed by Lex.
• Robert Muldoon survives in the novel. He is also portrayed as an alcoholic character.
• In the novel the island lacks weapons, radios, enough security. John Hammond's "I will not repay expenditure" paradigm does not exist, on the contrary, the island is created with the minimum necessary resources for the operation.
• Henry Wu has much more role in the novel. He also dies at the hands of the velociraptors, while what in the film appears as one of the scientists in the park and escapes alive.
• Alan Grant is a real hero who ends with the velociraptors.
• The video game Jurassic Park by Sega Genesis faithfully portrays the novel - to the point of including a stage in the river, which is fundamental in the book.

Internal inconsistencies

There are key differences between the novels, movies, and comics in Jurassic Park. The differences are not only in the architectural layout of the island, but also in the dinosaurs, the dates, and even the characters used. The state of what would be considered canon varies from the point of view from which the Jurassic Park franchise is viewed. For example, if one were to take the movies as the official source of canon, only the events considered in all three movies would be considered canon of the same; however, if one were to strictly take the novels as the official source then only the novels would be considered canon. Video games, especially Trespasser, are considered (in theory) movie canon, although they also have some contradictions. The comics depict Isla Nublar with an unknown number of dinosaurs, and even bring Robert Muldoon back to life. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the novels, comics, and movies should each be considered within their own individual canon and cannot be combined with each other.

The theme parks themselves are another interpretation of this franchise, ignoring some cautionary issues in an effort to rebuild John Hammond's park and send guests on a thrilling ride that includes menacing escaping velociraptors and himself. tyrannosaurus. The information about the rides was taken from the film. If the tours contradict what was indicated in the films about the information pertinent to the functionality of the park, the islands, or the dinosaurs that were present, they are simply not taken into account. This may seem a bit confusing, but it is the only way to see how Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna are related.

Original outcome

Originally, the first film was intended to end with the T-rex skeleton (in the visitor center) falling on top of the velociraptors before they attacked Alan Grant, Tim, Lex, and Ellie Sattler. Hammond arrives and shoots the velociraptors with a shotgun. Later, when the original ending was deemed too simplistic, the skeleton was replaced with a live Tyrannosaurus that attacks the velociraptors, saving Doctor Grant and the others. This denouement also removes the scene where the velociraptors are shot. In both versions, the surviving humans quickly flee with Hammond in his Jeep to the helicopter and escape the island.

The original ending was used in the Jurassic Park video game for the Sega Genesis. The ending is used in Alan Grant's story mode, with a minor alteration, in which the player has to use grenades to knock down the skeleton and kill the velociraptor. Alternatively, if the story mode is that of the velociraptor, the ending of the game involves hitting the base of the skeleton with the legs causing it to collapse. In this way, it is possible to defeat Alan Grant.

Biological issues

Some dinosaurs in the saga do not match the dinosaurs as they were in reality. The Jurassic Park velociraptor is larger than real velociraptors, approximating its size to that of Deinonychus, or Utahraptor, both dromaeosaurids with similar characteristics. but much larger sizes. In addition, the velociraptor, like many other theropods, had feathers.

The Procompsognathus in the novel secretes a venom similar to that of a cobra, although more primitive. This ability to incapacitate its prey is absent from the movies.

The Dilophosaurus in the film is smaller than the real Dilophosaurus (6 m), and had a very conspicuous membrane on its neck similar to that of a chlamydosaurus, apart from a venom-secreting gland. This fold and the poison were later written into the novel.

Regarding the theory that the Tyrannosaurus could not see a motionless being, some people criticize that it could smell them anyway. Furthermore, most paleontologists believe that Tyrannosaurus could see static prey and would in fact have possessed sharp stereoscopic vision. This is recognized in the second novel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, when a character tries to avoid an attack by a Tyrannosaurus by not moving. This tactic fails and is criticized by paleontologist Richard Levine, arguing that the tyrannosaur would not attack its prey if it were not for hunger.

Other issues

In the scene where Dennis Nedry steals the DNA from the dinosaurs, several names on the cryogenic tubes are misspelled. Both the book and the film state that dinosaurs are incapable of synthesizing the amino acid lysine on their own, however, lysine is one of the essential amino acids that no contemporary vertebrate animal can synthesize, so it would not be a security measure as cunning as it sounds. This explains the survival of the dinosaurs on Isla Sorna, and in fact is confirmed by a character.

Biotechnological contextual basis

Dinosaur DNA is extracted from mosquitoes fossilized in amber, and this small amount is then amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This has been done before without success.

There are some problems with this method:

1. Some DNA shown in the film are extracted from mosquitoes trapped in Dominican amber. The Dominican amber is approximately 30 million years old, when dinosaurs are over 65 million years old.
2. It is unknown which dinosaur blood contains the samples. It would be impossible to say what the species is, because DNA sequences would be somewhere between the birds and the crocodiles. The book deals with this matter, stating that "sometimes are interested in finding out" for Malcolm's trouble.
3. The current RCP cannot amplify large amounts of DNA. If possible, a lot of time would be lost.
4. Amber is one of the most conservative materials, because it is organic. But DNA can't be preserved for millions of years.
5. DNA gaps are completed with amphibian DNA. This is extremely difficult, although the use of frog DNA is a justification for the sex change of dinosaurs.

Comics

The film had some luxury creators. Gil Kane, who had already drawn Spider-Man's forays into the prehistoric world of Ka-Zar, did the drawing, George Pérez did the inking, and Walter Simonson wrote the script. Ediciones B published the four issues of the series in the Spanish market in comic book format and in a compilation volume (1993 album).

Video games

Many Jurassic Park video games have been made as material related to the film. Titles have appeared on a wide range of systems, including the NES, Sega Master System, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Gear, Game.com, Commodore Amiga, PC (MS-DOS and Windows), SNES, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD, 3DO, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox, Xbox 360 Xbox One, Wii U and Nintendo Switch. Various arcades and games for smart phones were also made.

Jurassic Park in other Animated TV Series

• Jurassic World: Cretaceous Camp (2020-2021)

Music

The soundtrack was written by John Williams, himself conducting the London Symphony Orchestra during its recording. Williams is responsible for the soundtracks for the sagas of Star Wars, Jaws, Superman, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter (Only in the Sorcerer's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets and the Prisoner of Azkaban) and Artificial Intelligence among others.