Jurassic Parkis one ofSteven Spielberg’s numerous masterpieces, and there are plenty of reasons why. Just to name a few, there’s Spielberg’s direction, the masterful blend of CGI and practical effects, the story’s themes of Man playing God and manipulating nature, the humor, andJohn Williams’s reliably beautiful score. But, as theJurassic Parksequels make perfectly clear, the franchise’s characters are just as important as its action sequences. Without people the audience can relate to, the action loses its stakes and carries little to no suspense.
Thanks largely to the script and the actors, the firstJurassic Parkdisplays a masterful use of character work. Everyone here serves an important function, even the kid who gets taught the hard way how a velociraptor kills its prey. A few of the dinosaurs, too, should be considered essential and interesting characters whose personalities are so fully realized that they’ve helped capture the imagination of millions. Whether because they have the most compelling arcs, the best dialogue, or serve both the plot and themes perfectly,the best characters inJurassic Parkare just as effective today as they were in 1993.
Jurassic Park
10Dennis Nedry
Played by Wayne Knight
SinceWayne Knightis easily most well-known for his hilarious role as Newman in one ofthe greatest sitcoms ofall time, it’s easy to forget that he’s in this Spielberg blockbuster, too. His gleeful portrayal of a brilliant computer programmer who goes rogue and steals samples from Jurassic Park does have some traces of Newman, to be sure, but he’s a unique person overall.
The way Dennis argues with Mr. Hammond about getting underpaid is great. He’s eating a Butterfinger as everyone is approaching the T-Rex section, which shows just how much he cares about everybody else’s well-being. Dennis even tells a dinosaur to its face that he’s going to run over it with his car, which obviously doesn’t go as planned. Along with his sloppy workstation, Dennis putsa fun spin on what could have been a conventionally boring villain.
9Ray Arnold
Played by Samuel L. Jackson
The one-and-onlySamuel L. Jacksonplays one of Jurassic Park’s most important computer guys, Ray Arnold, a level-headed man who doesn’t have much of an arc but still shows enough personality to set himself apart from the others. The way he argues with his boss over shutting down the system and smokes that cigarette shows how stressed he is (and, by extension, how stressful the situation is).
This guy’s a pro. When he sees Dennis’s station, he’s visibly disgusted by the mess on his peer’s desk. His reaction to the virus telling him that he didn’t find the magic word is a great example of a patient and even-tempered guy getting truly and believably ticked off. Ray isa minor character who largely dispatches exposition but does so with style. Without a doubt, it’s one ofSamuel L. Jackson’s greatest supporting performances.
8Tim Murphy
Played by Joseph Mazzello
The two kids in this story serve a greater purpose than having the adults put themselves in dangerous scenarios. They’re also meant to show Dr. Grant that having kids wouldn’t be so bad after all. Of the two of them, Tim (Joseph Mazzello) isthe more interesting and significant child. His love for dinosaurs and enthusiasm to talk to Dr. Grant about them challenge the grown man’s attitude.
It’s very charming to watch Tim follow Dr. Grant around while they’re choosing which cars to ride in, but this precocious child is funny elsewhere, too. Those dinosaur puns are very nice,adding levity to the rather traumatizing adventureand a few more jokes to the viewer’s repertoire. Even after Tim gets electrocuted by the fence and brought back to life, he has enough life in him to humorously say “three.” This kid’s a trooper, not to mention his impressive survival instincts to avoid the raptors in the end.
7Robert Muldoon
Played by Bob Peck
Robert Muldoon (Bob Peck) is a game warden whose rivalry with the velociraptors is utterly captivating. He doesn’t even think they should be kept alive and doesn’t care who knows it. When Muldoon talks about how they’re problem-solving intelligent and keep attacking different parts of the cage because “they remember,” his delivery alone sells the notion that these raptors are among the most dangerous creatures in the park. It’s technically exposition, but it’s so effortless that viewers are enraptured by it.
Muldoon doesn’t hesitate when his boss asks him to turn the power back on, and the expression on his face when he tells Dr. Sattler that they’re being hunted is so intense that the scene immediately becomes twice as tense.The guy’s a hero who goes out with class, even complimenting the raptors once he realizes he’s been tricked to look one way when he should have looked another, one ofJurassic Park’s best quotes. Rest in peace.
6The velociraptors
Special Effects
The storytelling throughout this film gradually prepares us for the raptors so well that the opening scene (which is supposed to scare us with a glimpse of what the raptors can do) isn’t even necessary. It’s both wondrous and cute to watch a baby dinosaur break itself out of the egg, but the mood changes when we find out it’s a velociraptor. Later, when the adult raptors feed from a cow, we don’t see the dinosaurs themselves. Instead, we hear them and see what they do to the apparatus that carried their meal, and it’s terrifying.
Furthermore, when the game warden discusses the raptors' jumping abilities and intelligence, the audience knows they’ll be a force to be reckoned with later. Sure enough, they trick Mr. Muldoon and go on to become the main antagonists inJurassic Park’s final act. The famous scene in which they look for the two kids is taut with suspense, showing thatthey don’t need words to be compelling and surprising characters.
5The T-Rex
Special effects
Jurassic Parkhas some ofthe greatest special effects in cinematic history, and the T-Rex’s introductory scene probably stands as the prime example. This giant dinosaur is introduced with its iconic footsteps, which are powerful enough to make the water in a glass tremor. There is no score in this scene; the only background noise is the rain, helping viewers feel totally immersed in this incredibly dangerous environment.
Even if the Tyrannosaurus Rex actually had excellent eyesight in reality, the screenplay’s decision to make sure its vision was based on movement provides tremendous suspense. This dinosaur comes out of the blue three separate times inJurassic Park,representing the chaotic force of nature itselfand the inability to successfully restrain it for very long. Given how loud those footsteps are and how small the door of the building is, its final appearance makes absolutely no sense. Yet this T-Rex is so cool that the audience doesn’t even care.
4John Hammond
Played by Richard Attenborough
John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) does a great job ofdemonstrating humanity’s hubris. This wealthy man thinks that he’ll be able to bring dinosaurs back to life and use them for a profit. With that kind of mentality, it’s no wonder that he has the audacity to fly out to an archaeological site and open someone else’s bottle of special champagne without even asking. His catchphrase, “Spared no expense,” encapsulates his character perfectly.
The confidence to bring his grandchildren to a test run is alarming, too, setting Mr. Hammond up for a very nice arc as he slowly learns the folly of his beloved theme park. On the way there, viewers also learn that he’s a bit old-fashioned regarding his views of gender roles and doesn’t prove very useful at reading maps. As a whole, Richard Attenborough provides us with an entertaining performance ofa man who comes to regret his unwieldy creation.
3Dr. Ellie Sattler
Played by Laura Dern
Laura Dernhas been in many more great moviesthan the rest of the cast (with the exception of Samuel L. Jackson), and her likable turn as Dr. Ellie Sattler shows how much personality she imbues in her characters. Dr. Sattler is a paleobotanist who doesn’t hesitate to stick her arm in a giant pile of dino dung to try and figure out what’s wrong with a sickly triceratops. Another memorable moment is her initial reaction to witnessing all the creatures in the park.
Ellie is funny, too, like when she humorously pretends that Dr. Grant doesn’t know what kids are. She also tells the kids to ride with the man, knowing he’ll be annoyed yet unable to escape.Ellie’s charisma is matched by her bravery; she insists on joining the game warden in turning the power back on and successfully avoids the raptors. Ellie also helps John Hammond see the error in his thinking. In the end, the audience can’t help but think thatthis classic wouldn’t be the same without her.
2Dr. Ian Malcolm
Played by Jeff Goldblum
Dr. Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) is a charming mathematician who loves chaos theory and explaining what it is. Dressed all in black, Malcolm provides the movie’s thesis through his disapproval of the park as a whole. He has a few of the story’s most famous quotes, including when he says that the scientists were so caught up in what theycoulddo that they never stopped to think about the ethics of it. Furthermore, when people try to control nature, “life, uh, finds a way.”
That’s another thing: all those little pauses and interjections make himmore of a quirky, down-to-earth characterthan the others. The way he flirts with Dr. Sattler compellingly annoys Dr. Grant, and Malcolm also provides the perfect quips. His funniest line might be when he reminds John Hammond of the biggest difference between Jurassic Park and Disneyland. Without a doubt, Dr. Ian Malcolm is one ofJeff Goldblum’s most beloved characters.
1Dr. Alan Grant
Played by Sam Neill
Out of everyone inJurassic Park, Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) changes the most. Simply put, he goes from hating children to legitimately wanting kids of his own.His arc is gradual, believable, and fits perfectly with the plot. In the beginning, he’s so offended by a boy being unimpressed by a raptor skeleton that he scares the hell out of him by showing how that predator would eat him. Alan even uses the raptor claw as a prop!
With the most complete character arc, Alan feels like the most interesting character inJurassic Park.
Compare that to when he’s saving Tim and Lex (Ariana Richards) from the hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex or when he gives Tim mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after the poor kid gets electrocuted. The entire narrativegracefully builds his role as a father figure. By the time Dr. Grant looks at the children and then back at Ellie as they ride away in the helicopter, the audience understands what he’s saying without a single line of dialogue. With the most complete character arc, Alan feels like the most interesting character, acting as one ofthe greatest strengths inJurassic Park.
