It’s been over 30 years since life found a way in “Jurassic Park,” Steven Spielberg’s landmark sci-fi thriller that remains a gold standard in blockbuster filmmaking.
The “Jurassic Park” franchise is so influential that no other popular dinosaur franchises have emerged since 1993. Imagine having cornered the market so much on dinosaurs that no other studio will dare to infringe on the genre.
The latest movie in the franchise is “Jurassic World Rebirth," now playing in theaters. If the movie becomes a box office hit, which it likely will, expect “Rebirth” to be the start of a new trilogy. In honor of “Rebirth,” here is every “Jurassic Park” movie ranked.
7. ‘Jurassic World Dominion’
![Jurassic World Dominion - Official Trailer [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fb5ELWi-ekk/maxresdefault.jpg)
Sometimes, nostalgia isn’t the answer. It certainly can’t fix a flawed movie like “Jurassic World Dominion,” the third movie in the first “Jurassic World” trilogy. Billed as the epic conclusion to the Jurassic Era, “Dominion” picks up four years after the events of “Fallen Kingdom.”
Dinosaurs now roam the Earth freely with humans. Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) embark on a globe-trotting mission to find their adoptive daughter (Isabella Sermon) and a young Velociraptor. Meanwhile, the original trio of Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and Dr. Ian Malcom (Jeff Goldblum) fight to stop a corporate entity from destroying U.S. crops.
“Dominion” still has its thrills; remember, this is a movie with terrifying CGI dinosaurs. However, creating the franchise’s version of "The Avengers" for one final mission came up short.
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6. ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’
![Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - Official Trailer [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vn9mMeWcgoM/maxresdefault.jpg)
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” followed the same playbook as “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.” Humans escape the park in the first movie. Humans return to the park in the second movie. Corporate greed wages on, as the dinosaurs are too valuable to destroy. Rinse and repeat. The only problem is that “The Lost World” is superior to “Fallen Kingdom” in nearly every way.
“Fallen Kingdom” is two movies. The first half follows the attempts of Owen and Claire to save the remaining dinosaurs on Isla Nublar from a volcanic explosion. The second part features dinosaurs wreaking havoc on a Northern California estate. The first half is a fun adventure, while the second half tries to be “Alien” with dinosaurs but fails.
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5. ‘Jurassic Park III’
“Jurassic Park III” is the nastiest and grittiest movie of the franchise. The third movie is the one where, you guessed it, humans head back to the island and interfere with dinosaurs. This time, the setting is Isla Sorna, the second failed site for Jurassic Park.
Dr. Alan Grant reluctantly agrees (for a hefty penny) to lead a guided tour over the island for a wealthy couple (William H. Macy and Tea Leoni). After the plane crashes, Dr. Grant learns the true reason why he was summoned to the island. At 92 minutes, “Jurassic Park III” feels more like an ‘80s creature feature than a dinosaur blockbuster.
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4. ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’
“Jurassic World Dominion” was supposed to be the end of the franchise … until it wasn’t. Universal fast-tracked another Jurassic movie, and the result became “Jurassic World Rebirth.”
After writing the first two entries in the franchise, David Koepp returned to pen “Rebirth.” Knowing Koepp, you’ll find many of the story beats in “Rebirth” mimic “Jurassic Park.” Considering the weakness of “Dominion” and “Fallen Kingdom,” imitating the original movie isn’t a bad thing.
“Rebirth” follows Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), a covert operative who brings a team to an island where failed dinosaur experiments now live. The DNA from some of these creatures could create a drug to save millions. Director Gareth Edwards continues to be one of the best shooters in Hollywood, as the visual effects look magnificent. There are still storyline issues, but “Rebirth” is an improvement over the previous two movies.
Watch in theaters everywhere
3. ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’
Spielberg only directed one “Jurassic Park” sequel: “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.” Four years after escaping Isla Nublar, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) loses control of his company to his nephew, Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard). Ludlow plans to use the dinosaurs from the second island, Isla Sorna, for a new park in California.
Unwilling to let this happen, Hammond sends Dr. Ian Malcolm and a small team to Isla Sorna to disrupt Ludlow’s mercenaries. Both groups eventually combine forces, realizing that they will need all the help they can get to escape the island.
No other director in this franchise treats the dinosaurs like breathtaking spectacles more than Spielberg. If he received a redo, he would likely craft more exciting characters to pair with the incredible visuals.
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2. ‘Jurassic World’
Nothing compares to the magic of “Jurassic Park.” However, “Jurassic World” is the closest one of the sequels came to channeling the spirit of the original. Twenty years after the original, John Hammond’s dream finally came true: Isla Nublar is home to Jurassic World, a successful dinosaur theme park.
However, greedy billionaires can’t help themselves. Instead of taking a win with their cloned dinosaurs, the park’s owner creates a transgenic dinosaur, Indominus rex, a.k.a. a T-rex on steroids. Lo and behold, the Indominus escapes its enclosure and becomes a destructive force on the island.
This disaster leads to more dinosaurs escaping captivity. Claire Dearing and Owen Grady are two of the park’s employees tasked with alleviating the situation. With monstrous killing machines on the loose, good luck trying to stop these dinos.
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1. ‘Jurassic Park’
Not to call out other writers’ lists, but if they don’t have “Jurassic Park” in the top spot on their "Jurassic" rankings, they’re being a contrarian for the sake of clicks.
Not only is “Jurassic Park” the best film in the franchise, but it’s also one of the most influential movies in cinematic history. The special effects were groundbreaking, the marketing campaign — hiding the dinosaurs in trailers for as long as possible — was ingenious, and the thrills were goosebump-worthy.
On the island of Isla Nublar, paleontologists Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler and mathematician Ian Malcolm are brought in by billionaire John Hammond to examine the safety of Jurassic Park. The trio is blown away by the genetically engineered dinosaurs. However, their day in heaven becomes a nightmare in hell once the facility shuts down and the dinosaurs run wild.
No matter how many times you see “Jurassic Park,” the magic still exists.
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