Jurassic Park is widely known for being the mother of all dinosaur movie franchises. However, the movies also boast an impressive array of human characters as iconic as the T-Rex itself. In fact, many of said characters are responsible for uttering the franchise’s most famous lines.
Thus, in celebration of Jurassic World: Domination‘s recent release – and its glorious reuniting of the original cast – what better time is there to look back on the characters that made the franchise as of 2022?
10) Eric Kirby
Eric Kirby, the kid Dr. Grant sets out to rescue in Jurassic Park III, alongside his parents. And as far as kid characters go in movies, Kirby isn’t the worst. In fact, in the story, 12-year-old Kirby manages to survive alone in the jungle all by himself for a remarkable eight weeks before the main narrative.
Yet, while Eric gets props for competence (particularly when compared to his inept parents), he is ultimately a forgettable character compared to the others on this list. He is far overshadowed by Alan Grant and Billy Brennan in the movie in which he appears, and as such, he makes number 10.
9) Dr. Henry Wu
How extraordinary. B. D Wong’s delusional scientist, Dr. Henry Wu, only appeared in one of 1993’s Jurassic Park scenes. This is particularly surprising since the character has a more significant role in the source material. That said, 22 years later, Henry Wu would return to the movie franchise in a much more prominent role.
Jurassic World’s Henry Wu is a great character because of his mad genius. He creates the Indominous Rex and conspires with Vic Hoskins to set it loose upon Jurassic World to help the effectiveness of military-trained dinosaurs. Deep in Wu’s heart, however, he’s an ambitious scientist who evidently loves his job. 2022’s Jurassic World: Dominion has him undergo some measure of character development, however, revealing there’s a heart beneath his unyielding ambition.
8) Billy Brennan
Billy is Dr. Grant’s sidekick in Jurassic Park III – and a very enthusiastic graduate student. At first, Billy feels like nothing more than a young tagalong – perhaps written in to balance things against Sam Neill’s aging hero. But the best thing about Billy is that he’s kind of relatable on a human level.
Billy secretly steals raptor eggs during his adventure, intending to sell them on the mainland to raise funds for his and Dr. Grant’s excavation. While this is something Dr. Grant evidently disapproves of, one can’t help but feel Billy’s heart is in the right place. Regardless, Billy gets a shot at redemption when he risks his life to protect young Eric from a group of Pteranodons.
7) Owen Grady
Owen Grady is the least interesting of all the Jurassic Park/World characters because it seems the writers don’t know what to do with him. It’s perhaps a good thing Chris Pratt plays the character since his personality makes up for the lack of character written in the script. And even then, poor Pratt feels subdued playing this restrictive role.
Owen Grady begins the World trilogy as a raptor-tamer for the Jurassic World theme park who possesses a connection with the raptors he trains. He gradually develops a romance with past flame Clare Dearing, whose presence brings out his sardonic wit. However, beyond that, Grady acts as nothing more than your stereotypically smoldering action hero and is the least interesting character in 2022’s Jurassic World: Dominion.
6) Clare Dearing
Bryce Dallas Howard’s Clare Dearing is in the same boat as her fellow Jurassic World newbies. That is to say, she’s in a boat marked ‘uninteresting’ and ‘meh.’ The first film does well in developing Clare from a distant aunt and workaholic to a ‘Mama Bear’-esque action heroine (indeed, she displays this quality later on in Dominion, as she strives to save her surrogate daughter, Maise Lockwood).
However, like her love interest, Owen Grady, Clare falls flat as the Jurassic World trilogy progresses. Sure, she grows into a dinosaur-loving activist between JW1 and 2, but even then, Clare feels like an accessory to the plot rather than a fully-formed human being. And given how the character begins in her debut film appearance, it’s disappointing.
5) Dr. Ellie Sattler
Dr. Ellie Sattler, played by Laura Dern, is the most endearingly eccentric character on this list. Well, mostly in the first film as her character calms down a bit in 2022’s Jurassic World: Dominion. But regardless, her exploits in 1993’s Jurassic Park mean she features in some truly bizarre scenes.
Our favorite paleobotany doctor examines dinosaur poop with more than a bit of enthusiasm. And when she’s not doing that, she’s displaying considerable knowledge of long-extinct plants and differentiating between what’s poisonous and what’s not. However, props really have to go to her taking on raptors up-close-and-personal. A formidable lady, she most definitely is.
4) Kelly Curtis
Kelly Curtis is easily the best child character in the franchise. In The Lost World (her only appearance), Kelly stows away on the vessel Ian and his team use to travel to Isla Nubla. While the original novel by Michael Crichton depicts her as a fangirl of Dr. Sarah Harding, who stows away on her vessel to interact with her idol.
The film changes Kelly a fair bit. Instead, she’s Ian Malcolm’s daughter, making for some heartfelt banter between the two during The Lost World. Perhaps more importantly, the kid has a standout scene where she uses her gymnastics skills to kill a raptor. Now, the scene in question was derided by critics – but come on, there’s no denying the sheer badassery of Kelly Curtis.
3) John Hammond
The late Richard Attenborough – who famously directed the biopic Gandhi in 1982 – portrayed John Hammond in Jurassic Park and Lost World. However, although Hammond is never seen again, his presence is felt throughout the movies. He is, after all, the eccentric rich guy who started the dino-revival shebang (and only because he could, no less).
Despite being a few sandwiches short of a picnic, Hammond is an endearing and eccentric character. Helped by the warm performance of Richard Attenborough, Hammond feels like a young boy trapped inside an older man’s body. Attenborough isn’t a bad guy – just merely naïve regarding the extent that humans can tame dinosaurs.
2) Dr. Ian Malcolm
If Jeff Goldblum wasn’t in the top three, something would be horribly wrong. The actor’s Rockstar Chaos Theoretician is one of the franchise’s most iconic characters – not merely because he radiates sexual charisma (especially in the first film). But also speaks some of the franchise’s best lines – “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should,” for example.
However, Malcolm returns in The Lost World as a more seasoned sarcastic hero. In fact, he feels more like Jeff Goldblum playing himself more than anything. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Domination bring the character closer to his JP1 incarnation – but Malcolm’s magic is lost by then. It’s really Jurassic Park 1, where the character is at his best.
1) Dr. Alan Grant
Out of all the characters in the Jurassic Park franchise, Sam Neill’s Dr. Alan Grant arguably undergoes the most character development. At the beginning of the first movie, Grant is a passionate paleontologist who really, really dislikes children. This is humorously ironic since Grant himself possesses a childlike wonder of the extinct animals he studies.
However, the events that transpire in the film unwittingly bring him into contact with John Hammond’s grandkids, Tim and Lex Murphy. As the three work together to survive Jurassic Park, they develop mutual respect for each other. Grant, in particular, realizes he has more in common with children than he first thought. This further helps him during the events of Jurassic Park III when he travels to Isle Nublar to rescue Eric Kirby.
But that’s just our take. What do you think are the best Jurassic Park characters?
