Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur thriller Jurassic Park was groundbreaking when it hit theaters, and while the story and visual effects still hold up today, there were some missed opportunities in the original film and its sequels. Jurassic Park began a six-film franchise, which includes the original three films and the Jurassic World restart, with a seventh Jurassic World film scheduled for release in 2025. Each Jurassic Park the film introduced at least one new dinosaur or prehistoric creature to the franchise, but many species have, thus far, been left out and may appear in a later film.
Although many Jurassic ParkThe original characters became icons of the franchise, but they didn’t always get the screen time they deserved in the sequels. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ends with the dinosaurs escaping into a wider world, teasing a more extensive plot and possible new locations. Still, the franchise took an unexpected and unpopular direction in Jurassic World: Dominion, missing the opportunity to give viewers something different. Jurassic World: Dominion received a 29% positive review from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s not the only Jurassic Park film that misses opportunities.
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The Indoraptor has virtually no screen time
Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom barely showed off its newest, scariest dinosaur
Jurassic Park: Fallen KingdomThe main plot centered on teasing the eventual reveal of the Indoraptor – a weaponized hybrid dinosaur that was designed for biological warfare. The Indoraptor was created using a mixture of Jurassic ParkThe two most terrifying dinosaurs: the Velociraptor and the T-Rex, and it looked like a sleeker, faster T-Rex with long arms. However, despite the Indoraptor’s destructive potential and its role in the terrifying mansion scene, it was barely seen.
The scene where the Indoraptor chases Maisie through the mansion looks like something out of a horror movie instead of the dinosaur action of the original Jurassic Park films. This scene sets the Indoraptor apart, making use of its fear factor and intelligence, but it is killed by Blue soon after. The Indoraptor could have been shown a lot more, with that horror movie style as its signature, in the same way that the T-Rex’s signature is its heavy grip.
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The original Jurassic Park films didn’t have marine reptiles
Mosasaurus was cut from Jurassic Park III
The Seaworld-inspired scene in which the Mosasaurus breaks in to catch a great white shark as a meal was heavily featured in the Jurassic World promotional material and is one of the film’s most memorable scenes. However the Mosasaurus is technically a marine reptileis still called one of the Jurassic ParkThe best dinosaurs. Its impact suggests that perhaps the franchise shouldn’t have waited until after the original trilogy to bring the monster into the picture.
Jurassic Park III was originally going to feature a Mosasaurusand concept art featured a breeding tank, while the original script mentioned the formidable animal. However, the Mosasaurus was later cut from the draft, which was a missed opportunity to explore more creations that lived on Isla Sorna. If the tank had been connected to the sea, the Navy and Marines who arrived to rescue the characters might have mentioned seeing something bizarre, suggesting their survival.
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Including some other prehistoric animals
Smilodons could have been a great candidate for Jurassic Park
Similar to the Mosasaurus, several of the Jurassic ParkPrehistoric creatures were not actually dinosaurs, but marine reptiles, hybrids, and other prehistoric animals. Jurassic Park III introduced Pteranodons, and Jurassic World there was a Mosasaurus, but these are just two of many other prehistoric animals that could have been shown. Jurassic Park: DominionLeonard the Lystrosaurus had a small role in a memorable sceneshowing that even the smallest and least dangerous animals Jurassic Park franchise can be interesting to watch.
A great candidate could be the Smilodon (saber-toothed tiger), as it is a recognizable prehistoric creature with the potential to be extremely dangerous. How cats move and hunt differently than most Jurassic Parkdinosaurs, there was an opportunity for a new type of chase or hunting scene involving characters trying to escape a Smilodonperhaps using his knowledge of domestic cats to help them if the scene called for a funny moment.
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Lex and Tim did not return for Jurassic World: Dominion
Fan favorites may have played important roles
Lex and Tim played significant roles in helping the characters escape Jurassic Parkand leaving them outJurassic World: Dominionit was a missed opportunity to find out what they did next. Tim’s knowledge of dinosaurs could have led him to become a paleontologist or researcher. Lex single-handedly hacked into Jurassic Park’s cybersecurity system, allowing them to regain control of the park, and that interest could have taken her character in interesting directions.
Lex could have pursued a career in cybersecurity, allowing him to destroy the Biosyn system or strengthen it if he had also been working for Biosyn. Most characters wouldn’t know that Dodgson was behind Dennis Nedry’s betrayal, so this could be plausible. Lex could have become a more dangerous hackerwhich would be an interesting angle to explore. Of all Jurassic Park characters who Jurassic World: Dominion ignored, Lex and Tim had the most potential.
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Dodgson’s sinister story has not been explored
Dennis’ ‘Nobody Cares’ Line Could Be Wrong
Jurassic Park it immediately established that Dodgson was paranoid about his identity being revealed. This is interpreted as comedy when Dennis Nedry shouts to the entire restaurant that “we have Dodgson here,” tells him that no one cares and asks if he’s trying to look like a secret agent with his hat. Jurassic World: Dominion Had it established Dodgson as a very dangerous and wanted character, this could have been a step back from that line, revealing it to be wrong.
Dodgson is an unethical scientist and genetic engineer and is willing to test on humans (including children) as well as dinosaurs. He is killed by the baby T-Rex in the original novel, but survives in the Jurassic Park films, with Dodgson reappearing as CEO of Biosyn in Jurassic World: Dominion. However, the films miss the opportunity to explore its sinister history and business practices in more detail.
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Leaving out one of the most ominous scenes in the Jurassic Park novel
This scene showed the cover-up on Isla Nublar
At the beginning of Jurassic Park In the novel, a character arrives at a hospital as his boss claims he has had a construction machinery accident. However, he has deep claw marks, defensive wounds, and whispers what the doctor hears as “here’s the kidnapper.“No one in the book would imagine that he is trying to tell the team that a Velociraptor attacked him. However, for the reader, the chilling scene hints at the terrifying potential danger of Jurassic Park.
While the beginning Jurassic Park film has scary and disturbing scenes, the The book’s focus on the cover-ups involved in Jurassic Parkthe creation of was left out. Although the Jurassic Park The film and novel are very different, with Steven Spielberg’s adaptation changing many important scenes from the novel, the scene in the hospital is so scary that it could have been an opportunity to build tension before the dinosaurs appear.
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Muldoon has no opportunity to show his strength
The Game Warden was killed in Jurassic Park
Most of the original Jurassic Park the characters had the chance to demonstrate their areas of expertise at some point in the film. However, while Robert Muldoon had the potential to be a formidable Jurassic Park character when the dinosaurs hatched, the ranger was underused, despite many moments that seemed to lead to Muldoon having a major action scene. Muldoon’s death by Velociraptor could be Jurassic ParkHis best death scene, but the film could have done more with his character.
Muldoon spends most of Jurassic Park telling Hammond that dinosaurs should be destroyed, and since this is his area of expertise, it was a missed opportunity to not show him hunting. As a former professional hunter who understands the danger posed by dinosaurs, Muldoon Could Have Faced and Killed a Dinosaur Single-handed. This could have been an iconic moment in Jurassic Parkeven though Muldoon eventually met the same end.
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Claire was a tired “career woman” stereotype
Claire never lived up to her iconic Jurassic World potential
Claire, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, spent the entire Jurassic World wearing a pair of high heels, which was heavily criticized. However, Howard defended her Jurassic World the character’s heels, saying they suited Claire’s personality and made her feel “qualified“. Claire had the potential to be completely different from any of the Jurassic Parkprevious female charactersbut she was portrayed as cold and superficial, while her disinterest in being a mother was shamed.
Claire becomes a more sympathetic character throughout the film. However, friendliness and professionalism are not mutually exclusive characteristics, and Jurassic World could have made Claire an ethical and caring, yet efficient businesswoman in the first place. Claire’s distancing from the children was cliché, unnecessary to the plot, and undermined later, when she became Maisie’s adoptive mother. More interesting character development could have made Claire one of the Jurassic Parkbest characters.
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Few scientifically accurate dinosaurs were included
The Modern Twist may be related to previous films
At the time it was released, Jurassic Park was groundbreaking, with the film sparking extra interest in paleontology. However, while Jurassic Park portrayed some details more accurately than other dinosaur-themed films, many more Jurassic Park dinosaurs were extremely inaccurate compared to real life. The films even addressed these errors, explaining that the dinosaurs were designed to appeal more to park visitors, who cared more about teeth and the scare factor than accuracy.
As scientists had more information about the appearance and behavior of dinosaurs, there was room for the Jurassic World reboot to correct the mistakes of the original. Jurassic Park films. Obviously, this could have been done, with rival geneticists promoting scientific accuracy by recreating dinosaurs as they would have appeared or using Easter eggs. ONE Jurassic World movie could have shown plans for new dinosaurswith sketches of the real-life versions on screen like “inspiration.”
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Dominion hasn’t explored enough of the wider world
Jurassic Park: Dominion could have had multiple “Muldoons”
Jurassic Park: DominionThe film’s dinosaurs were bred to thrive while facing off against humans, but the film made the mistake of returning most of the action to a laboratory and casting locusts as the most threatening species. The film’s biggest missed opportunity was wasting its global premise, where it could have introduced interesting characters, cultures, and visuals. Jurassic Park: Dominion could have shown humans hunting dinosaurs for foodtrying to tame them or escaping them in falling cities.
Characters like Jurassic ParkMuldoon would likely have thrived in an environment where dinosaurs were abundant and threatening enough that people need hunters. Introducing a group of hunters like Muldoon would have been the perfect opportunity to give the audience the fight he should have been fighting. Seeing how people in different cultures and environments around the world reacted and adapted to the presence of dinosaurs would likely have revived the Jurassic Park franchise.