Our Heist Guides introduce new fans to something we think is seriously cool, and they may even provide some behind-the-scenes knowledge to longtime diehards. It's everything you need to know to plan your own heist.
Welcome to the world of Jurassic Park, a place where science runs amok, dinosaurs rule the Earth (again) and no one ever bothers to ask, "Wait ... is this actually a good idea?" If you're new to the franchise, congratulations — you're about to experience a roller coaster of wonder, terror, and more than a few ill-advised decisions involving electrified fences.
Stepping into a brand as big as Jurassic Park can be a little overwhelming. Do you start with the movies, the books, or just practice your screaming in front of a mirror? Who are the main characters? What sort of dinosaurs will you encounter and who came up with the billion dollar idea to bring these behemoths back to life in the first place? Don't worry! We've got you covered!
In this Heist Guide, I'll look at 10 common questions every newbie has about Jurassic Park. Think of it as your own personal survival manual, complete with tips on how not to end up on the menu. By the time we're done here, you'll be a certified expert on the pitfalls of dinosaur cloning — which is sure to look great on any resume. So, strap in, keep your arms inside the vehicle at all times, and remember: if something chases you, run! Let's dive into the chaos!
What Is Jurassic Park?
Jurassic Park is a popular media franchise that asks, "What if dinosaurs could walk the Earth again?" Beginning as a New York Times best-selling novel, then becoming one of the most celebrated intellectual properties in popular culture, it's a science fiction masterpiece that blends cutting-edge science with loads of pulse-pounding action.
Serving as a cautionary tale about respecting the boundaries of science and understanding the consequences of tampering with nature, the story revolves around a visionary billionaire who uses groundbreaking genetic engineering to bring dinosaurs back to life and create the most advanced amusement park in the entire world. However, things soon spiral out of control. When technology fails and nature takes over, the park becomes a battleground where humans are forced to fight for survival against creatures that ruled the Earth 65 million years ago.
Celebrated for its revolutionary use of animatronics and CGI, the Jurassic Park movie franchise has earned some $6 billion at the worldwide box office and is credited with not only setting a new standard in storytelling, but revamping the field of paleontology and the way we envision dinosaurs as a whole.
Neat! Who created the Jurassic Park franchise?
The Jurassic Park franchise was brought to life by two creative powerhouses: Michael Crichton and Steven Spielberg. The story began in 1990 when Crichton, a popular author known for titles like Congo and The Andromeda Strain, published the novel Jurassic Park. A gripping tale that explored the ethical dilemmas of playing god, it quickly escalated in popularity with over 9 million copies sold — 230,000 of those in the last two months of 1990 alone.
Enter: Steven Spielberg, the legendary filmmaker behind Jaws and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, who saw the novel's cinematic potential and turned it into a groundbreaking film in 1993. Spielberg's adaptation elevated the story with cutting-edge visual effects, lifelike animatronics, and an unforgettable cast that included Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and the late Sir Richard Attenborough.
Together, Crichton's imagination and Spielberg's directorial genius laid the foundation for what would become one of the most beloved franchises in history. Although Crichton penned a sequel novel, The Lost World, in 1995, Spielberg and others would expand the universe with numerous sequels and spinoffs that continue down to this very day.
Do I need to read the Jurassic Park books before watching the movies?
Not at all! Watching the Jurassic Park movies without reading the books is a little like riding a roller coaster without needing a physics degree: it's still a wild, thrilling ride. The movies stand on their own, with awe-inspiring dinosaurs, nail-biting tension, and Jeff Goldblum being peak Jeff Goldblum. All of the films do a wonderful job of capturing the spirit of Crichton's work, with just a few liberties taken for the sake of that blockbuster magic we all know and love.
That said, the books are sort of like finding bonus levels in a video game. They dive deeper into the science, the characters, and the moral issues of bringing extinct animals back to life. They're darker, more detailed, and occasionally messier — especially when it comes to who gets eaten! Think of these books as stepping stones on a behind-the-scenes tour, where you learn why Velociraptors are so terrifyingly clever and why you should never look to deliver stolen dinosaur embryos to a rival genetics company during a tropical storm.
So, no pressure. If you want to jump straight into the movies, you'll have a roaring good time. But, if the idea of extra Jurassic lore excites you — and honestly, it really should — then crack open those books. They'll enhance the adventure without spoiling the fun.
How many movies are in the Jurassic Park series?
As of this writing there are six movies in the Jurassic Park franchise. Steven Spielberg directed the first movie in 1993, as well as the 1997 sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Four years later, Joe Johnston, known for his work on 1995's Jumanji and 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, would take the helm for Jurassic Park III in 2001.
Following that film's release was a 14-year break that finally ended in 2015 with Jurassic World. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, it introduced an almost entirely new cast and took viewers to a fully functional dinosaur park harboring a very dark secret. That film was followed by Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in 2018, which took the franchise in a rather bold direction — human cloning. Then, in 2022, Colin Trevorrow returned to the director's chair for Jurassic World: Dominion. However, this franchise is far from over!
What is Jurassic World: Rebirth?
Scheduled for release on Jul. 2, 2025, Jurassic World: Rebirth is the seventh installment of the Jurassic film franchise. Directed by Gareth Edwards and featuring a cast that includes Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, this upcoming adventure takes place five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion and sees the planet's ecology having become inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those that remain now exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the ones in which they once thrived.
The three most colossal creatures within that tropical biosphere hold the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to mankind. Johansson plays a covert operations expert named Zora Bennett, who is contracted to lead a skilled team on a top secret mission to secure genetic material from the world's three most massive dinosaurs. When the operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos, they all find themselves stranded on an island where they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that's been hidden from the world for decades.
Sounds good, doesn't it? Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, with a script from David Koepp, Jurassic World: Rebirth promises to be one of the biggest flicks of the summer season.
Can't wait! What are the names of the islands where the movies take place?
The Jurassic movies are spread across two fictitious islands located in the pacific ocean. Isla Nublar, located 120 miles west of Costa Rica, is where John Hammond built the first Jurassic Park and where Jurassic World is opened several years later. The second island, nicknamed Site B, is Isla Sorna. Located 207 miles west of Costa Rica, it is the largest landmass in The Five Deaths island chain. Making its debut in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, this island would serve as the "factory floor" where Hammond and his team of scientists cloned and raised the dinosaurs until they could safely be moved to the park on Isla Nublar.
Who are the main characters?
While there are many human characters making up the six movies in the Jurassic Park franchise, those that are considered of primary importance are paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), and Jurassic Park founder John Hammond (Sir Richard Attenborough). Raptor wrangler Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), Owen and Claire's adopted daughter Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon), and geneticist Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong) also take on primary roles throughout the Jurassic World movies.
Okay! Now, what sort of dinosaurs appear in Jurassic Park?
Over the course of six films, the Jurassic Park franchise has introduced audiences to an impressive number of dinosaurs. These include such well-known creatures as the Tyrannosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Ankylosaurus. There are also Velociraptor, Dilophosaurus, Spinosaurus, Corythosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Baryonyx, Gallimimus, Carnotaurus, Giganotosaurus, Compsognathus, and even a few surprises lurking in the air and water.
Later Jurassic movies also introduced the concept of hybrid dinosaurs, further exploring just how far mankind is willing to push the envelope in pursuit of the almighty dollar. However, this is a glimpse at just some of the prehistoric beasts brought back to life over the course of the franchise — and that's not including the ones that appear in the numerous comic books and video games attached to the series.
Are those newer Jurassic World movies connected to the earlier Jurassic Parks?
Absolutely. The Jurassic World movies are directly connected to the Jurassic Park films — they're all part of the same dino-packed universe! Think of Jurassic World as the next chapter in the story that Jurassic Park began. Here is the gist ...
Back in 1993, Jurassic Park introduced the idea of a dinosaur theme park gone wrong. Then, a few decades later, someone actually decided, "Hey, let's try that again, but bigger!" That's where Jurassic World kicks off. The first Jurassic World movie is set on Isla Nublar, but this time the park is open to the public. Additionally, the three Jurassic World movies brought back a number of beloved Jurassic Park characters including Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, Ian Malcolm, and Henry Wu. Plus, there are constant nods to the original movies — like the iconic T. rex, who's been stomping around since day one.
So, yes, the Jurassic World movies have built on the legacy of Jurassic Park, blending nostalgia with fresh adventures, exciting concepts and even more dinosaurs. It's like catching up with an old friend — if he happened to be a 20-foot tall apex predator with a really bad temper.
How can I experience Jurassic Park outside of the movies?
There are tons of ways to continue the fun of the Jurassic Park franchise outside of the movies.
The previously mentioned novels by Michael Crichton are a good start, but there are also a number of comic books from publishers like Topps and IDW that take the story in some rather fresh, albeit non-canonical, directions. There are even some concepts explored in these stories that eventually made it up on the big screen.
There are also a large number of Jurassic video games and even a pair of animated series streaming on Netflix in the form of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (which was just recently renewed for a third season). If you're looking to expand the adventure beyond those first six movies, there is no shortage of additional material out there for you to sink your teeth into.
Where can I watch the Jurassic Park movies?
The Jurassic movies air regularly through cable stations and can also be found on any number of streaming services ranging from Amazon to Peacock. As mentioned, the two animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and Jurassic World: Chaos Theory can also be found on Netflix. And, if you're an old fossil (I've been waiting to stick that joke in here since I started this piece) like me, you can snag all six Jurassic flicks on Blu-Ray and DVD.
