Jurassic Park: All 6 Missing Book Deaths And Why They Were Cut

Any time a book is adapted into a movie, there are bound to be some changes, and Jurassic Park is no exception to this rule, as there are some deaths missing from the book. Steven Spielberg’s 1993 Oscar-winning adaptation Jurassic Park It has many key differences from Michael Crichton’s original novel, including the ending. Of course, both versions follow the same general story; A group of characters must fight for their survival when a theme park with live dinosaurs begins to lose control over the reanimated creatures.

Where the stories become most distinct is in their decisions about who survives to the end. Numerous characters who die in the book receive much lighter endings in the Jurassic Park movie. These changes can occur for several reasons; wanting to keep a more positive tone, feeling like the deaths don’t contribute enough to the story, or even just wanting to keep a PG-13 rating. Whatever the reason, many popular characters are not given a happy ending in the original version of the book. Jurassic Park.

T Rex from Jurassic Park next to a collage of Jurassic Park characters Related How to Watch Jurassic Park Movies and TV Shows in Order: Chronologically or by Release Date

The dinosaur adventure franchise has seen numerous film and television installments, but the Jurassic Park timeline has a couple of confusing obstacles.

6 Sofia

Not even babies are safe

Death Ground - Compsognathus

Michael Crichton’s novel does not shy away from disturbing images and the author makes this clear immediately. The first sections of Jurassic Park They seek to establish that dinosaurs have returned to the world and that they represent a deadly threat. The novel’s introduction offers a broader view than the film’s opening (in which a park worker is brutally attacked by a Velociraptor), offering multiple scenes of mysterious dinosaur attacks on civilians. One particularly gruesome scene shows a trio of Compsognathus attacking and killing a baby named Sophie in a hospital crib.

It’s not hard to imagine why the scene wasn’t included in Spielberg’s adaptation of Jurassic Park. The esteemed director felt that the scene was simply too gruesome and would set a much darker tone than he desired for the film. While the scene works well for the novel (which employs a darker overall tone), it certainly would have felt out of place in the film. Much of the audience would probably have been deterred from watching the rest of the film if the scene had been included.

5Ed Regis

A gruesome end for the park’s publicist

T. rex observing Gennaro in Jurassic Park

If you’ve ever seen the film version of Jurassic ParkYou’ve probably never heard of Ed Regis, the head of public relations for this unusual theme park. Regis was eventually removed from the film, although some of his traits/actions are redistributed among other characters. In the novel, Regis dies after the Tyrannosaurus’ first attack. Thinking he is safe after hiding behind some rocks, Regis tries to return to his car. However, his escape is horribly thwarted when he is ambushed by a young T. Rex.

While Regis’ character was not included, a very similar scene still occurs in the film. Taking his place, lawyer Donald Gennaro is the one who cowardly abandons the children and hides during the T. Rex attack. Gennaro is eventually discovered and devoured by the enormous dinosaur while trying to take refuge in a nearby bathroom. Although it wasn’t considered necessary enough to include the character of Regis, the filmmakers must have loved the idea of ​​seeing a cowardly character get what he deserves and rewrote the scene with Gennaro instead.

4 Dr. Henry Wu

The chief geneticist dies for his creation

BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu in the Jurassic Park franchise

Although he was not completely removed from the film, Jurassic ParkThe chief geneticist, Dr. Henry Wu (played by BD Wong), takes on a much smaller role in the film than in the novel. In Crichton’s version of the story, Wu is killed alongside John Arnold (Ray Arnold in the film) by a group of Velociraptors after the power goes out in the park. The notion of Wu being killed by the very creatures he created has quite a poetic feel to it.

Wu not only survives in the film version of Jurassic Parkbut his character has actually returned for all three films over the past few decades. Jurassic World franchise so far. No explicit reason has been given as to why Wu’s fate changed so drastically in the film, but it can be assumed that it was probably due to his greatly reduced role. Including a scene of him being mauled by Velociraptors would have seemed unnecessary given that his presence in the film was very limited, and any blame placed on him for the presence of the dinosaurs is minimal.

3 John Hammond

There is no happy ending for the park owner

Richard Attenborough as John Hammond smiles in Jurassic Park

Although his personality has changed quite a bit, John Hammond is the eccentric owner of the titular park in both versions of Jurassic Park. Unlike the movie, the novel version of Hammond meets a bitter end just before he could escape the dinosaur-filled island. After injuring his ankle while hiking through the jungle, Hammond suffers a slow and disturbing death when attacked by a pack of Compsognathus. Hammond, numbed by the creature’s venom after being bitten, barely hangs on as the small dinosaurs eat him alive.

The decision to keep Hammond alive in the Jurassic Park The film is largely a result of the other changes made to his character. Hammond’s original version had a much darker feel, appearing to be a greedy businessman willing to overlook the potential dangers of his actions in the name of financial gain. By contrast, the film version of Hammond (played by Richard Attenborough) seems much kinder and more whimsical. Killing off this version of Hammond would have meant giving a sad ending to a popular character, rather than a satisfying death to a villain.

2 Dr. Ian Malcolm (?)

The mathematician didn’t survive… or did he?

Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm holding a sparkler next to a broken fence in Jurassic Park

Thanks to Jeff Goldblum’s smooth performance, Dr. Ian Malcolm has become one of the most popular characters in the series. Jurassic Park cinema. However, although Malcolm has appeared in multiple films in both the Jurassic Park and the Jurassic World franchises, his character didn’t actually survive the events of the original book (or, at least, that’s what it seems). The charming mathematician is injured during the same Tyrannosaurus attack that leaves him injured in the film. However, in the novel, Malcolm ends up succumbing to his injuries.

The interesting thing about Malcolm’s disappearance in the novel is that Michael Crichton ended up undoing the character’s death when he released The lost worldthe sequel novel, five years later. Malcolm takes the initiative The lost worldclaiming that reports of his death were premature. It’s clear why Spielberg would have omitted Malcolm’s death from the film; Why kill off a fan-favorite character if you’re going to bring him back later anyway?

1 (Almost) all dinosaurs

An explosive ending to the novel

tyrannosaurus rex Spinosaurus rex Jurassic Park

The 1993 film concludes with the surviving characters escaping Isla Nublar in a helicopter, leaving the Jurassic Park dinosaurs in full control of the island. The original version of Jurassic ParkHowever, it does not show that humanity is so willing to let go of its control. Once the few surviving characters have been evacuated, the Costa Rican Air Force proceeds to bomb the island in an attempt to make the dinosaurs extinct again. Just before the novel ends, it is revealed that the bombing was not entirely successful, as reports are received of dinosaurs roaming the Costa Rican jungle.

The decision to exclude the Isla Nublar bombing scene was likely made to avoid detracting from the film’s triumphant ending. In the film, almost all of the main characters survive and escape the island while John Williams’ celebratory score plays in the background. The novel, on the other hand, already has a dark ending, and the slaughter of the dinosaurs is just the icing on the cake. Spielberg wisely knew that the viewing public Jurassic Park I would be supporting the survival of the human characters; not that the dinosaurs die.

Logo and poster for the movie Jurassic Park (1993) Jurassic Park

The Jurassic Park franchise is a science fiction action-adventure series that began with the original novel by Michael Crichton. The series explores the dramatic repercussions of dinosaur resurrection through advanced genetic science. Set primarily in a disastrous theme park, Jurassic Park explores the profound ethical dilemmas that arise from manipulating the DNA of long-extinct creatures and the manipulation of the natural world through science.

Movie(s) Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park 3 (2001), Jurassic World (2015), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), Jurassic World Dominion (2022) Created by Michael Crichton, Steven Spielberg First movie Jurassic Park (1993) Last movie Jurassic World: Dominion Upcoming movies Jurassic World Rebirth First TV show Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous Last TV show Jurassic World: Chaos Theory First episode Air date September 18, 2020 Cast Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall Character(s) Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, Dr. Ian Malcolm, John Hammond, Sarah Harding, Roland Tembo, Paul Kirby, Amanda Kirby, Owen Grady, Claire Dearing, Vic Hoskins, Simon Masrani, Eli Mills.

Summary

The Jurassic Park franchise, later also known as Jurassic World, is an iconic science fiction series centered on the creation of a theme park populated by genetically modified dinosaurs. The franchise explores themes of human arrogance, the dangers of messing with nature, and the ethical implications of cloning. It began with the release of the original Jurassic Park film in 1993, directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. The success of the original film spawned a series of sequels and spin-offs, making it one of the most successful media franchises in history.

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