Any time a book is adapted into a feature film, there are bound to be some changes, andJurassic Parkis no exception to this rule, as there are a few missing deaths from the book.Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning 1993 adaptation ofJurassic Parkhas many keydifferences from Michael Crichton’s original novel, including the ending. Of course, both versions do follow the same general story; a group of characters must fight for their survival when a theme park featuring live dinosaurs begins to lose its hold on the reanimated creatures.
Where the stories become more distinct is in their decisions of who survives to the end. Numerous characters who are killed off in the book are given much lighterendings in theJurassic Parkmovie. These changes can occur for any number of reasons; wanting to maintain a more positive tone, feeling that the deaths do not contribute enough to the story, or even just wanting to keep a PG-13 rating. Whatever the reason may be,many popular characters are not given their happy endings in the original book versionofJurassic Park.
6Sophie
Not Even Infants Are Safe
Michael Crichton’s novel does not shy away from disturbing imagery, and the author makes that clear right away. The early sections ofJurassic Parkseek to establish that dinosaurs have been brought back into the world, and that they pose a deadly threat. The introduction of the novel provides a more expansive view than the opening of the film (in which a park worker is viciously attacked by a Velociraptor), offering multiple scenes of mysterious dinosaur attacks on civilians.One particularly gruesome scene features a Compsognathus trio attacking and killing an infant named Sophiein a crib in a hospital.
The esteemed director felt that the scene was simply too horrific, and that it would establish a tone much more grim than he desired for the film.
It’s not difficult to imagine whythe scene was not included in Spielberg’s adaptation ofJurassic Park. The esteemed director felt that the scene was simply too horrific, and that it would establish a tone much more grim than he desired for the film. While the scene works well for the novel (which does employ a darker overall tone), it certainly would have felt out of place in the film. Much of the audience likely would have been deterred from watching the rest of the film if the scene had been included.
5Ed Regis
A Grisly End For The Park’s Publicist
If you’ve only ever seen the film version ofJurassic Park, you’ve probably never heard of Ed Regis,the head of public relations for the unusual theme park. Regis was ultimately cut from the film, although some of his traits/actions are redistributed among other characters. In the novel, Regis is killed in the aftermath of the first Tyrannosaurus attack. Thinking he is safe after hiding behind some boulders, Regis attempts to make his way back to his car. However, his escape is gruesomely thwarted when he is ambushed by a young T. Rex.
While the character of Regis was not included, a very similar scene does still occur in the film. Taking his place, the lawyer, Donald Gennaro, is the one who cowardly abandons the kids and hides during the T. Rex attack. Gennaro is ultimately discovered and eaten by the massive dinosaur while attempting to take shelter in a nearby bathroom. Although the character of Regis was not deemed necessary enough to include, the filmmakers must have loved the idea of seeing a cowardly character be given his comeuppance, and rewrote the scene with Gennaro instead.
4Dr. Henry Wu
The Chief Geneticist Is Killed By His Creation
Although he was not cut from the film entirely,Jurassic Park’s chief geneticist,Dr. Henry Wu (played by BD Wong), does take on a much smaller role in the film than he had in the novel. In Crichton’s version of the story, Wu is killed alongside John Arnold (Ray Arnold in the film) by a pack of Velociraptors after the electricity in the park goes down. The notion of Wu being killed by the very creatures he created has a rather poetic feel to it.
How To Watch Jurassic Park Movies & TV Shows In Order: Chronologically Or By Release Date
The dinosaur adventure franchise has seen numerous film and TV installments, but the Jurassic Park timeline has a couple of confusing bumps to it.
Not only does Wu survive in the movie version ofJurassic Park, buthis character has actually returned for all three films in the laterJurassic Worldfranchisethus far. No explicit reason has been given as to why Wu’s fate was changed so drastically in the movie, but it can be surmised that it was likely due to his heavily reduced role. Including a scene of him being mauled by Velociraptors would have felt unnecessary given that his presence in the film was so limited, and any blame placed on him for the dinosaurs' presence is minimal.
3John Hammond
No Happy Ending For The Park’s Owner
Though his personality is changed quite a bit, John Hammond is the eccentric owner of the titular park in both iterations ofJurassic Park. Unlike in the film, the novel version of Hammond meets a bitter end just before he would have been able to escape the dinosaur-filled island. After hurting his ankle while walking in the jungle,Hammond endures a slow, unsettling death upon being attacked by a Compsognathuspack. Being lulled into a state of complacency by the creature’s venom after being bitten, Hammond barely puts up a fight as he is eaten alive by the small dinosaurs.
The choice to keep Hammond alive in theJurassic Parkfilm is largely the result of the other changes made to his character.The original version of Hammond had a much darker feel, coming off as a greedy businessperson willing to overlook the potential dangers of his actions in the name of financial gain. In contrast, the film version of Hammond (played by Richard Attenborough) appears much more kindhearted and whimsical. Killing off this version of Hammond would have meant giving a sad end to a popular character, instead of a satisfying death to a villain.
2Dr. Ian Malcolm (?)
The Mathematician Did Not Survive… Or Did He?
Thanks to Jeff Goldblum’s suave portrayal,Dr. Ian Malcolmhas become one of the most popular characters in theJurassic Parkmovies. However, although Malcolm has made appearances in multiple films in both theJurassic Parkand theJurassic Worldfranchises, his character actually did not survive the events of the original book (or, at least, that’s how it seems). The charming mathematician is injured during the same Tyrannosaurus attack which leaves him wounded in the film. In the novel, though, Malcolm ends up succumbing to his injuries.
What’s interesting about Malcolm’s demise in the novel is that Michael Crichton wound up undoing the character’s death when he releasedThe Lost World, the sequel novel, five years later. Malcolm takes the lead inThe Lost World, claiming that the reports of his death were premature.It is clear to see 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 on anyway?
1(Almost) All The Dinosaurs
An Explosive End For The Novel
The 1993 film concludes with the surviving characters escaping Isla Nublar in a helicopter, leaving theJurassic Park dinosaurswith full dominion over the island. The original version ofJurassic Park, however, does not show humanity being as willing to let go of their control. Once the few surviving characters are evacuated,the Costa Rican Air Force proceeds to bomb the island in an attempt to bring the dinosaurs back to extinction. Just before the novel ends, it is revealed that the bombing was not fully successful, as reports are received of dinosaurs roaming the Costa Rican jungle.
The decision to exclude the scene of Isla Nublar being bombed was likely made to avoid detracting from the otherwise triumphant ending to the film.
The decision to exclude the scene of Isla Nublar being bombed was likely made to avoid detracting from the otherwise triumphant ending to the film. In the film, nearly all the main characters survive and escape the island as John Williams' celebratory score plays in the background. The novel, on the other hand, already has a bleak ending, and the killing of the dinosaurs is merely the icing on the cake. Spielberg wisely knew that audiences watchingJurassic Parkwould be rooting for the human characters to survive; not for the dinosaurs to die.
Jurassic Park
The Jurassic Park franchise is an action-adventure sci-fi series that began with Michael Crichton’s original novel. The series explores the dramatic repercussions of resurrecting dinosaurs through advanced genetic science. Set primarily in a disastrous theme park, Jurassic Park explores the profound ethical dilemmas about tinkering with the DNA of long ago extinct creatures and the manipulation of the natural world through science.
