One would find it hard to talk about any of the Jurassic Park movies without delving into the heroes of the story. Although some may argue the true heroes of the series are the dinosaurs, some credit should go to the main characters for their resilience and fortitude for withstanding scene after scene of prehistoric mayhem in order to bring the beloved stories to life. As with all good stories, every hero has their enemy, and as much as this writer would like to reveal the secrets to Jurassic World, he will not. Instead, this quick study will focus on heroes from the past and of what makes their stories unique.
Dr. Alan Grant—From the first time the audience meets Dr. Grant (Sam Neill), a paleontologist filled with the wonder and amazement of a child, he proves his low-key demeanor cannot hide his dark side. When a young boy observes velociraptors are nothing more than six-foot turkeys, he breaks from the group to set the record straight. He explains raptors’ visual acuity is unlike a T-Rex’s in that the animal can see its prey regardless if it moves or not. He slashes at the boy’s belly in a mock kill and says, “You are alive when they start to eat you. Show some respect.”
Dr. Grant’s expertise in paleontology serves him well as he battles raptors in a game of intelligence for island domination. Once the chase is on, his main concern becomes the kids who he takes charge. His inclination of not liking children takes a backseat to his willingness to sacrifice his life for the little ones in Jurassic Park.
Dr. Ian Malcolm—The chaos theory expert who takes the role of the parent in The Lost World: Jurassic Park guides a team of hunters to capture the island’s grandest prize. His role changes once a double dose of T-Rex introduces real life chaos to the apprehensive theorist. Suddenly, his life is not all that easy anymore. As with Dr. Grant, Dr. Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) has only one thing on his mind—save his daughter from the jaws of the massive carnivore.
In the heart of the jungle, Dr. Malcolm uses everything at his disposal to elude raptors and anything else that seems to want to take a bite out of him or his kid. He has no limit to what he will do to protect those around him—even if it means he would have to give himself as bait for the others to make a clean getaway.
Dr. Alan Grant—In Jurassic Park III, Dr. Grant is back. In this iteration of the classic theme, although older, he hasn’t mellowed. He proves age means nothing in the realm of killer dinosaurs. If anything, he takes a more aggressive stance against those who have deserted him and his party on the island of death. His goal to get off the island becomes his anthem.
These are the Jurassic heroes of yesteryear. With every generation comes a new breed of dinosaurs. But with every generation also comes a hero willing to risk his life for the sake of others.
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What are your thoughts about the Jurassic heroes? Do you have a favorite?
Looking to God 
hello jack flacco its dennis the vizsla dog hay dada sez his fayvrit is ian malcolm altho alan grant wuz also gud!!! dada further sez he just tries to preetend that third jurassic park dokyoomentary duz not eksist!!! ha ha ok bye
Both characters were great for different reasons. I always thought it was funny that Grant didn’t like Malcolm all that much, despite them both being heroes… I think I like Malcolm a bit more though… I liked his wise-guy remarks and how he developed from the 1st movie as very philosophical guy to the 2nd movie as a father. For some reason, I also really liked Dr. Arnold (even though he’s eaten)
I love it when Dr. Arnold tries to bypass Dennis’ password and gets the, “Ah, ah, ah. You haven’t said the magic word.” How can I forget his response? “I hate this hacker crap!” Hilarious. 🙂
Reblogged this on matthewRstitt.
Thanks so much for the reblog!
I have no specific favorites, but I liked it when Wayne Knight’s character gets what’s coming to him in the 1st movie ( ” Neuman ! ” ) & wasn’t Samuel L Jackson in there, too ? Great actor, even if his role wasn’t pivotal, etc.
Everything Samuel L. Jackson stars in becomes a controversy. Loved him in RoboCop!
I missed the remake of RoboCop & Samuel Jackson. Peter Weller was so good in the 1st 2. Too many remakes nowadays, not all of them good.
I really enjoyed both characters. Ian for his snark and Alan for his competence. Muldoon wasn’t bad either. I also really like Owen from the new Jurassic world movie.
But my all time favorite continues to be Ellie. She’s just all kinds of awesome and I think the little girl from the first movie could do worse than growing up to be her.
Ellie has a great sense of humor that I appreciate a lot. “Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth.” 🙂
Alan was a great father figure even though his career said otherwise. He was still a true scientist as they struggled to survive….
He showed he didn’t like kids but in the end, he was their greatest ally.
I always liked Muldoon a lot. Though I remember him from the book as well. Very interesting how the two differed.
I liked Muldoon as well. He was always the one with the clear mind.
Which is funny because I think he was a drunk in the book.