By Katie Broker
Checked Out
I have loved the “Jurassic Park” film since watching it as a child in the 1990s. I have to confess, I only recently read Michael Crichton’s novel this summer. Until now, the only “Jurassic Park” I knew was the 1993 film with Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum.
I remember watching the film with my family, and rewatching it takes me back. I was terrified of the raptors and the big T. rex as a child. I loved the Brachiosaurus and Triceratops; my love of all animals extended to these dinosaurs, but not to the Velociraptors.
I was always a little worried that reading the book might change how I felt about the movie. In my experience, film adaptations of my favorite novels are always a little disappointing, even if I find that I enjoyed the film on its own. I thought if I enjoyed the movie that much, I would probably love the book, and it might change how I felt about the film. I am happy to report that is not the case with “Jurassic Park.” I was pulled in by the book, and I didn’t want to put it down, but I still love the movie just as much.
“Jurassic Park” is a cautionary tale of unchecked scientific ambition, the perils of technology, and human arrogance regarding scientific advancements such as genetic engineering. Published in 1990, it coincided with the start of the real-world Human Genome Project. Much like modern debates around artificial intelligence, the project was highly divisive, sparking ethical concerns about corporations patenting gene sequences. This is reflected in both the book and film, where InGen Technologies patents its engineered dinosaur DNA and rival Biosyn Genetics attempts to steal it for the public market.
The corporate sabotage by Biosyn Genetics serves as the direct catalyst for the chaos that unfolds. During a critical expert tour intended to appease investors, the systems designed to contain the park’s most aggressive predators are crippled by a disgruntled employee. To underscore his confidence in the park’s security, eccentric billionaire and park creator John Hammond even includes his own grandchildren in the group, setting the stage for a harrowing struggle for survival when the safety measures fail during the inaugural tour.
The tour group consisted of paleontologist Alan Grant, paleobotanist Ellie Sattler, mathematician Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park Public Relations Coordinator Ed Regis, InGen Lawyer Donald Gennaro, and John Hammond’s two grandchildren, Tim and Lex.
If you haven’t read the book, this is your one and only spoiler warning. I won’t give away too much, but from this point I’m going to talk about some of the major differences between the book and the film.
Some notable character differences between the book and film are quite surprising. Regis is entirely omitted from the movie, and his story arc is partially merged with Gennaro’s. In the book, Regis is tasked with supervising the children—a duty he resents—and ultimately abandons them when the fences fail near the T. rex enclosure. In contrast, the film attributes this cowardice to Gennaro, who flees to hide in a bathroom before being eaten by the T. rex.
The literary Gennaro is far more heroic than his movie counterpart. He assists park warden Muldoon in searching for survivors, defends the visitor’s center from Velociraptors, and ultimately survives the ordeal.
The children’s ages are also swapped. In the novel, Lex is younger than Tim, but Steven Spielberg reversed their ages to cast 9-year-old Joseph Mazzello as Tim and teen Ariana Richards as Lex. This change benefits the film; while the book’s younger Lex has a cute interaction with a baby Triceratops, she is often whiny, and nearly causes the group’s demise several times. The film’s older Lex safely keeps pace with the survivors and ultimately saves them by utilizing her computer skills to reboot the park’s systems and door locks.
How does actual paleontology hold up in “Jurassic Park?” The movie is largely responsible for several amusing misconceptions about dinosaurs. For instance, while characterizing raptors as “birds of prey” is accurate in both versions, their size and scaly, lizard-like appearance are misleading. Modern paleontologists believe raptors were actually closer in size to a medium-sized dog—and they had feathers.
There are plenty of other major surprises in the novel, but I will leave them unsaid for those who want to experience the book themselves. We’ll have plenty of room for spoilers at the next Is the Book Always Better? book club meeting, when we’ll talk in greater detail about the book and the film with those who’ve read it before and those reading it for the first time like me. This is the part of reading that I think is underrated, talking about what you’ve read. It creates a shared experience like nothing else can and I can’t wait to see what we’ll read and watch next. Maybe another summer blockbuster or something chilling as we get closer to the change in seasons.
Ultimately, I enjoyed “Jurassic Park” as both the book and the film, and I appreciate the unique qualities of each. The movie is an absolute masterpiece, and that robotic T. rex will always hold a special place in my heart. That said, I have one last silly misconception to address: dinosaurs didn’t roar.
Katie Broker is the adult programs coordinator at the Hutchinson Public Library. She can be reached at katie.b@hutchpl.org.