logo
'They've become extinct, and are we next?': How Jurassic Park made dinosaurs into film stars

'They've become extinct, and are we next?': How Jurassic Park made dinosaurs into film stars

BBC News4 hours ago

In June 1993, Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel brought prehistoric monsters to life. Crichton spoke to the BBC about why dinosaurs continue to fascinate us.
One of the most celebrated moments in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park has two scientists, played by Sam Neill and Laura Dern, staring agasp at a Brachiosaurus towering above them – it's the first time these characters and the audience have glimpsed the colossus in all its onscreen glory. As John Williams's iconic overture swells, a wave of childlike wonder washes over their faces. And ever since the film premiered 32 years ago, on 9 June 1993, audiences have felt a similar awe. The franchise now includes animated television series, comics, video games, and seven major films, including the latest instalment, Jurassic World Rebirth, which is released in July. But it all started with Michael Crichton's bestselling novel, published in 1990.
While writing the novel, Crichton visited a museum in the UK which featured a video exhibit on dinosaurs. "Little boys and girls of three [years old] would scream 'Stegosaurus!' and 'Tyrannosaurus!' when they would appear," Crichton told the BBC's The Late Show in 1993. "You wouldn't think they'd know how to pronounce these words, but they do."
Since the discovery of the first dinosaur fossils two centuries ago, and the first official scientific naming of a dinosaur – the Megalosaurus – in 1824, our fascination with these titans of the natural world has never really waned. But it has evolved. "We have in every period some [new] aspect of interest, not so much in our own reinterpretation of the dinosaurs from a scientific standpoint, but from a cultural standpoint," said Crichton.
In 1854, a number of supposedly life-sized model dinosaurs, sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and cast in cement, were displayed in Crystal Palace Park in south London. At this point, Crichton believed, "the underlying issue soon became whether these were evidence that ought to be employed for or against Darwinian evolution, so after the initial interest in dinosaurs as simply large extinct animals, they came to be viewed from the standpoint of their religious significance."
By the time Crichton wrote Jurassic Park, however, our view of dinosaurs had moved on, both scientifically and philosophically. The podgy beasts sculpted by Hawkins had been replaced in the imagination by fast, agile, birdlike creatures – and the issue of the dinosaurs' extinction was considered of greater philosophical interest than their creation. "The question that we have when we look at dinosaurs is, 'They've become extinct, and are we next,'" Crichton said.
In between these two periods, dinosaurs stomped through cinema history. The first onscreen dinosaur starred in an animated film, Gertie the Dinosaur, in 1914. A classic silent film, The Lost World (1925), boasted stop-motion dinosaurs created by Willis O'Brien, who went on to animate the prehistoric monsters who fought King Kong in 1933. The dinosaurs in King Kong then inspired legendary animator Ray Harryhausen to create his own unique dinosaur hybrid for the film 20,000 Fathoms (1953), a Tyrannosaurus-Brontosaurus mix that rampaged through the streets of New York City. Harryhausen would go on to direct his own prehistoric monster film, One Million Years B.C. (1966), in which Raquel Welch and other fur-clad cave-people came face-to-face with dinosaurs. "We were criticised many times that human beings, particularly cavemen… never lived anywhere near the time of the dinosaur," Harryhausen said on The Late Show. "But that's a licence one has to take for the cinema because you have no drama unless you have people in with the dinosaurs."
Breaking box-office records
The film of Jurassic Park, with a screenplay co-written by Crichton, brought together people and dinosaurs more believably than ever before. Spielberg used a groundbreaking and earth-shaking combination of computer-generated imagery and practical animatronics for his cautionary tale of a corporation miraculously resurrecting long-extinct species. The corporation's CEO, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), intends to use the creatures to populate a wildlife amusement park on an island off the coast of Costa Rica. But when the dinosaurs escape their enclosures, a group of scientists learn the hard way that Hammond's plan may have its drawbacks.
The film was a blockbuster hit in the summer of 1993, grossing $357 million domestically and $914 million worldwide in its original theatrical run. It shattered box office records, becoming the highest grossing film ever at the time of its release. Jurassic Park "delivers where it counts, in excitement, suspense and the stupendous realization of giant prehistoric reptiles", said Variety's 1993 review. In 2018, it was added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
More like this:• How a child star saved a Hollywood star from bankruptcy• The film that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a superstar• Hitchcock reveals the secret to his masterpieces
None of the sequels or spin-offs has been quite so significant, but all of the films have been Brachiosaurus-sized hits. Spielberg directed The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), and then Joe Johnston took the reins for Jurassic Park III (2001). That film appeared to be the end of the big-screen series, but eventually Jurassic World (2015) roared into cinemas, beginning another trilogy: at the time, it was the third highest-grossing film ever released.
Dinosaurs still instil childlike wonder, it seems, and as long as they do, the Jurassic Park franchise won't remain extinct for long.
--
For more stories and never-before-published radio scripts to your inbox, sign up to the In History newsletter, while The Essential List delivers a handpicked selection of features and insights twice a week.
For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

EXCLUSIVE Freddy Brazier reveals he turned down Love Island in an attempt to step away from his family name and admits his social media is just like the ITV2 show
EXCLUSIVE Freddy Brazier reveals he turned down Love Island in an attempt to step away from his family name and admits his social media is just like the ITV2 show

Daily Mail​

time16 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

EXCLUSIVE Freddy Brazier reveals he turned down Love Island in an attempt to step away from his family name and admits his social media is just like the ITV2 show

Freddy Brazier has revealed he turned down dating show Love Island and that he wants to step away from his family name and not be remembered for who his parents are. The 20-year-old son of Jeff Brazier and the late Jade Goody told The Mail how producers recently offered him a slot on the show. 'I'm on Instagram, I don't need Love Island,' he said. 'I've got Love Island on my phone from my bed. 'I need to do something without him [my dad]. I don't want to be seen as 'Freddy from Race with his dad.' I want to be known for something on my own. 'I'm more interested in modelling. I've got some good opportunities coming up – but this stuff with my dad isn't helping that.' Freddy's reveal comes as he insisted, he is now 'not' going to rehab, days after revealing he was going to 'get clean' in Marbella. He told fans last week that he has been addicted to smoking from the age of 12 and would be heading for treatment soon. Freddy shared in an Instagram post on Sunday that he has decided he 'doesn't need rehab' and instead just 'needs a boys' holiday or a retreat'. Posting a black and white photo of his younger self, he wrote: 'You know what I don't need rehab! I just need a holiday with a good group of boys or a retreat.' Last week, Freddy also made candid remarks about wanting to rebuild a healthy relationship with his father Jeff, 46, after a family rift. Freddy wrote: 'I've decided that I will be cutting down And I want to go to Rehab In Marbs as I feel if I'm in England I won't take getting clean seriously. 'I've been smoking from the age of 12 and it's time to stop it was a bad coping mechanism that turnt into an addiction something I relied on and something that made me feel sane and some what ok. 'I've found a rehabilitation centre and a boxing club I've found someone I want to get to know and I'm happy I got a good bunch of friends and I get out and enjoy myself. 'I want to be clean so I can life happily and have healthy relationships with people and be there for all of my family rather then feeling like I'm in the middle and have to choose a side.' He continued: 'I haven't been able to feel love properly as I have never loved myself and it starts now I want to play football and take up boxing I want to be happy and be in a healthy relationship and have a healthy relationship with my Nana and my father.' Celebrity Race Across the World star Freddy lost his mother when he was just four years old after she died from cervical cancer in 2009, and has since been raised by his dad Jeff. Jeff has clashed multiple times with Jade's mum Jackiey Budden, and it was revealed last month the TV star is taking action in an attempt to legally block contact between his son and his grandmother, to keep him safe'. And Freddy's love life has also recently made headlines. His Love Island admission comes just days after Freddy enjoyed a first date with controversial influencer Tasha Newcombe, 22, at Glasshouse Terrace in London Bridge. Tasha hit headlines herself last summer when she, then 21, became romantically involved with 16-year-old Marko Vituk, from Maidstone. MailOnline contacted Bobby and Jackiey's reps for comment. The latest series of the reality dating show kicks off on Monday night with host Maya Jama [pictured] set to introduce a new batch of sexy singletons looking for love The new season of Love Island returns on June 9 with the full line-up of contestants confirmed. This year's crop of hopefuls include a Declan Rice body double, fire breather and Maura Higgins lookalike and Maya will once again be at the helm after joining the popular dating series in January 2023. This year, the show celebrates a decade on screens and promises to have 'more twists and turns than ever before' in honour of their 10-year anniversary.

Katie Price cruelly slammed by mum-shaming trolls as she poses with son Harvey at home
Katie Price cruelly slammed by mum-shaming trolls as she poses with son Harvey at home

The Sun

time22 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Katie Price cruelly slammed by mum-shaming trolls as she poses with son Harvey at home

KATIE Price has been cruelly slammed by mum-shaming trolls. The former glamour model, 47, came under fire after she posted a sweet snap with son Harvey, 22, at home 4 4 4 It came after Katie shared a picture of her and Harvey doing some baking. In the photo the mother and son are posing in the kitchen, with a packet of cake mix in view. Katie captioned the shot with: "Baking with Harvey 🍰 carrot cake for all the family today." While the majority of comments were kind, there were some trolls who used the picture to mum-shame her. One wrote: "Thought you were really worried about Harvey's weight!!! And you make a cake?!" While another added: "Bake it from scratch Katie. You can make one much healthier than from that cake mix, and use real butter not spread." This one said: "Wouldn't it have been healthier for Harvey if you'd made it from scratch." Another chimed in: "You moan about his weight but feed him cake." HARVEY'S WEIGHT JOURNEY Meanwhile, last week Katie gave her fans an update on Harvey's weight loss journey. She has been worried about her son's health after his weight reached 30st. Katie Price drops huge hint daughter Princess Andre is in talks for Love Island after boyfriend split But now she has revealed they have looked at weight loss jabs to help him. Speaking on the latest episode of her The Katie Price Show podcast, she said: "Hopefully Harvey starts his Mounjaro this week, but we'll talk about that next week and I'll go through all of what's happening about that." The mum-of-five previously opened up on how Harvey's life was at risk because of his size. The TV personality's eldest child has Prader-Willi syndrome, which sparks a constant desire to eat food and a permanent feeling of hunger which leads to obesity. 4 Harvey battles a series of debilitating conditions including autism, septo-optic dysplasia, ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder. In a video posted in April, Katie revealed: 'I'm so heartbroken and gutted that his weight is just going up. 'I just googled it in stones, 188kg is just a few kg of being 30 stone. 'It's so life-threatening now, I'm still waiting for the doctors to get back to me starting on the Mounjaro and his journey to a healthy life.' She continued: 'It's so sad his quality of life at the moment where he's so big, he just can't really do much. 'It's just another thing I have to deal with because he's at high risk of having a heart attack, he struggles to put his trainers or struggles to walk anywhere but I love him and I'm going to help him through this. 'So sad, obesity and his condition is sad, it's sad to see someone go through it and he doesn't understand.' In February Katie told The Sun she consulted top doctors who suggested starting Harvey on the jabs in a bid to improve his chances of living longer. Harvey's biological dad is former footballer Dwight, 53, dated for a short period between 2000 and 2001, but split shortly after Katie told him she was pregnant. Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store