In 1993, Steven Spielberg’s brainchild, a cinematic masterpiece, caused global ripples by resurrecting one of the Earth’s oldest extinct species, sending shudders down audiences’ spines. This was none other than the first instalment of the Jurassic Park franchise based on the science fiction novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, released in 1990.
Crichton was further involved in writing the screenplay along with American screenwriter David Koepp. So, grab a cup of coffee and come along for a walk down the memory lane in this ending explainer!
Jurassic Park Plot Synopsis
Jurassic Park revolves around an adventure theme park showcasing cloned dinosaurs and is set up by industrialist John Hammond. He invites palaeontologist Alan Grant and palaeobotanist Ellie Sattler to visit the park since a certain incident has incited his investors to demand safety assurance.
Hammond needs Grant and Sattler’s endorsement, as they are experts in their fields, to continue with his project. The pair arrive at the island, awestruck at witnessing the prehistoric creatures. The excitement and tour are cut short when a tropical storm changes the fate of the park and its inhabitants.
How are the dinosaurs cloned?
A prehistoric mosquito is discovered preserved in amber. The team at Jurassic Park uses DNA extracted from the “dino-blood” preserved in the mosquito to clone the dinosaurs. They further use the DNA of frogs and other such animals to fill in the gaps in the genome sequence of the creatures. The team manipulates the chromosomes to ensure that all dinosaurs are female to prevent breeding and population surge.
How do the dinosaurs escape from the paddocks?
When a tropical storm hits Isla Nublar, the corrupt lead computer programmer Dennis Nedry is bribed by Hammond’s corporate rival to procure the dinosaur embryos. For that, Dennis deactivates the security system, secures the embryos in a shaving cream can and leaves to deliver the package amidst the storm. He further crashes his jeep and is killed by the paralyzing venom of a Dilophosaurus.
Simultaneously, Hammond’s guests, including his grandchildren Peter and Judy, are waiting by the T-rex paddock as their tour vehicle has stopped working due to the deactivated security system. The goat, to lure the T-rex to expose itself to the guests, is also tied close to where the vehicles are parked. Unfortunately, the T-rex arrives to have its meal and easily breaks through the security fence, attacking the group.
What happened to the group after the T-rex attack?
The lawyer is killed by the T-rex. Malcolm is injured and loses consciousness, barely hidden from the creature. Alan, Lex and Tim escape. While Tim is trapped inside the car, Alan and Lex are forced to rappel down the sudden sharp drop inside the enclosure. The T-rex pushes the car near the cliff in an attempt overturn it.
Alan catches hold of a wire at the edge of the road and is able to escape along with Lex while the car is thrown off with Tim inside of it. The car is caught on a tree and Tim is saved by Alan.
What do Alan and the kids find on their way back?
While on their way back after escaping from the T-rex, Alan and the kids find broken dinosaur eggs. Tim comments that his grandfather told them that “all dinosaurs were girls”. Alan puts two and two together and explains that the lab used frog DNA in the genome sequencing to fill the gaps. Some African frogs are known to change sex in a single-sex environment implying that there’s a possibility that some of the female dinosaurs can change their sex at will.
How do Alan, Lex, Tim and Ellie escape from the Velociraptors?
After Ellie makes a frantic escape from the raptors after switching on the power grid, Lex and Tim have a close call in the kitchen of the visitor centre, barely managing to trap one of the two raptors in the freezer. Both meet Alan and Ellie midway. While Ellie is trying to reboot the lock system, the raptor almost opens the door, displaying its level of intelligence.
Lex successfully reboots the system while the raptors break the glass and enter the room. The quartet escapes to the main exhibition area where a T-rex kills the raptors. Hammond along with Malcolm picks up the four and the six escape the island by a helicopter.