Jurassic Park - 1990 Michael Crichton Novel
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In this deep dive episode of 'Every Version Ever,' hosts Jonathan and Sam explore the 1990 Michael Crichton novel *Jurassic Park*, contrasting it sharply with the iconic 1993 Spielberg film adaptation. The discussion reveals that the book is a gritty, adult-oriented horror novel—far removed from the family-friendly blockbuster—featuring a brutal opening with a worker being attacked by raptors, a baby triceratops being eaten, and a relentless tone of dread. The characters are radically different: John Hammond is a selfish, cruel businessman rather than a benevolent grandfather; Lex and Tim are portrayed as annoying, unlikable children; and Ian Malcolm is a chaotic, morphine-addled theorist who drones on about chaos theory. The book also features more dinosaurs, including genetically flawed, brightly colored raptors and a juvenile T-Rex, and includes subplots like dinosaurs escaping via boats, a failed evacuation, and a disturbing scene where Alan Grant throws a baby raptor to its parents, who devour it. The hosts highlight how the movie streamlined the story for mass appeal, replacing horror with wonder, and how the book’s technical details—like DNA sequences and dinosaur population tables—were cut for pacing. Despite its flaws, the novel is praised for its scientific rigor and dark, unflinching vision of humanity’s hubris. The episode ends with speculation about why Crichton retconned Ian Malcolm’s death in *The Lost World*, likely due to the popularity of Jeff Goldblum’s portrayal.
The novel *Jurassic Park* is a horror story, not a family adventure—its opening scene features a man being eaten by raptors and a baby triceratops being devoured.
John Hammond is a selfish, unlikable villain in the book, unlike the kind-hearted grandfather in the movie.
The raptors in the book are six feet tall, not three feet, and are portrayed as chaotic, cannibalistic pack hunters, not the intelligent, coordinated predators in the film.
The book’s ending is bleak and confusing: the military captures the survivors, the island is firebombed, and the surviving raptors are shown as peaceful, wild animals—making the destruction feel tragic.
The movie’s changes—like making the dinosaurs awe-inspiring, the characters more likable, and the tone more hopeful—were essential for it to become a global blockbuster.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Horror of the Original Novel
“They're like, yeah, ran over by, by construction equipment. And they're like, something tried to eat him. That's not a print from a construction equipment.”
John Hammond: From Grandpa to Villain
“He doesn't even like his own grandkids. Yeah. That I think surprised me the most because I had not remembered that.”
The Characters: Kids, Scientists, and the Raptor Problem
“I was sick of her in her first scene. Oh my God. I'm just like, I know you live, but... Please. Just one little snap from that T-Rex. Just one little chomp and she's gone.”
The Science, the Chaos, and the DNA
The book is filled with dense scientific exposition—DNA sequences, population tables, and genetic flaws. The hosts discuss how these were cut from the movie for pacing but are central to the novel’s themes of hubris and unpredictability.
The Movie’s Genius: Why It Changed Everything
“If they would have made this book exactly how it is, I can guarantee it would not have been the giant hit that the movie was.”
“If they would have made this book exactly how it is, I can guarantee it would not have been the giant hit that the movie was.”
“It makes perfect sense. Yeah, that'd be my guess is if they're like, hey, you're gonna write that because this this came out in 90 Jurassic Park came out 90 and the Lost World came out 95.”
“I think it's probably one of the worst ones. Yeah. And Henry Wu's isn't that great either. Like he gets, it was pretty bad. He gets like his guts everywhere.”
Host
Guest
Jonathan
person
Sam
person
Velociraptor
other
Ian Malcolm
person
John Hammond
person
Tyrannosaurus Rex
other
Alan Grant
person
Michael Crichton
person
Lex
person
The Lost World
book
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