We Ranked The Saga From Worst To Best

The channels of the TF1 group are in the color of the saga Jurassic this week. After the broadcasts of Jurassic Park et Jurassic Worldthe first channel offers the final part of the saga carried by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard this Sunday July 6. This is the first time that the group can offer The World After in plain language. But while a new film has just hit cinemas around the world, called Renaissancewe take stock of the best and especially the worst of the franchise started under the aegis of Spielberg in 1993.

7 – Jurassic World: the world after (2022)

In 2022, Universal Pictures wants to create an event with the release of its World After. A very appropriate title at the end of an unprecedented health crisis and while cinemas are struggling to bring together spectators. With this third film led by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, the studio wants to conclude in style the journey begun in 2015. It was also a question of focusing on nostalgia, by signing the return of Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler and Ian Malcolm. The film also promised to evoke the cohabitation between dinosaurs and humans, two creatures at the top of the food chain who had to share the resources of a planet which was running out of them.

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Ultimately, it was mainly a question of multiplying, repeating and confining the heroes to another island full of dangers. No raptor with the synopsis. Result of the races: a pale copy of Jurassic Park which does not have the luxury of being captivating like its predecessors. We said in our review at that time: “A pretext film that leaves us cold and confirms that the spin-off must choose the path to extinction, and for good this time”.

6 – Jurassic World (2015)

A new movie Jurassic14 years after the critical failure of the third part of the main saga, the idea was preposterous. But advances in visual effects were enough to justify this risk, the dinosaurs promised to be more realistic than ever. Steven Spielberg, however, did not return to direct this sequel, contenting himself with acting as producer. In his place, Colin Trevorrow had the heavy responsibility of honoring adventure cinema as much as reinventing the recipe. A fairly heavy weight on the shoulders of a director who only has one film to his credit.

And… Well, it was quite uninspired. If the Cretaceous creatures are splendid, more likely than ever, it is clear that the film did not manage to encapsulate all the atmosphere and aesthetics of Jurassic Park. This is particularly true on the more distressing side of the proposition, dinosaurs will never appear as a threat great enough to take us off our seats. The film prefers to focus on comedy and deluge of actionwe’ll come back for the big scares. A film that sells popcorn without blowing our minds.

5 – Jurassic Park III (2001)

This time, the iconic director will not be there. The director, motivated by the critical success of his Schindler’s Listwants to devote himself to more serious and less difficult productions. It must be said that he did not have an easy life on the set of the first film, so much so that the shots for the film carried by Ralph Fiennes had the effect of a breath of fresh air. It is therefore Joe Johnston, who will later direct Captain America : First Avengerwho is responsible for immortalizing this untold story. The film brings back Alan Grant, eight years after the events of the first film. The paleontologist acted as a guide for a wealthy couple, hoping to raise enough money to finance his research. But when their plane crashes on Isla Sorna, things take a turn for the worse.

When it was released in 2001, Jurassic Park III was shunned by critics and the public. If the film grossed more than $365 million at the time, excluding inflation, the absence of author Michael Crichton is notable. The author of the novels in the saga did not appreciate the general chaos behind the scenes and preferred to pass his turn. The third film in the saga will then multiply the risky ideas, focusing on the reproduction of a recipe rather than a desire to tell more about these exciting colossi.

4 – Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom (2018)

In 2018, Trevorrow briefly handed over to directing. Before resuming service for The world afterthe director entrusts Juan Antonio Bayona with the task of injecting a little more fear into this reboot. He has experience of horror with The orphanagethat of the great spectacle and the catastrophe with The Impossible. He still has to work from a screenplay by Trevorrow and Derek Connolly. The idea is for them to find a pretext to send their heroes: Owen and Claire back to the island of Jurassic World threatened by volcano which will erupt. The dinosaurs are in danger and our two characters are the only ones who care. All in all, a rather good approach but one that is parasitized by Universal’s madness of grandeur.

If Bayona’s production is not unworthy, especially when it comes to exploring the confined interiors of an old mansion, the director is slowed down by a plot which lacks bite and which makes questionable choices. This is especially true regarding human cloning, which will slow down this film and its successor. We also have a lot of trouble with the heroes of this new saga, more unbearable with each of their appearances.

3 – Jurassic World Renaissance (2025)

This summer, the dinos are resurfacing. Exit Claire, Owen and especially Colin Trevorrow, Gareth Edwards is in charge of the direction. David Koepp, author of the first two films, is writing. New characters are immortalized and they go to a new island. At the instigation of the boss of a pharmaceutical company, a mercenary, a paleontologist and a captain are sent to an InGen site to recover the DNA of three mutant dinosaurs. Their blood could help develop a cure for one of the world’s most widespread illnesses.

Jurassic World Renaissance is the best of the worst Jurassicfar ahead of Universal’s recent proposals. During the production, the father of Rogue One has fun with scale games and stylistic effects to surprise. It’s a shame that the story doesn’t follow (yet) and that he spends too much time with his subplots rather than building his shock trio. Everything is predictable, lacks heart and struggles to emulate the attachment that spectators had with the original trio. We had a good time, but not as good as expected. Our review is available here.

2 – Jurassic Park II (1997)

Barely four years after the first Jurassic ParkSteven Spielberg is back by adapting The Lost World. The second novel features Ian Malcom and Sara Harding as they explore an InGen B-site. The film takes up this idea but makes the Jurassic Park survivor a rescuer of his girlfriend. She is on Isla Sorna to capture images of dinosaurs in complete autonomy. The repentant capitalist hopes to prove to the world that creatures must be protected and left alone. At the same time, the InGen board of directors sends a team to collect specimens and open a new park in the heart of San Diego.

If this second film does not have the appeal of novelty nor the capacity to surprise, it benefits from the rise in power of horror in the saga. With a scene suspended in the void of rare effectiveness and a hunt in the lush jungle which also hits its target, The Lost World is a profitable new addition to the saga. The knobs are pushed all the way (a raptor is controlled using a gymnastic figure) and we rub our hands when a T-Rex roams a residential neighborhood. It’s everything we hoped for, seeing dinosaurs confront our civilized world. Too bad the sequence only lasts a few moments…

1 – Jurassic Park (1993)

It won’t surprise anyone, but Steven Spielberg’s first film remains unrivaled. All the scenes are iconic, meticulous and have marked the history of the big screen. From the discovery of flesh-and-blood dinosaurs by Ellie and Alan to a scene in the kitchens under high tension, including the finale and its twirling banner, everything in the first part is nothing but fear and wonder, exactly what these prehistoric animals provide to all enthusiasts. The film is also a technical feat, which will mark a turning point for the film industry by involving 3D monsters when animatronics (especially used for tight shots) are no longer enough.

The film redefined spectacle on the big screen, pushing realism to a scale that no one could anticipate. Even more, Spielberg will have defined an entire collective imagination around these extinct creatures and will inspire many other filmmakers. Jurassic Park is cult… but you probably didn’t need us to know that. So cult that the license was unable to really reproduce the miracle.