Credit: Universal StudiosJurassic Park (1993) is filled with more iconic moments than we can probably count. Even beyond all the quotes that have since been immortalized, from “Life finds a way” to “Hold onto your butts”, there are scenes without any talking whatsoever that have become just as emblematic of Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking masterpiece.
One of the scenes in question sees Lex Murphy (Arianna Richards), who has taken refuge inside the Jurassic Park Visitor Center with her young brother Tim Murphy (Joe Mazzello), holding a spoonful of Jell-O while her hand is trembling with fear, as she has just caught side of the silhouette of a velociraptor through a partition wall.
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This scene leads to one of the most nail-biting sequences in the film, as the siblings hide in a dark kitchen, while two velociraptors stalk the aisles as they hunt for their prey. But the “Jell-O scene” is just as memorable — in fact, despite there being many iconic quotes in the film, Jurassic Park works just as well when there’s no talking at all.
This year, Jurassic Park turns 30, and though most of the celebrations are taking place at Universal Studios, some of the cast members from the original film are having just as much fun. Recently, all the main OG actors reunited for a promotional video titled “Celebrating 30 Years of Jurassic Park“, during which they talk about why the film became such a phenomenon.
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Meanwhile, actress Arianna Richards, who portrayed Lex in Jurassic Park and returned for a brief cameo in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), re-created the iconic “Jell-O” scene for her fans. Taking to TikTok, Richards, 43, holds a spoonful of Jell-O while her hand trembles, almost like she’s just seen a velociraptor in her own kitchen!
Check it out below:
“A duet 30 years in the making,” Richards says in the caption beneath the comparison video, referencing, of course, her younger-self, who can be seen at the top. This might just be the closest we’ll ever get to a Jurassic Park multiverse!
@jurassicworld #duet with @Jurassic World A duet 30 years in the making. #JurassicPark30 #Dinosaurs #JurassicPark
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“When the audience went into that theater,” Richards says in the 30th anniversary video, “they left feeling like they had actually encountered a dinosaur.” Well, we’ve no doubt that Richards also felt like she’d encountered real dinosaurs while making the film. Whether computer-generated or animatronic, its prehistoric predators remain the most life-like of any film to date.
As for the Jell-O scene, it’s a perfect example of the “less is more” approach, something the five Jurassic sequels failed to adopt. Can you think of any scene in the subsequent five films that conveys terror in the same way this one does? Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) was right — “Later, there’s running and screaming.” What ever happened to being left speechless?
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As per the official Jurassic World website, here’s the synopsis for Jurassic Park:
Experience one of the biggest films in motion picture history with director Steven Spielberg’s ultimate thrill ride, Jurassic Park. Featuring Academy Award® winning visual effects and ground-breaking filmmaking that has been hailed as “a triumph of special effects artistry” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times), this epic film is sheer movie-making magic that was 65 million years in the making. Jurassic Park takes you to an amazing theme park on a remote island where dinosaurs once again roam the earth and five people must battle to survive among the prehistoric predators. Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough, discover the breath-taking adventure you will want to experience again and again.
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Jurassic Park stars Sam Neill (Alan Grant), Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm), Arianna Richards (Lex Murphy), Joe Mazzello (Tim Murphy), Richard Attenborough (John Hammond), Wayne Knight (Dennis Nedry), Bob Peck (Robert Muldoon), Samuel L Jackson (Ray Arnold), Martin Ferrero (Donald Gennaro), and BD Wong (Henry Wu).
Would you like to see Arianna Richards return for another Jurassic Park movie? Perhaps even a prequel that’s set between one of the five sequels, suggesting that Lex has some untold stories where dinosaurs are concerned? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!