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Credit: Universal PicturesThe Jurassic franchise is no stranger to horror, especially the first two films, Jurassic Park (1993) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), which are based on the two best-selling novels of the same name by the late author Michael Crichton.
Those first two films are often compared to director Steven Spielberg’s 1975 monster movie classic, Jaws. However, the shark-centric blockbuster is far less subtle with its violence — Jurassic Park and its 1997 sequel mostly rely on the less-is-more approach.
That’s not to say they’re violence-free, though. The Lost World is easily the bloodiest entry in the franchise. The original 1993 film features only suggestive violence, but it’s still incredibly disturbing whenever a dinosaur pounces on one of its human cast members.
It’s no mystery that Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) is eaten stomach-first by the Dilophosaurus behind those hazy, rain-soaked windows in his jeep. And if you pause the death of Robert Muldoon (Bob Peck) at the right moment, it’s obvious that the “clever girl” is repeatedly clamping down on his skull with her massive jaws behind the obscuring foliage.
The Lost World follows a more traditional sequel route where its death scenes are concerned. To quote film nerd Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) from Scream 2 (1997), it has “more blood, more gore.”
Though it continues to try and practise the art of subtlety, with most of its dinosaur victims’ final moments taking place off screen, there’s nothing particularly subtle about seeing a man being chipped away at by a horde of chirping miniature dinosaurs.
However, in every film thereafter (Jurassic Park III through Jurassic World Rebirth), the violence is practically dialled down to zero, much to the great disappointment of fans.
The third film smears the windshield of a plane with blood, but that’s about it.
Jurassic World (2015) has some relatively gory moments, but Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), Jurassic World Dominion (2022), and the latest film, Rebirth, are as frustratingly restrained as the Netflix animated shows Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020 — 2022) and Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024), both of which are aimed at younger audiences.
But now, the Jurassic franchise could be about to take a dark turn and bring the franchise back to its darker roots. No, we aren’t talking about the original two films, but Michael Crichton’s incredibly violent novels, “Jurassic Park” (1990) and “The Lost World” (1995).
“Jurassic Park: Survival” (TBA) is an upcoming first-person action-adventure video game that takes place 24 hours after the events of the original 1993 film. Dr. Maya Joshi, a stranded InGen scientist who was “unable to evacuate” Isla Nublar, is forced to survive the island’s prehistoric inhabitants and “other surprising threats.”
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Releasing Official Never-Before-Seen Version of 1993 Film
A cinematic trailer that was released in December 2023 promises a nostalgic thrill ride for fans of the long-running franchise, and also teases a few seconds of gameplay in its final moments. While there’s no violence in the trailer, the tone matches that of the original film: it’s dark, stormy, and there are terrifying dinosaurs lurking at every turn.
Those dinosaurs include the original Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Velociraptors, and the Dilophosaurus. However, Universal and Saber Interactive have also promised “special dinosaurs,” which sounds rather cryptic. Either way, “Survival” is shaping up to be the darkest entry for the franchise since The Lost World.
The official website states that, while the rating is “pending,” the game “may contain inappropriate content for children.” On the Steam profile, it’s described as featuring “mature content” with “intense science fiction terror with death and violence from dinosaurs against humans and against other dinosaurs” as well as “infrequent swearing in the dialogue.”
It remains to be seen just how violent the game will be, but seeing as it will bridge the gap between Jurassic Park and The Lost World, it would be disappointing to see it mute all the dinosaur kills like the Jurassic World films have. For now, let’s just hold onto our butts.
Watch the cinematic trailer for “Jurassic Park: Survival” below:
Per the official website, here’s the synopsis for “Jurassic Park: Survival”:
Return to Isla Nublar the day after the events of the beloved 1993 Jurassic Park film in an original adventure 65 million years in the making.
Survive thrilling first-person action as InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who was unable to evacuate Isla Nublar, in this single-player action-adventure game and discover a never-before-told story.
Through thrilling encounters, experience the wonder and danger of dinosaurs, each with their own distinct and adaptive behaviors brought to life by John Hammond’s vision.
When Can I Play “Jurassic Park: Survival”?
“Jurassic Park: Survival” will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. There’s no release date for the game. Visit the official website for more information.
Are you excited about “Jurassic Park: Survival”? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!