There are very few things as exhilarating as watching gigantic dinosaurs chase people around and wreak havoc from the comfort of cinema seats. That’s what makes Jurassic Park (and its successor Jurassic World) such a beloved franchise for over thirty years. Since the first film adaptation of Michael Crichton’s novel premiered in 1993, audiences worldwide have fallen in love with these prehistoric creatures and the imaginative, adventurous world they live in. Even though the films can be a hit or miss, the thrill of watching T-Rex, velociraptors, and brachiosaurus come to life in the era of mankind never goes away. There’s just something innately magical about it that keeps people coming back for more. With that said, let's begin ranking all 7 Jurassic Park Movies from the original to the recent one.
7. Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
At the tail end of the list is the 2022 Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard starrer, which promised huge things but completely failed to deliver the goods.
As a trilogy closer, the Colin Trevorrow-directed film has a fantastic premise: with dinosaurs now roaming freely across the globe, Earth turns into a dangerous new ecosystem that challenges humanity’s dominance. Our Jurassic World protagonists Claire and Owen now live off the grid to protect Maisie, the cloned girl who holds the genetic key to curing a global crop crisis. Their storyline posits an intriguing conflict about the ethics of cloning and is the one that comes closest to exploring what it means for dinosaurs and humans to coexist.
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And then, they introduce a second plotline…
In the name of exploiting nostalgia, the film brings back Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm from the OG movie in a weird plot to investigate the biotech giant Biosyn, which is secretly engineering ecological disasters. For half of the movie, we are watching two loosely-interconnected stories with very little thematic thread play out before it eventually converges in yet another island, with mutated crop-devouring locusts as its main threat. Gone is the existential question about man vs dinosaur dominance, gone is the chance to explore the full scale of dinosaurs rampaging across the world. What we get is a bizarrely contained action with very little suspense and very little meaning at all. Such a waste of the returns of Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum.
6. Jurassic Park III (2001)
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Dr. Alan Grant is tricked into returning to Isla Sorna by a couple searching for their son, who went missing during a parasailing trip. Once stranded, the group encounters a terrifying Spinosaurus, raptors, and other dangers across the island. Grant must use his knowledge to keep everyone alive and escape. The film notably ups the ante by showing the dino’s evolving intelligence, but not a decrease in their appetite – bad news for humans.
Ranking All 7 Jurassic Park Movies
In its third go-around, the Jurassic Park franchise truly shows its age, becoming a pale imitation of what worked before, yet lacking the bite it once had. The script is to blame for this, choosing a lighter tone that simplifies the thematic strength that made the original a sharply written storyline. The film's release in the same year as fantasy greats like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings certainly didn’t help.
5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
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In the follow-up to the highly entertaining Jurassic World, a volcanic eruption threatens to destroy the remaining dinosaurs on Isla Nublar, prompting Claire and Owen to join a mission to evacuate them. However, they soon discover a secret operation to auction off the animals and weaponize new hybrids. The couple fights to rescue a cloned girl, Maisie, and prevent the creatures from falling into the wrong hands. At the end of the film, dinosaurs are unleashed into the world, forever altering the balance of nature (at least, until the next film).
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Fallen Kingdom has a great premise, which it more or less takes on with gusto. The failure of the theme park means the company InGen needs another source of income, and what a sinister yet timely choice it is to have the dinosaurs get auctioned off to billionaires like art pieces. The film, darker than the first one, explores the colossal greed involved with the recreation of these dinosaurs, none of the idealistic (if misguided) motivation that John Hammond originally intended for it. It also comes with several genuinely suspenseful set pieces that still get you on the edge of your seats, even if the plot development is rather uneven.
4. Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)
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In Universal's latest attempt at rejuvenating the Jurassic World franchise, the studio ropes in Scarlett Johansson to journey back to a dino-infested island where all the experimental cloning took place alongside a ragtag band of operatives. The mission this time: to retrieve an ancient dinosaur DNA with a lifesaving benefit to mankind.
The new movie goes back to its roots, with a less-is-more approach that harkens back to the spirit of the 1993 film. The film, like most modern tentpole films of late, relies on nostalgia to elicit strong reactions, and story-wise, doesn't tread new ground in the grand scheme of things. Some may even call it pastiche. However, the elements all coalesce to deliver an all-important result: fun. The film is just so much fun - you might not come home with much of an impression, but at least, for two hours, you’ll be truly entertained.
3. The Lost World (1997)
Ranking All 7 Jurassic Park Movies
In the sequel to Jurassic Park, ambitious billionaire John Hammond sends a research team, including Dr. Ian Malcolm, to document dinosaurs thriving in the wild on Isla Sorna. When a rival team arrives to capture the creatures for a mainland attraction, the situation spirals into disaster. It culminates in dinosaurs unleashed on the streets of San Diego, forcing Malcolm and his team to intervene.
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Focusing on the consequences of exploiting nature and the moral responsibility of science, the film continues the themes explored in Jurassic Park with a darker slant. The horror angle is intensified, and set pieces are more elaborate. Although the storyline this time lacks the distinct characters and novelty that make Jurassic Park endearing.
2. Jurassic World (2015)
Ranking All 7 Jurassic Park Movies
Blazing through the box office like a dinosaur, Jurassic World reawakened a fossilized franchise with panache. The premise introduces a luxury theme park built on Isla Nublar, the main attractions being genetically-engineered dinosaurs. It was all fun and games until a dangerous hybrid called the Indominus Rex broke loose from its containment, killing other dinosaurs and threatening thousands of guests. As park visitors brace for evacuation, animal behavior expert Owen Grady teams up with operations manager Claire Dearing to stop the madness.
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The Colin Trevorrow movie successfully takes the Jurassic franchise into the new millennium with a modern sensibility while carrying the spirit of the original. The theme park that Hammond envisioned in the original finally came true, but at what cost? The film tries to answer that question in earnest, all while throwing the biggest and most raucous dino action to the screen.
1. Jurassic Park (1993)
32 years after its release, the OG still finds a way to the top of this list. Directed by Steven Spielberg from Crichton’s novel, the film follows paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant and a team of experts invited to a remote island to inspect a revolutionary theme park populated by cloned dinosaurs. After a disgruntled employee sabotages the park’s security systems, the dinosaurs break free, turning the visit into a deadly survival scenario. The group is forced to navigate the dangerous jungle while protecting two children trapped with them.
Ranking All 7 Jurassic Park Movies
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Fun, thrilling, and adventurous from beginning to end, this is the ultimate popcorn movie for all ages. Spielberg brought every cinematic tool he’d accrued over the course of his esteemed career and poured it all into the perfect summer blockbuster. Thanks to its practical effects, the film still feels as visceral and lived-in to this day. And the sense of wonder when Sattler and Grant first laid eyes on the dinos, unbeatable. It’s just one of those things that completely transports you to another dimension.
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Incredibly, despite its popcorn flick status, the film still nimbly explores hefty themes about corporate greed and ethics in science, exemplified best by its most famous quote: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."
Ranking All 7 Jurassic Park Movies
That concludes our countdown of the worst to best Jurassic Park and Jurassic World films. What’s your favorite and least favorite Jurassic movie? Roar in the comments below!
