With the debut of Jurassic World: Rebirth upon us, now is the proper time to reflect back on the franchise's beginnings. Additionally, it's apropos that we acknowledge each entry's contributions to the series. While some films received better reviews than others, they all warrant praise. That said, these are the best moments from each movie in the Jurassic Park/World franchise.
Jurassic Park: The Jeep Chase
You probably guessed that the first entry in our list would include the T-Rex— and for good reason. The Tyrannosaurus Rex drew audiences to cinemas the first time around and continues to captivate moviegoers everywhere. The newest installment wouldn't feature a member of the species if it hadn't been so popular from the start.
As far as the movie goes—the scene where the T-Rex chases Malcolm, Sattler, and Muldoon through the forest stands out as a piece of cinematic history. From Sattler casually noting that Ian tied a tourniquet on himself following his encounter with the Rex to the tension of watching the beast's reflection in the jeep mirror grow ever closer, exemplified marvelous filmmaking.
To explain, the latter effect is a complex digital creation, while the former effectively drops multiple pieces of exposition in quick secession. The audience learns that Ian escaped the dinosaur attack, presumably due to the T-Rex being distracted by Gennaro. We also get the impression that Ian Malcolm is somewhat field-ready since he knows how to apply a tourniquet. And the fact that Spielberg knew magnifying the T-Rex in the rearview mirror would add even more suspense to the scene was the pièce de résistance.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park: Terrirtorial Dispute
It's another T-Rex scene, except it's two of them in The Lost World.
After finding the baby T-Rex injured, Nick and Sarah attempt to help the creature by transporting it to their trailer and applying a temporary cast to its broken leg. Once done, though, the parents arrive.
Mama and Papa Rex aren't happy, but they allow Sarah to return their offspring. They bring an intense sense of suspense with them, almost as if the human characters are doomed either way. They're trapped by two massive dinosaurs and a cliffside, after all. There's no escape, unless, by some snowball's chance in hell, the T-Rex pair shows mercy—or at least that's what the audience thinks.
When the T-Rex family initially departs from the area, the audience assumes that they've shown Sarah, Ian, and Nick mercy, but that reprieve is short-lived. Malcolm realizes too late that the T-Rexes are returning to eliminate potential threats. He can only warn his friends to "hold onto something" before they get rolled. The T-Rex parents proceed to push them and the trailer over the cliffside.
Jurassic Park 3: Returning Velociraptor Eggs
Just when it looks like the main characters are about to become a velociraptor's meal, Alan Grant (Sam Neill) comes to the rescue. He grabs the echo resonance chamber that Billy created earlier in the film and plays it. The sound from it confuses the surrounding raptors, causing them to send each other mixed signals. When they can't discern where the confusing message hailed from, they depart the area.
Had it not been for Alan improvisational skills, the movie would've ended fairly grimly. Moreover, the National Guard and Marines were already en route to the beach. One can only picture their horrified reactions upon discovering Alan and the others' bodies torn to pieces just yards away from the coastline. Of course, that ending would not have gone over well with any audience members.
Jurassic World: Owen's Pack
You guessed it, and Owen Grady training the Velociraptor pack was Jurassic World's grandest highlight. Simply watching an average character shake things up was refreshing, especially since three installments in the franchise established that Velociraptors are savage, unrelenting, and impossible to domesticate. The irony is that Jurassic World proved both points to be correct. Owen, in fact, managed to train the raptors. But doing so placed them within close proximity of their natural alpha—the Indominus Rex—which ultimately highlighted why you shouldn't allow lawnmowers on feet to run wild.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: Vs. Indoraptor
The team-up between Owen Grady and his old pal, Blue, offered the Jurassic World series another significant moment worth acknowledging. In it, the pair showcase a cohesive combat style, fending off the Indoraptor in a tight space. Their confrontation ultimately reaches the roof, where Owen gains the upper hand, tricking the Indoraptor into falling through a glass ceiling, where it ends up impaling itself on a Triceratops display...thanks to Claire and Blue, of course.
Jurassic World: Dominion: New Gen Meets Old Gen
During the final ride through BioSyn's preserve, Maisie Lockwood and her Jurassic Park allies roll down a small cliffside into a valley where Owen and Claire are waiting. Everyone is safe, and Maisie expresses gratitude for being reunited with her parents.
In this scene, Ian Malcolm, Ellie Sattler, and Alan Grant meet the Jurassic World crew for the first time. Unsurprisingly, they're each aware of one another's accomplishments. For instance, Grant knows of Grady's exploits as a Velociraptor trainer. He mentions the latter's progress with the pack at Jurassic World as common knowledge, showing that the Jurassic Park alums have been following the world's current events. Ultimately, it connects their shared universe despite being privy to entirely different narratives.
All Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movies are currently streaming on Peacock. Jurassic World: Rebirth debuts in theaters on July 2, 2025.