Jurᴀssic Park made some notable changes to the original novel, but one of the most disturbing scenes from Michael Crichton’s book was left out, only to be used for a sequel. Crichton’s novel Jurᴀssic Park was released in 1990, with the concept of scientists bringing dinosaurs into the modern world too exciting for Hollywood to pᴀss up.
Eventually, director Steven Spielberg directed the adaptation, which went on to become a mᴀssive blockbuster hit and launch the beloved Jurᴀssic Park franchise. As is expected with any movie based on a book, there are a lot of differences between Jurᴀssic Park and the original novel.
While the plot is fairly close to what happens in the book, Spielberg and his team made a number of changes, from key character deaths to making John Hammond less of a villain and more of a misguided optimist. However, there is one early scene in the book that was too disturbing for the movie, but was reworked to be included in a sequel.
The Lost World: Jurᴀssic Park’s Opening Scene Mirrors An Even More Gruesome Scene From The Original Novel
The Novel Includes A Gory Attack Of An Even Younger Victim
The Lost World: Jurᴀssic Park remains the best sequel in the Jurᴀssic Park franchise, despite its underrated reputation. It also features a number of memorable scenes, including the chilling opening moments. The first scene takes place off the fictional Central American island of Isla Sorna. A wealthy British family is vacationing in the area, stopping their yacht for a picnic on the beach.
Their young daughter, Cathy, wanders off along the beach and finds a small dinosaur called a Compsognathus. However, after feeding the small creature, more and more of them arrive and proceed to attack the little girl.
Despite the movie never actually showing the attack, it is a shocking way to start the sequel. However, the inspiration from the scene almost certainly comes from a moment early in the original Jurᴀssic Park novel that is far more dangerous.
In a similar scene showing the island of dinosaurs bleeding into the rest of the world, a prologue scene set in Costa Rica sees a caregiver going to check on an infant when she hears a sound from its room, only to discover a Compsognathus feeding on the helpless baby in its crib.
It is a terrifying scene and plays a similar role to the version used in the sequel. Having someone outside of the park attacked by one of these dinosaurs raises harsh questions about the safety of it all. In the novel, it is this incident that leads to the review of the park, whereas the sequel movie uses the attack on the little girl as motivation for the corporate villains to explore the second island.
Steven Spielberg Was Right To Avoid This Horrific Scene
The Scene Would Have Taken The Fun Out Of The Movie
Director Steven Spielberg has included a lot of young characters on adventures in his movies, but has been largely adamant about avoiding needlessly showing violence towards young characters. That is partially what makes the opening scene in The Lost World: Jurᴀssic Park so shocking, but a later scene makes it very clear that the girl survived the attack and is doing fine.
It is a much tamer way of depicting such a moment, compared to the chilling brutality of the similar scene from the novel. The idea of this baby being defenseless against the predator is too disturbing for a movie like Jurᴀssic Park. While Spielberg may indeed elevate the so-called popcorn movie, it is still meant to be an entertaining adventure. Certainly, there are some character deaths in Jurᴀssic Park that are gruesome and make an impact, but the purpose is to show the thrill of the movie.
Had an early scene in Jurᴀssic Park showcased the baby’s death, like it does in the book, it would have stayed with the audience throughout the rest of the movie, distracting them from the fun elements of the story.
Seeing a baby eaten in its crib would have taken the movie into horror territory and left the audience with a moment too disturbing to come back from.Jurᴀssic Park perfectly blends horror, adventure, and humor into the perfect blockbuster. Had an early scene in Jurᴀssic Park showcased the baby’s death, like it does in the book, it would have stayed with the audience throughout the rest of the movie, distracting them from the fun elements of the story.
Spielberg is a smart enough filmmaker to see what that scene added to the story in the novel and delivered something that captures the same idea, but is much easier on the audience. The scene of the baby being attacked is meant to show the terrifying collision between these prehistoric creatures and the modern world.
Instead, Spielberg delivered the opening scene of Jurᴀssic Park workers transporting a raptor and the beast breaking loose enough to kill one of the workers. It is terrifying and effective, but far tamer than the novel’s early scene. However, Spielberg also seemed to recognize the disturbing nature of a child being attacked by these dinos as something that could not be pᴀssed up for the sequel.
Camilla Belle played the role of young Cathy Bowman in The Lost World: Jurᴀssic Park.
The Compsognathus Were Responsible For Another Key Death In The Jurᴀssic Park Novel
The Small Dinosaurs Are Responsible For John Hammond’s Death
The small Compsognathus dinosaurs really get some nice moments in the spotlight in The Lost World: Jurᴀssic Park. After being memorably introduced in that opening scene, they also get to deliver perhaps the best death scene in the sequel as a pack of Compsognathus stalk and attack Dieter (Peter Stormare), an InGen worker who had previously underestimated the tiny creatures because of their size. Unlike the little girl from the opening of the movie, Dieter does not survive the vicious attack.
It makes for a fitting death in the novel, as Hammond’s carelessness with the things he created allowed these dinosaurs to get out in the real world and kill the baby, only for him to be confronted with the true, ᴅᴇᴀᴅly nature of his creations that he had previously ignored.
However, despite the Compsognathus being at the center of the horrific opening scene in the first novel, they don’t appear at all in the first Jurᴀssic Park movie. This is even more surprising considering they are also responsible for one of the most high-profile deaths in the first novel. While John Hammond survives the movie to learn from his mistakes, he is much less likable in the novel and pays for his sins with a gruesome death.
Mirroring Dieter’s demise in The Lost World: Jurᴀssic Park, Hammond is injured during the escape from the island and is set upon by a pack of Compsognathus. It makes for a fitting death in the novel, as Hammond’s carelessness with the things he created allowed these dinosaurs to get out in the real world and kill the baby, only for him to be confronted with the true, ᴅᴇᴀᴅly nature of his creations that he had previously ignored.
