Jurassic Park veteran Sam Neill shares a comedic franchise-related TikTok video. Neill has starred in three of the six Jurassic movies released so far, first appearing in the 1993 original as paleontologist Alan Grant, then reprising his role in the divisive 2001 threequel Jurassic Park III and similarly divisive legacy threequel, Jurassic World Dominion. Initially based on the books by Michael Crichton, the Jurassic Park franchise revolves around the folly of man bringing dinosaurs back to life.
On TikTok, Jurassic Park actor Neill posted a hilarious video of him riding a cart with an inflatable T. rex. Playfully captioned, “THIS IS SILLY. Why did I do this? Sorry Steven,” and appropriately playing to the backdrop of the original film’s main theme, Neill asks the inflatable dinosaur if they should dig up some bones today, before deciding, “Okay, let’s do it.” Watch the full video below:
What This Means For The Jurassic Park Franchise
Sam Neill Remains An Icon
While it could be argued that Neill’s breakout film was 1977’s Sleeping Dogs, a New Zealand action-thriller based on C.K. Stead’s book about a growing resistance movement against a fascist government, he’s most commonly known for his role as Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park films. The first movie, which has a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and audiences, catapulted him into the spotlight even more than Sleeping Dogs did, which is often considered one of the best New Zealand movies of all time.
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His absence in The Lost World: Jurassic Park was a key point of discussion among fans, who, while charmed by Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm, felt that the sophomore film felt incomplete without him. While it could be argued that The Lost World was more of an Ian story, fans did feel that the franchise as a whole was about Neill’s character after the first film. Neill, however, did end up returning to the franchise in Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion, and, evident in his recent TikTok, Neill is still justifiably attached to the franchise today.
Our Take On Sam Neill’s Jurassic Park-Inspired TikTok
Glad That He’s Still Having Fun With The Franchise
Neill’s inclusion in Jurassic World Dominion‘s cast, along with Goldblum’s Ian and Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler, was considered an act of fan service that was distracting to fans who wanted newer characters to be more properly developed. The franchise moving on without those characters in the upcoming Jurassic World: Rebirth was probably the right move, as it seems to be introducing all-new characters, stories, and even dinosaurs. However, the risk of fan service aside, Neill’s Alan will be sorely missed, as he was undoubtedly a key part to the Jurassic Park franchise’s initial story and success.
Source: Sam Neill/TikTok
Jurassic Park
The Jurassic Park franchise is an action-adventure sci-fi series that began with Michael Crichton’s original novel. The series explores the dramatic repercussions of resurrecting dinosaurs through advanced genetic science. Set primarily in a disastrous theme park, Jurassic Park explores the profound ethical dilemmas about tinkering with the DNA of long ago extinct creatures and the manipulation of the natural world through science.
- Movie(s)
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Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park 3 (2001), Jurassic World (2015), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
- First Film
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Jurassic Park (1993)
- First TV Show
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Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous
- First Episode Air Date
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September 18, 2020
- Cast
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Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall
- TV Show(s)
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Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020), Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024)
- Video Game(s)
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Jurassic Park (1993), Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition (1994), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis (2003), Jurassic Park: The Game (2011), Jurassic World: The Game (2015), LEGO Jurassic World (2015), Jurassic World Evolution (2018), Jurassic World Evolution 2 (2021)
Summary
The Jurassic Park franchise, later also referred to as Jurassic World, is an iconic science fiction series centered on the creation of a theme park populated by genetically engineered dinosaurs. The franchise explores themes of human hubris, the dangers of playing with nature, and the ethical implications of cloning. It began with the release of the original Jurassic Park film in 1993, directed by Steven Spielberg, based on Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel of the same name. The success of the original film led to a series of sequels and spin-offs, making it one of the most successful media franchises in history.