5 Things The Jurassic Park Franchise Got Scientifically Correct (& 5 Glaring Errors)

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Jurassic Park is the most iconic dinosaur franchise in the world, but what did it get right or get wrong about these animals?

There's no doubt that the Jurassic Park franchise was a major hit when it came out. To many, it still is. Just look at the success of the Jurassic World movies. With this franchise hitting Netflix once again, now seems the right time to talk about the movies.

Society has learned a lot since the first Jurassic Park movie came out. Fans and experts have learned what the movie got right, as well as what it got horribly wrong. On that note, here are five facts the franchise was spot on about, and five that are glaringly incorrect.

10 - Correct: Their Speeds

Here's something the Jurassic Park franchise got right: the speeds of the dinosaurs portrayed. The movies were not afraid to portray fast-moving dinosaurs. In fact, they were some of the first movies to deviate from the concept of slow and lazy dinosaurs.

In that sense, the movie was more accurate than not. While obviously not every dinosaur speed was accurate (a lot has been learned since that first movie came out), it was overall a solid depiction of their movements.

9 - Glaring Error: The Name

One of the most obvious errors of the entire franchise is the name itself. Dinosaurs did not belong to the Jurassic period, instead most of the dinosaurs came from the Cretaceous age. So, in order for the title to be more accurate, it would have been Cretaceous Park.

To be fair, that really doesn't sound as good. So that's likely the reason why they skipped over the title, even if they chose an age that did not birth dinosaurs such as the T-Rex of Velociraptor (two of the franchise's favorites).

 8 - Correct: They're Animals – Not Monsters

Okay, so it's pretty obvious that the Jurassic Park franchise houses a lot of horror elements. Despite that, they clearly portray dinosaurs as animals – not monsters. These are not creatures with unnatural abilities.

While they may be easily tearing through humans left and right, the films still make a point of showing fans that dinosaurs just want to live. Sometimes, living can be messy, especially for predators. It's a tough balance to portray, but admittedly one that the franchise did alright on.

7 - Glaring Error: Velociraptors

Sorry, but the Velociraptors portrayed in the franchise are not accurate creatures. The most glaring problem with them? Their size. Real Velociraptors were actually much smaller, not these beasts similar in height to a human.

It would be more accurate to compare a Velociraptor to a small dog than to a human. Not quite the giant (and brilliant) beast portrayed in the movies, huh? Most likely, the dinosaurs in the movie are inspired by Deinonychus.

6 - Correct: (Some) Details About The T-Rex

It's probably not surprising to note that there are some things the franchise got wrong about the T-Rex. It's poor sight, for example, is not even remotely accurate. That being said, there are things that the franchise did get right.

The second movie showed how strong the sense of smell is for a T-Rex, portraying two parents fully capable of tracking down their infant (and then hunting the thieves at a later point in time). Likewise, they got the stance of the T-Rex right.

5 - Glaring Error: Brachiosaurus Behavior

The Brachiosaurus is one of the first dinosaurs portrayed in Jurassic Park. Yet the franchise certainly got the behavior of this giant incorrect. For one thing, there is no evidence that the Brachiosaurus is capable of making the whale-like calls portrayed (and mimicked) in the movie.

For another thing, the feeding behavior of this dinosaur isn't quite accurate. There's no way the Brachiosaurus would have stood on hind legs in order to obtain food. While that scene was certainly dramatic, it is also rife with inaccuracies.

4 - Correct: Their (Varied) Intelligence

Dinosaurs were not the dumb beasts that had been portrayed in pop culture before this franchise made it big. There had been jokes about dinosaurs and their lack of brain cells. Which isn't accurate, or fair.

While some of the dinosaurs portrayed in Jurassic Park are not quite as intelligent as the movies wanted, many were fairly accurate. This franchise wasn't afraid to show their dinosaurs as intelligent hunters or pack animals.

3 - Glaring Error: Spinosaurus Vs. T Rex

In Jurassic Park III, there was a major fight included, mostly for the sake of the fans (who didn't end up loving it as much as expected). In this scene, a Spinosaurus and a T-Rex throw down. Now, there's a lot that is wrong with this entire fight.

For starters, these two dinosaurs came from different periods. The Spinosaurus from about 100-93 million years ago, and the T-Rex from 68-65 million years ago. Then there's the fact that the Spinosaurus likely exclusively ate fish – meaning that long snout would not be capable of damaging a T-Rex, even if they were somehow in the same setting.

2 - Correct: Dinosaur Tails

Here's another surprising fact the franchise got right: the way they portrayed dinosaur tails. That may sound like a small thing, but it really isn't. Before Jurassic Park, movies and other forms of media were quick to portray dinosaurs with their tails dragging on the ground, something that simply isn't accurate.

This franchise took a bold stance and portrayed the dinosaurs with their tails in the air, fully capable of a surprising amount of flexibility.

1 - Glaring Error: No Feathers

Here's another obvious inaccuracy: the complete lack of feathers. To be fair, at the time of the original movie (and book) this was not a fact so easily understood. Not like now, at any rate. Yet the franchise has stuck to the look, albeit providing an excuse for the decision.

Fans, understandably, are on both sides of that fence. Some love that the franchise is staying true to the original, while others simply cannot overlook the inaccuracy of what is being portrayed. Especially experts in the field.

Source: https://screenrant.com/