Jurassic Park/World: The 10 Best Scenes Featuring Velociraptors, Ranked

Saturday, February 6, 2021

The Velociraptors are one of the most iconic elements of the Jurassic Park/World franchise - and these are their best moments.

Few cinematic dinosaurs are as iconic or frightening as the dreaded Velociraptor from the Jurassic Park/World films. Although not technically Velociraptors (original author Michael Crichton lifted the name from a different dinosaur in order to sound more threatening), that didn't matter much to audiences who were thrilled to have their hearts leap out of their chests, scene after scene.

The Velociraptors have evolved as characters unto themselves since Jurassic World was released, which is why it's good to track them back from their beginnings as terrifying movie monsters in Jurassic Park. Here are their best appearances in the franchise films, ranked.

10 - Blue & The T-Rex

Blue was an attempt by the Jurassic World writers to make a hero out of a very frightening villain, and it was a good decision. This lovable hero Velociraptor proved she had the smarts and the skills necessary to make her a standout character. Though she stumbled along the way when the Indominus Rex was able to turn her pack against the humans, she made up for it by the end.

When Claire let the O.G. T-Rex out of its paddock in an attempt to pit it against the dangerous Indominus Rex, it seemed as if things were going well. However, the T-Rex was quickly outmatched by the Indominus. Before it was killed, Blue showed up on the scene to lend the T-Rex a hand, creating a tag-team that was strong enough to take the Indominus Rex down for good.

9 - The Lab Attack

Jurassic Park III put a lot of emphasis on the principal big baddie of the film - the Spinosaurus. When the action pivoted away, the writers needed a smaller-scale, yet no less terrifying foe to fill the gap. Enter the ever-reliable Velociraptors who had since fallen into their respective niche on Isla Sorna's ecosystem.

These Raptors were coordinated, territorial, and very strong. The presence of humans on the island was an excuse to kickstart the hunt all over again, and it was performed to beautiful effect when Grant and company stumble upon InGen's abandoned genetic research facility. The Velociraptor reveal is heart-pounding, as is the chase that ensues.

8 - The Table-Turning

Jurassic World introduced genetic cloning and manipulation into the story in a way that wasn't quite the same as in previous installments. In this film, the park was open, and booming with success. To maintain the enthusiasm, investors wanted new attractions to draw visitors to the park and build new business.

Enter the Indominus Rex, a hybrid of multiple dinosaur DNA pools, including Velociraptor. When the Rex broke free and rained down carnage on the park, personnel were authorized to slay it by whatever means possible. Owen Grady used his Raptor pack to track the Rex, but he didn't realize the Rex had Raptor DNA in its blood. When Blue and her Raptors recognized the Rex as the new alpha, they turned on their human counterparts in a terrifying scene of mass carnage.

7 - The Hatching

First-time Jurassic Park audiences were astonished to see what Steven Spielberg came up with on screen. The film was a riveting masterpiece that completely drowned out real life, and drew the audience in for an adventure that seemed to go on forever. One of the most magical moments of the film occurs when the overreaching and ambitious John Hammond gives his visitors a tour of the park.

He brings them behind the scenes to witness the birth of a dinosaur from an egg, which is both enchanting and emotional. As the little one breaks free from its egg, Dr. Grant asks what species it is. When he learns that he's holding a newborn Velociraptor, the entire mood of the scene shifts. It's the first full on-screen reveal of a Raptor in the franchise, and it would prove to be one of the most iconic.

6 - Baby Blue

Jurassic Park established that Velociraptors were highly intelligent and cunning pack hunters that would coordinate strategies to take down prey. While this is still a working theory, there is evidence to support it based on research done on the original Deinonychus fossils the creature is based on (Velociraptor is a different dinosaur altogether).

This intelligence is examined in Jurassic World when Owen Grady manages to forge a relationship with a Velociraptor pack led by the matriarch, Blue. Fallen Kingdom showed archival footage of Grady forming a bond with a baby Blue, with whom he develops a deep emotional bond. It's the first time Raptors are shown not just as vicious killers, but something more.

5 - Owen's Training

Jurassic World introduced new characters like Owen Grady, a handler who works primarily with Velociraptors. His training allowed him to raise a pack of Raptors from birth, and form a bond based on routines, and stimuli that kept him from being their next meal.  However, Owen was still fighting a never-ending battle against pure instinct.

The first reveal of Blue and her pack was shown in Jurassic World when a staffer accidentally falls into their paddock. As the Raptors close in to kill this unfamiliar human, Owen puts his life on the line by rushing in to stop them. He barely manages to get them to back down, proving just how dangerous his job really is.

4 - The Tall Grass

Raptors took a bit of a backseat in The Lost World in order to put twin T-Rexes at the forefront of the story, and it worked. However, the latter act needed to spice things up a bit, which is why these frightening predators were brought back. Spielberg sought to build on the terror of the Raptors from the first film by using primordial fear against the audience.

He kicked things off with a scene showing humans running through a field of tall grass which was stuffed with Velociraptors. As the predators moved in, the audience watched from a pull-back shot in sheer horror as they stayed low, and ran through the grass to snatch humans one by one.

3 - The Feeding

Sometimes, the best monster scenes are the ones where the creature isn't seen, and Spielberg recognized the value of holding back in order to build tension. In the first half of Jurassic Park, Hammond takes his guests to watch a live cow being lowered into the Raptor paddock in order to feed.

What follows is a cacophony of awful sounds and violent rustling while the unseen Raptors tear their meal to pieces. As the characters look on in terror, so too does the audience realize that soon these predators will be running around free, looking for a meal.

2 - The Clever Girl

John Hammond's game warden Robert Muldoon knew the dangers of Jurassic Park better than anyone. He wasn't particularly pleased with Hammond breeding Raptors, especially given how intelligent they were. Audiences were given an indirect crash course in Raptors when Muldoon revealed how they would test the park's security defenses for weaknesses.

If that weren't chilling in and of itself, Muldoon met his end in the jaws of the very creatures he was such an expert on. While tracking one in the brush, Hammond prepared to fire, only to forget that Raptors hunt in packs. While training his sights on his target, another emerged from the bushes beside him, and went straight for the kill.

1 - The Kitchen Scene

Jurassic Park's kitchen scene deserves top honors for being possibly the scariest, most nail-biting moment in all of cinema. The tension is almost unbearable as Lex and Tim try to shake off pursuing Velociraptors who are on the hunt. The two kids use their small size to stay out of sight, but it doesn't go according to plan.

Before they can make it out of the kitchen, they inadvertently attract the attention of the Raptors several times. Those who were old enough to remember seeing Jurassic Park in theaters during its initial release also remember the audience screaming along with the terrified children, which was an experience to say the least.

Source: https://screenrant.com/