The Jurassic Park Movies Ranked
In some ways, it’s surprising that there haven’t been more than seven Jurassic Park (or, yes, World) movies in the 32 years since 1993 and the release of Steven Spielberg’s iconic film. Oh sure, there have been tie-in games, TV shows, toys, and more that have indicated the franchise’s intense staying power among audiences, reinforced by the record-breaking grosses of the return to the interactions between dinosaurs and humans. But like many years-later legacy sequel things these days, the diminishing returns offered by the Jurassic Park sequels, even as early as Spielberg’s turn at it again in 1997, are noticeable. But below, I’ve ranked those seven movies in the enduring, for better or worse, blockbuster series of Jurassic Park.
EDIT 7/9/25: Added JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH.
#7 — JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (2018)
D: J.A. Bayona
JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM is a miserable mess of a movie. The ante-ing up of the recycled premise of JURASSIC WORLD makes for an uninteresting plot. While there are a few interesting sequences and visuals (for example, the bubble thing and the lone dinosaur crying as the lava claims Isla Nublar), overall the thing feels so bloated and poorly acted. But then, there might just not have been much to work with, as some of the lines are among the worst in an already cheesy series. The movie’s ultimate twist also feels like a bridge too far, only partially redeemed by its sequel. But as it stands on its own, FALLEN KINGDOM is the obvious choice for the worst, and least fun, Jurassic Park movie.
#6 — JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION (2022)
D: Colin Trevorrow
Colin Trevorrow returned to the director’s chair for the end of a second trilogy in a franchise he helped revive. While JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION is ultimately a “thumbs down” like its predecessor FALLEN KINGDOM, I was actually surprised that I nearly liked it. But that appeal only came in a number of moments that allude to a fun premise, hearkening back to the image of the T. rex crashing through San Diego in THE LOST WORLD. But DOMINION’s concept of “dinosaurs now live among us” ultimately concedes to the “problems go wrong in a facility” plot line once again. And hopefully I never have to see Chris Pratt or anyone else put out their stupid hands like that ever again in these movies. The return of the original three stars of JURASSIC PARK is also wasted, with even their most impressive moments of returning to the screen as those characters lacking fanfare. And it only goes downhill from there, as they behave less and less like the people we came to know and love from that movie more than 30 years ago. Some of the action sequences are thrilling and I had to laugh out loud (basically the only one doing so in the theater) at some of its incredible circumstances. I also found a number of shots actually compelling and beautiful and the integration of animatronics is certainly appreciated. But ultimately, DOMINION is a disappointment, if you can consider a movie you figured would be bad but was marginally better than you thought it would be a “disappointment.”
#5 — JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH (2025)
D: Gareth Edwards
JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH certainly retreads the formula, but after the overcomplicated web of the previous films, the more “stripped down” focus and video game-y quest of threes are satisfying. The thread of water thrills is quite effective, and while the cast of great actors aren’t exactly giving their best performances, Jonathan Bailey is immensely likable; his glasses are indeed the cherry on top of his whole look. Unfortunately, the sentimental business feels so forced and it just can’t rise to earnest Spielbergian sentimentality. And although Gareth Edwards (who also came to Godzilla and Star Wars to semi-”reformat” those franchises) shot on 35mm, the color grading and lighting make many images look muddy even as others look quite impressive. But REBIRTH is a fun movie! Maybe I was influenced by a little kid in the theater getting all excited for a few scenes (especially for the little cute dino Dolores) and it reminded me of how much I love the original.
#4 — JURASSIC WORLD (2015)
D: Colin Trevorrow
The years-later legacy sequel thing was running rampant starting about ten years ago, and JURASSIC WORLD was a part of that, coming after the biggest gap between Jurassic Park movies at 14 years. But then, the movie didn’t quite fall prey to all the traps of that convention, mostly because they didn’t get to use previously existing characters poorly until DOMINION. Still, JURASSIC WORLD cribs from some of the best JURASSIC PARK moments. Its new concepts, like Pratt’s raptor-taming, were novel but perhaps its later overuse retroactively makes it a bit annoying. Nevertheless, there are a number great moments, like the huge underwater dinosaur that genuinely terrified me. JURASSIC WORLD is by no means a great movie, and it’s one that I really barely enjoyed with some of its cheap recreation of what made its progenitor great, but it is pretty fun and certainly the most novel and consistent of the World movies.
#3 — JURASSIC PARK III (2001)
D: Joe Johnston
There is a very clear stratification between the original trilogy and the World successors. And within the first three Jurassic Park movies, it’s pretty much agreed that JURASSIC PARK III is the worst of them. Perhaps it’s nostalgia talking, but I actually think the movie is fun, if not a masterpiece. Director Joe Johnston is sort of a master of crowd-pleasing effects movies, and this is another example of that. Right from the jump, the Jurassic Park sequels had an uneven relationship with getting everyone back into the same movie, but Sam Neill’s return is welcome and his interplay with William H. Macy and Téa Leoni’s characters is fun. The story wears a bit thin, as the formula of these movies was already showing its weaknesses. But JURASSIC PARK III, while not necessarily deserving of some great re-reckoning, is cheesy early 2000s fun.
#2 — THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (1997)
D: Steven Spielberg
I feel less ashamed of enjoying the first sequel in the franchise, THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK. Its reputation immediately suffered by comparison to the first movie. But the focus on Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm is appreciated by me (he’s my favorite character in all the movies), and THE LOST WORLD led to some truly great moments, like the dangling trailer scene and of course, the unleashing of the T. rex on San Diego. I always somehow forget that Vince Vaughn is the in the movie (he’s great), and because Spielberg returned for this sequel before ceding stewardship to others, it has a greater heft and sense of cinematographic proficiency. Interestingly for movies in the blockbuster genre, I don’t know that the series has ever improved on the look and feel of the dinosaurs in the first movie, and the first sequel that came out just four years later is no exception. Nevertheless, THE LOST WORLD is a truly fun successor and worthy continuation of the story of JURASSIC PARK.
#1 — JURASSIC PARK (1993)
D: Steven Spielberg
As one of Spielberg’s greatest successes and one of the most iconic movies of all time, JURASSIC PARK looms large in the series. In fact, it looms so large that it’s not even remotely close in quality to any of the movies that followed it. Look, the series has always been cheesy. The film adaptation of Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel isn’t as “intellectual” or based in science (although of course the book is obviously also sci-fi, so take that with a grain of salt), but throughout the whole of JURASSIC PARK is a thread of clever techno-twists and Frankenstein-esque commentary on “playing God.” Besides that, as Spielberg has proven time and time again, the director was able to extract from the source material an incredibly well-paced, fun, and thrilling blockbuster action movie. JURASSIC PARK’s legendary fusion of practical effects and early CGI holds up incredibly well and the look and feel of the dinosaurs are weighty and, well, almost real. The movie’s fun, it’s scary, but most of all, it’s that sense of wonder that is so beautifully represented by the first glimpse of the dinosaurs on the plain that sticks with me. The film transports us to a land before time, weaving in the petty human squabbles that put our superior brains but inferior physiques in the way of truly impressive animals. Nothing in the series has come close to capturing this central concept of JURASSIC PARK, while also allowing you to turn your brain off and enjoy the ride.
