Jurassic Park III (2001) Review 🦖🎬

“The One With the Talking Raptor… Yeah, That Happened”

🎥 Trailer Time
Let’s start with the trailers again, shall we?

Since this is a Universal film, Y’all know what that means? Cue Universal Logo!

—

⚠️ Content & Tone Warning
This one leans into straight monster movie territory. Expect jump scares, serious dinosaur danger, and a few moments that feel more camp than tension.


—

📖 Non-Spoiler Rundown
This entry drops philosophical threads and corporate intrigue for pure survival. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) is tricked by a divorced couple (William H. Macy & Téa Leoni) into returning to Isla Sorna (Site B) to look for their missing son. Of course, the island has become a dinosaur war zone, and the crew has to endure attacks, betrayals, and the emergence of a new apex predator — the Spinosaurus.

From the moment they arrive, there’s little breathing room. The movie is about running, hiding, fighting, and trying not to get chomped.


—

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Character Rundown

Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) – Back in the driver’s seat. His gruff, no-nonsense persona is a solid anchor in the chaos.

Paul & Amanda Kirby (William H. Macy & Téa Leoni) – The desperate parents. They lie, they argue, and they drag everyone into danger. Not always likable.

Eric Kirby (Trevor Morgan) – The missing kid. He’s smarter and tougher than expected for someone stranded alone.

Billy Brennan (Alessandro Nivola) – Grant’s protégé. He makes bad calls (stealing raptor eggs) that nearly doom the group.

Udesky, Cooper, Nash (mercenaries) – Basically dinosaur bait, but they add tension in their attempts to assert control.



—

⏱️ Pacing & Tone
At ~90 minutes, Jurassic Park III is lean and relentless. There’s little room for reflection or subplot expansion — nearly every scene is survival-driven. That gives the film momentum, but it also means it lacks the thematic weight and wonder of its predecessors.


—

✅ Pros

Sam Neill is back, solid as Alan Grant.

The Spinosaurus is a terrifying new threat.

Raptors evolve in design (quills, sharper looks).

Action begins early and rarely pauses.

Eric holds his own more than many adult characters.



—

❌ Cons

The Kirbys are annoying and underwritten.

No time for wonder — it’s straight horror/action.

Billy’s subplot with raptor eggs is half-baked.

The ending feels rushed and abrupt.

The infamous “talking raptor” sequence (dream scene) is wildly out of tone and undercuts the dinosaur menace.



—

🗣️ Added Con: The Talking Raptor Dream
One scene that gets dragged up in conversations and memes is the moment when Grant, napping on a plane, dreams a velociraptor is beside him and says “Alan.” It’s revealed to be a dream — Billy’s voice calling his name bleeds into his nightmare. But it’s such a jarring tonal shift that it pulls you out of the film.

Normally dinosaurs don’t deliver dialogue — they roar, hunt, kill. This moment briefly turns them into horror-movie monsters with human speech in Grant’s subconscious. For a franchise that built its tension on treating dinosaurs as dangerous animals, not characters, this deviation feels sloppy. Critics and fans often cite this moment as evidence of how far Jurassic Park III leans toward camp over consistency.


—

🏁 Final Thoughts
Jurassic Park III isn’t the best in the series, but it’s an entertaining ride if you don’t expect depth. It’s faster, scarier, and more direct. The Spinosaurus is a standout, Grant holds the film together, but weird choices like the talking raptor dream and thin character arcs pull it away from greatness.

⭐ Rating: 8/10


—

🚨 Spoiler Territory — Enter at Your Own Risk 🚨

Plane Crash Sequence
The Spinosaurus attacks the plane soon after arrival. The destruction is brutal — mercs die, tension explodes, and the survivors are scattered from the get-go.

Spino vs. T. rex
In a shocking moment, the Spinosaurus kills the T. rex by snapping its neck. Fans still debate that choice — it murders one of the franchise’s icons, but guarantees this Spino is the new apex predator.

Eric’s Survival
Eric has survived ~8 weeks alone. He’s resourceful — primed traps, uses T. rex urine to mask scent, and knows when to hide. He becomes more than just a child in distress.

Billy’s Egg Theft
Billy steals raptor eggs to help science. Instead, he triggers a raptor swarm attack. Grant scolds him: “Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions.” Billy gets “killed” trying to save Grant, only to reappear alive at the end.

The Dream (Talking Raptor)
On the plane, Grant slips into a nightmare. He dreams a velociraptor is beside him, saying “Alan.” He jolts awake to find Billy calling his name. It’s supposed to reflect his PTSD and fear — in execution, it’s bizarrely out of flavor with the rest of the film.

River Chase
One of the movie’s strongest set pieces — the Spino attacks boats, the survivors are stranded, and tension mounts. It’s fairly well executed.

Abrupt Ending
No grand final battle. Just a tense egg handover, a few near misses with raptors, and then Marines show up to rescue everyone. It’s over so fast you might blink.