Jurassic Park III

Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American science fiction adventure film and the third film in the original Jurassic Park series.

Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American science fiction adventure film and the third film in the original Jurassic Park series. Directed by Joe Johnston, it stars Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant and follows a rescue trip to Isla Sorna that turns into a dinosaur survival story. The film was released by Universal Pictures and is the first Jurassic film not based on a novel by Michael Crichton.

Plot

Paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant is persuaded to join a flight over Isla Sorna. The trip becomes a rescue-and-survival mission after the group crash-lands and is pursued by dinosaurs. The story centres on Dr. Alan Grant and a group stranded on Isla Sorna while searching for a missing boy. The film features the Spinosaurus as the main dinosaur antagonist.

Production

Jurassic Park III was directed by Joe Johnston rather than Steven Spielberg, who remained involved as executive producer. The film combines computer-generated imagery and animatronics for its dinosaur effects. It was the first Jurassic film not based on a Michael Crichton novel.

Release

The film opened in the United States on July 18, 2001. It was released by Universal Pictures and has a runtime of 92 minutes. It is the shortest film in the Jurassic series.

Reception and legacy

The film is notable for bringing back Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant and for introducing the Spinosaurus as the franchise’s dominant predator in this installment. It is also commonly noted for being shorter than the earlier Jurassic films and for not adapting a Crichton novel.