From Jeff Goldblum’sThe Flyto Samuel L. Jackson’sPulp Fictionto Chris Pratt’sThe Lego Movie, there are a ton of great films out there starring actors from theJurassic Parkfranchise. When Steven Spielberg was putting togetherthe timeless originalJurassic Parkmovie, he was one of the biggest directors in Hollywood who had already broken the record for highest-grossing movie ever made twice (and was about to break it a third time), so he could have his pick of actors. He recruited screen legends like Laura Dern and Richard Attenborough to bring the story to life.
There are so many great actors in theJurassic Parkcast — andtheJurassic Worldcast, for that matter — that there are plenty of classic films to check out featuring their best performances. Wayne Knight and BD Wong had voice roles in two of the greatest Disney animated movies ever made. Vincent D’Onofrio got his big break in one of the darkest Vietnam War movies ever made. Sam Neill played a reluctant father figure in one of Taika Waititi’s most touching films. There are a lot of wonderful movies starringJurassic Parkactors.
10Toy Story 2
Starring Wayne Knight
Wayne Knight is best known for his role as Jerry’s diabolical arch-nemesis Newman inSeinfeld, but he’s had an impressive movie career, too. He can be seen in such classic films asJFK,Space Jam, andBasic Instinct. And in the originalJurassic Park, of course, he playedDennis Nedry, the I.T. technician who dooms the parkby shutting off the power. But besidesJurassic Park, the greatest movie that Knight has been involved with isToy Story 2.
Toy Story 2was Pixar’s first sequel, and it’s the rare sequel to an untouchable masterpiece that manages to live up to its predecessor. It flips the dynamic of the first film; this time, Woody goes missing and Buzz has to find him.Toy Story 2has all the hallmarks of a Pixar classic: airtight storytelling, pitch-perfect pacing, and devastating emotions.
950/50
Starring Bryce Dallas Howard
Today, Bryce Dallas Howard is known as a great director in her own right — she’s one of the best filmmakers working on theStar Warsfranchise — but as an actor, she worked with some of the most famous directors in Hollywood. She worked with Sam Raimi onSpider-Man 3and she worked with M. Night Shyamalan onThe VillageandLady in the Water. And that was long before she played Claire Dearing in theJurassic Worldtrilogy.
Howard’s most critically acclaimed movies includeThe HelpandRocketman, but arguably the best movie she’s been in is50/50. Will Reiser’s semi-autobiographical script chronicles his experiences with cancer (when he was told he had a 50/50 chance of survival) in a brutally honest, emotionally raw way. It’s a beautiful movie that finds the humor in its tragic subject matter.
8Full Metal Jacket
Starring Vincent D’Onofrio
Vincent D’Onofrio only has a minor role inJurassic Worldas Vic Hoskins, head of InGen’s security operations, but he’s such an iconic actor that he deserved a much more substantial character. D’Onofrio is best known for playing Carl Stargher inThe Cell, Edgar the Bug inMen in Black, and Robert E. Howard inThe Whole Wide World, but his best movie came before all that. His breakout role as Private Leonard “Gomer Pyle” Lawrence inFull Metal Jacketis still his greatest.
The first half of Stanley Kubrick’s Vietnam War epic — the part of the film that D’Onofrio appears in — is undoubtedly the most iconic. Pyle’s toxic relationship withR. Lee Ermey’s drill instructoris both difficult to watch and impossible to ignore. Kubrick satirizes the Vietnam War with a delightfully dark sense of humor.
7Mulan
Starring BD Wong
BD Wong made his debut as Dr. Henry Wu in the originalJurassic Park, but the character got a much more substantial role across theJurassic Worldtrilogy. Wong’s most iconic roles are in TV shows, such as Father Ray Mukada inOz, Wally inAwkwafina is Nora from Queens, and Dr. George Huang inLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit. But he’s had plenty of memorable film roles, too, like Howard Weinstein inFather of the Brideand Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme inSeven Years in Tibet.
But his greatest cinematic achievement is an animated Disney movie,Mulan, in which he voicesMulan’s love interest, Captain Li Shang.Mulanis a feminist masterpiece about a young woman who impersonates a man to take her father’s place on the battlefield.Mulanhas gorgeous animation, catchy songs, and a wonderfully empowering story.
6Pulp Fiction
Starring Samuel L. Jackson
After his breakout role asRay Arnold in the originalJurassic Park, Samuel L. Jackson quickly went on to become one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood. He played Mace Windu in theStar Warsprequel trilogy and Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He appeared in some of Spike Lee’s greatest movies and he co-starred with Bruce Willis inthe bestDie Hardsequel. Jackson has made some incredible movies with Quentin Tarantino, fromJackie BrowntoDjango Unchained, but arguably their finest hour isPulp Fiction.
Jackson earned his first Oscar nomination for his mesmerizing portrayal of born-again mob hitman Jules Winnfield. Tarantino revolutionized the crime film withPulp Fiction, combining the heightened tropes of gangster movies with the mundanity of everyday life.Pulp Fictionis both a wildly entertaining pitch-black comedy and a postmodernist trailblazer.
5The Great Escape
Starring Richard Attenborough
Later in his career, Richard Attenborough became most renowned for his work as a director. He helmed such movies asGandhi, for which he won Best Picture and Best Director, andA Bridge Too Far. But he was also a celebrated actor, having played such roles as Pinkie Brown inBrighton Rockand Kris Kringle in the remake ofMiracle on 34th Street. InJurassic Park, Attenborough playsthe deranged mastermind of the park, John Hammond, who slowly comes to realize that his hubris has become his undoing.
The best movie that Attenborough acted in is John Sturges’The Great Escape, fictionalizing a mass escape by prisoners-of-war at the German P.O.W. camp Stalag Luft III. Attenborough appears in a star-studded ensemble alongside Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Charles Bronson.The Great Escapeis a dazzling cinematic epic whose spectacle could still rival modern blockbusters.
4The Lego Movie
Starring Chris Pratt
After making his name as a sitcom star playing lovable goofball Andy Dwyer inParks and Recreation, Chris Pratt reinvented himself as an action star with the double whammy ofGuardians of the GalaxyandJurassic World. Pratt has played supporting roles in some modern classics, likeMoneyballandZero Dark Thirty. But arguably his finest film is the last movie anyone expected to be a masterpiece:The Lego Movie.
The Lego Movieis essentially a feature-length toy commercial — it has no business being as great as it is. It’s an airtight adventure comedy with stunning set-pieces and witty writing, but it’s also a profoundly thought-provoking meditation on human existence. What seemed to be a corporate cash-grab that no one wanted turned out to be unironically one of the greatest films of the 21st century.
3The Fly
Starring Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum has appeared in both big blockbusters, likeIndependence DayandThor: Ragnarok, and smaller, auteur-helmed dramas, likeNashvilleandThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.His role inJurassic Park, Dr. Ian Malcolm, showcases his unique performance style. His freeform delivery style is very lyrical and jazz-like, and he has an idiosyncratic charm that no other actor could hope to emulate. Goldblum has made many great movies, but his finest hour is David Cronenberg’sThe Fly.
The Flyis a masterpiece of body horror, with some of the most impressive prosthetic effects ever committed to film. But it’s also a deeply affecting tragedy chronicling a sympathetic character’s devastating transformation and its impact on the people who love him. It has some of the most iconic horror imagery in the genre, but it works just as well as a straightforward drama.
2Hunt For The Wilderpeople
Starring Sam Neill
Sam Neill’s turn as Dr. Alan Grant inJurassic Parkis an outlier in his impressive acting career. He usually appears in smaller, more serious movies likeThe PianoandDead Calm, not big, dinosaur-infested action blockbusters. He’s been in great movies likeEvent HorizonandThe Hunt for Red October, but his best film is a much more recent effort. In 2016, Neill gave arguably his greatest performance as Uncle Hec in Taika Waititi’s heartwarming gemHunt for the Wilderpeople.
Hunt for the Wilderpeoplerevolves around a foster child named Ricky, played by Julian Dennison, who is taken in by Hec’s wife, while Hec remains emotionally distant. When Hec’s wife dies and social services want to take Ricky away, Ricky goes on the run and Hec has to reluctantly become a father figure. Neill’s on-screen dynamic with Dennison is endlessly endearing; Ricky’s outgoing energy is contrasted hilariously with Hec’s more understated demeanor.
1Blue Velvet
Starring Laura Dern
Before she played Dr. Ellie Sattler inJurassic Park, Laura Dern was a regular collaborator of David Lynch’s. Over the years, they’ve made some really great films, like the gonzo road movieWild at Heartand the unsettling psychological thrillerInland Empire. But arguably their finest collaboration isBlue Velvet. Dern has starred in a ton of fantastic movies, fromLittle WomentoMarriage Story, but none of them are quite as unforgettable asBlue Velvet.
Lynch expertly contrasts the everyman protagonist with the sadistic villain to show that, deep down, they’re not so different. He juxtaposes colorful images of Americana with disturbing scenes of violence to highlight the seedy underbelly hiding beneath the glossy sheen of suburbia.Blue Velvetepitomizes Lynch’s bizarre vision of cinema, and might be the best movie starring an actor fromJurassic Park.
Jurassic Park
The Jurassic Park franchise is an action-adventure sci-fi series that began with Michael Crichton’s original novel. The series explores the dramatic repercussions of resurrecting dinosaurs through advanced genetic science. Set primarily in a disastrous theme park, Jurassic Park explores the profound ethical dilemmas about tinkering with the DNA of long ago extinct creatures and the manipulation of the natural world through science.
