How To Watch Every Jurassic Park and Jurassic World Movie

Jurassic Park (1993)

Billionaire InGen CEO John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) has brought dinosaurs back from extinction on Isla Nublar, a remote island off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. Before he can open his park to the public, he needs a crucial endorsement from three experts: paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and chaos theorist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). Unfortunately for them, the main attractions have other plans.

Beyond the heart-pounding terror of an escaped T. rex, the film’s true magic is its perfect balance of sci-fi horror and genuine awe—a feat no sequel has fully recaptured. I particularly love its quiet moments, like Hammond’s flea circus monologue, where John Williams’ gentler themes bring the story’s wonder to life. Whether it’s your first time watching or your hundredth, all I gotta say is, hold onto your butts.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

In my favorite sequel of the series, The Lost World keeps the vibes of the original but cranks up the intensity and action. Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm returns to the spotlight, transforming the fast-talking mathematician into a bona fide action hero.

This time, the prehistoric mayhem moves to Isla Sorna (aka “Site B”). A new crew joins Malcolm for the mission, including paleontologist Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) and documentarian Nick Van Owen (Vince Vaughn). They must face off against a ruthless team of mercenaries hoping to capture dinosaurs and ship them to a new theme park in San Diego.

Jurassic Park III (2001)

The third installment brings Sam Neill’s Dr. Alan Grant back into the fold, lured by a seemingly wealthy couple who offer to fund his latest dig. They claim they just want an aerial tour of Isla Sorna (the island from the second film), but it’s all a lie.

For years, Jurassic Park III was called the black sheep of the franchise, but I’ve always had a soft spot for it. It’s a lean, 92-minute creature feature that ditches the deep themes for non-stop action, memorable new dinosaurs like the Spinosaurus, and a few gloriously bizarre moments (yes, I mean the talking raptor).

Jurassic World (2015)

More than a decade after the franchise went dormant, we return to the original Isla Nublar. Hammond’s dream is now a reality, as the fully operational dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, is open for business. But with ticket sales getting stale, the park’s solution is to create a more insidious attraction from scratch: the Indominus rex. It’s a decision that goes about as well as you’d expect. This is where we meet the franchise’s new heroes, raptor-whisperer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and park manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), kicking off the next chapter of chaos.

Jurassic World is a fun legacy sequel, though I’d stop short of calling it a great one. While it’s a thrill to see the park up and running, I’ve always found the film’s characters a bit generic. The story also didn’t go in the direction I expected the series to take after the 14-year wait.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Three years after the events of Jurassic World, Owen and Claire head back to Isla Nublar to rescue the dinosaurs from an erupting volcano. But the mission is just a setup for a sinister black-market auction at a Gothic mansion in Northern California.

I’ll admit, Fallen Kingdom doesn’t always hold up under a microscope. But I kind of love its darker thrills and preposterous story beats. I see it as The Lost World of the Jurassic World era, turning that film’s mainland climax into the main event with permanent consequences. And hey, who doesn’t love a dino-themed haunted house movie?

Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

The grand finale of the initial Jurassic World trilogy picks up four years after Fallen Kingdom, with dinosaurs now living dangerously among us. Owen and Claire return, finally sharing the screen with OG legends Alan, Ellie, and Ian. On paper, bringing the two casts together for a globe-trotting adventure is an epic promise. In practice, the film is an overly long, bloated outing that curiously deemphasizes the dinosaurs.

While I’ll never complain about seeing the original trio back in action, I do wish they’d been integrated into the whole trilogy rather than just shoehorned into this movie. Dominion has some fun moments, but it’s largely void of horror and wonder. Honestly, I felt like this killed the Jurassic Park film series for good, but I was wrong.

Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)

The box office has spoken, and it said the franchise isn’t extinct yet. This soft reboot introduces a new cast of characters led by Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson). They embark on a self-contained adventure to a dangerous, abandoned research island in the Atlantic.

I view Rebirth as a welcome step in the right direction. The movie ditches the sprawling, world-threatening plots of the last film to bring back more tense, horror-tinged action. While its “get in, get out” mission plot feels a bit familiar, it’s a pure popcorn flick with great visuals and memorable mayhem, making it a worthy successor to the original trilogy.

Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020–2022)

This animated spinoff strands six teenagers at Isla Nublar’s Camp Cretaceous right as the events of the first Jurassic World unfold. What begins as a once-in-a-lifetime adventure quickly turns into a survival story, forcing the kids to rely on each other while dinosaurs roam free. Across five seasons, the show ties directly into the Jurassic World and Fallen Kingdom timelines, expanding the franchise’s lore in exciting ways.

I often think of Camp Cretaceous as the Jurassic version of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. If you can get past the sometimes-goofy CGI, you’ll find a surprisingly dark and compelling series that connects the dots between the films in a truly satisfying way.

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024–2025)

Picking up six years after Camp Cretaceous, Chaos Theory reunites members of the “Nublar Six” as young adults with a slightly more mature tone. The team is drawn into a dangerous mystery that sends them on the run as they unravel a shadowy dinosaur-smuggling network. But at the heart of it all is a personal mission to uncover the truth behind the suspicious death of one of their own.

For me, this series is essential viewing for fans of the Jurassic World films. It fully embraces the “dinos among us” theme, filling in crucial story gaps the movies couldn’t explore and giving more weight to key villains. Chaos Theory is a genuinely worthwhile bridge between Fallen Kingdom and Dominion.