The original 1993 Jurassic Park film contains a considerable amount of nerve-racking scenes, but one in particular stands out from the rest. Jurassic Park became an instant classic upon its release thanks to the incredible success that Steven Spielberg’s franchise starter had. That spawned an entire Jurassic movie franchise, which includes six movies and a TV spinoff show, that all attempt to recapture the magic of the first movie. While the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies are very much designed to be entertaining blockbusters involving dinosaurs, they can also be quite scary and stressful.
The Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies utilize the hallmarks commonly found in horror movies to give viewers high levels of stress as a form of entertainment. Audiences are routinely kept on the edge of their seats as tension rises in regard to the fates of the main characters and the looming threat of dinosaurs. The result is the franchise constantly finding ways to give viewers some anxiety about the direction of the story and the fate of the world. Steven Spielberg’s work on Jurassic Park is a perfect example of this, as the film is packed with some incredibly stressful moments, including the best example in the franchise.
The Most Anxiety Inducing Scene In Jurassic Park Is The T-Rex Entrance
The T-Rex entrance is one of Jurassic Park‘s most iconic moments, but it’s also the one that fills viewers with the most anxiety. Tim and Lex, the park manager’s grandchildren, are inside the car waiting for the power to come back. The tension starts building up slowly as the point of view stays inside the car making it impossible to see anything outside. A deep and distant sound of a step is heard, accompanied by Jurassic Park‘s iconic water ripples effect, leading to the T-Rex’s first entrance. The sound and visual power of this appearance unleashes an 8-minute survival sequence that is the most stressful moment in the entire franchise.
The reasons for the anxiety audiences feel stem from the decisions that each character makes. Alan goes over the things someone shouldn’t do in the presence of such a creature, while the children do the exact opposite. In addition to this, Gennaro leaves the car only to be devoured minutes later. To make matters worse, Alan’s strategy of using candles to get the dinosaur’s attention is ruined by Malcolm’s attempt to save the day. This scene is beautifully sustained by the performances of Jurassic Park‘s kids, Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards, and by Spielberg’s brilliant directing skills on display in the two-minute build-up and the eight-minute chase.
Why The T-Rex Entrance Is The Most Stressful Moment Of The Jurassic Park Franchise
Everything in this scene is as iconic as it is anxiety-inducing. The way Spielberg slowly builds up the tension is crucial to the scene’s purpose. The timing is exquisite as the atmosphere created prior to the dinosaur’s entrance is what makes it even more memorable. However, that’s not the only incredible achievement, since the director manages to maintain a high level of tension during a considerable number of minutes. Additionally, the fact that this is the T-Rex’s first appearance after 60 minutes also adds a certain amount of expectation that generates anxiety. All those key elements make this Jurassic Park scene as memorable as the stress it produces.
