For more than 30 years, audiences have been flocking to every Jurassic Park movie with the promise of seeing lots of dinosaurs. Steven Spielberg’s original 1993 film was one of the biggest movies in the history of Hollywood and eventually led to two sequels. Then, the franchise was dormant for more than a decade before Jurassic World revived it in 2015.
Now, we’ve got a whole new set of actors preparing to fight dinosaurs for the first time. Jurassic World: Rebirth is set to hit theaters this July 4th weekend, and if you’re preparing to watch the whole franchise in order, we’ll walk you through exactly how to do that:
Jurassic Park (1993)
Thankfully, the chronology of this franchise is not as complicated as some others. The original Jurassic Park is the first movie you should watch and the one that introduces much of the mythology of this world. It follows a group of scientists brought to Dr. Richard Hammond’s Jurassic Park to, basically, test it out before it opens.
As you might expect, things go off the rails quickly, and the film’s various characters have to fight for their own survival. Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern star, and all of them appear in at least one more installment of this franchise at some point down the road.
You can watch Jurassic Park on Peacock.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
The only sequel that Steven Spielberg helmed, The Lost World is the film you should watch immediately after the original Jurassic Park. This film features the return of Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm and is set on a secondary island where the dinosaurs were bred before they were brought to the park.
Dr. Hammond hires Malcolm to turn the island into a nature preserve where the dinosaurs can roam free. As always happens in these movies, things don’t go exactly as planned. The movie also stars Julianne Moore as Goldblum’s ex-wife.
You can watch The Lost World: Jurassic Park on Peacock.
Jurassic Park III (2001)
The third and final installment in the first trilogy, Jurassic Park III, features the return of Sam Neill’s Alan Grant and Laura Dern’s Ellie Satler and follows Grant as he is hired for what he believes to be a tourist trip to fly above the secondary island.
When he finds himself landing on the island instead, he must shepherd the group who escorted him back to safety without getting killed by the various dinosaurs lurking in the wilderness. Gruesome and gory in ways the first two movies are not, Jurassic Park III is a trashy, fun end to the franchise.
You can watch Jurassic Park 3 on Peacock.
Jurassic World (2015)
The movie that relaunched the franchise, Jurassic World, is basically a remake of the original Jurassic Park against an even bigger canvas and with a new cast of characters. The film stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard and is set at Jurassic World, a new theme park that was built on the ruins of the original Jurassic Park.
Pratt plays a dinosaur wrangler who works at the park, and the film follows him as he deals with the inevitable escape of the dinosaurs from their confines. It became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.
You can watch Jurassic World on Peacock.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Fallen Kingdom deals with the aftermath of Jurassic World’s failure in the same way that The Lost World deals with the aftermath of the original Jurassic Park. This time, though, we follow Pratt and Howard’s characters as they return to the island of Jurassic World in an attempt to rescue the dinosaurs there from a volcanic eruption, only to discover that the dinosaurs are being kidnapped to be sold at auction.
When one of those dinosaurs is released in a mansion, the movie briefly turns into a slasher, with pretty delightful results. Jeff Goldblum briefly returns for this installment as well.
You can watch Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom on Peacock.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
The final film in the second Jurassic trilogy, Jurassic World Dominion, is designed as a culmination of the entire franchise. That means Neill, Goldblum, and Dern all return and have major roles in this new installment, which is maybe the stupidest movie in the entire franchise.
Dinosaurs are now living among humans around the world, and a new genetic conspiracy brings the old crew together with Pratt and Howard’s characters. It’s a silly movie, but a fun one in spurts.
You can watch Jurassic World Dominion on Peacock.
