Universal Pictures
With a series spanning six films, countless memorable moments, and a veritable laundry list of health and safety violations, it’s truly surprising that so many characters chose to revisit the disaster-prone vacation destinations in the “Jurassic Park” franchise. Despite the high mortality rate, several characters have made reappearances in subsequent films. Talk about bravery, or maybe foolishness.
Among the brave or perhaps foolhardy scientists and dinosaur handlers who’ve come back for more, two faces stand out for their frequency of appearances. To date, Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neill, and Laura Dern have all graced the big screen in three films within the dinosaur-infested saga. Pratt and Howard shared screen time in “Jurassic World” and “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” later joining forces with Neill and Dern in “Jurassic World: Dominion.” For Neill and Dern, the 2022 film marked their third adventure after co-starring in the original “Jurassic Park” (still the undisputed champion) and “Jurassic Park III.”
However, the character who takes the crown for the most appearances is the beloved, chest-baring hero, Ian Malcolm (played by Jeff Goldblum). He’s survived four out of the six films, a remarkable feat given the circumstances. But Goldblum isn’t alone in this record; B.D. Wong’s character, Henry Wu, has also appeared four times, although his character’s actions often place him on the wrong side of the moral compass.
Henry Wu’s Alignment Shift in the Jurassic Park Movies
Universal Pictures
The original “Jurassic Park” movie is somewhat blemished by the knowledge that B.D. Wong’s enthusiastic and seemingly benign geneticist, Dr. Henry Wu, would later betray the team in “Jurassic World.” His return in the franchise reboot, and subsequent turn as a villain in “Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom,” offered a fascinating character arc, albeit one that was arguably mishandled.
In Colin Trevorrow’s reboot, “Jurassic World,” Wu is the head geneticist and the mind behind the creation of the Indominus Rex. His creation becomes a pressing concern for any rational individual who thinks a dinosaur with camouflage abilities is a terrible idea. “Fallen Kingdom” sees him playing God once more, engineering the Indoraptor as another potential military weapon, seemingly having learned nothing from his past mistakes. Fortunately, by the time “Jurassic World: Dominion” hits the screens, Wu seems to have realized his errors, just as the world becomes overrun by dinosaurs. Well done, Wu.
Wong expressed gratitude for the opportunity to explore his character further. In a 2022 interview with Variety, he said, “I’m not going to lie, I left ‘Jurassic Park’ feeling that the character was overlooked and thought, ‘Well, nobody cared about him.’ Then Colin Trevorrow resuscitated him and brought him into this world where his actions significantly impacted everything. I’m always incredibly thankful to have been the actor who got to do that.”
As for whether either character will make a comeback in “Jurassic World Rebirth,” scheduled for release on July 2, 2025, we’ll have to wait and see.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
