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When Jurassic Park was released in theaters in 1993, the cutting-edge blend of CGI and practical effects made the dinosaurs look more plausible than they ever had on the big screen up to that point. That realism was key to selling the audience on the spectacle, but it was the human cast who made Jurassic Park feel so authentic. There are many terrific performances throughout the film's 127-minute runtime, including Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough. However, Sam Neill's take on Alan Grant, in particular, is what makes the movie feel special more than three decades after its release.
By the time Sam Neill appeared in Jurassic Park, the actor had been in several critically acclaimed films, including The Piano and Possession. The Steven Spielberg sci-fi movie came nearly two decades after Neill's Hollywood debut, and all of his experience helped him sell the key elements of Alan Grant's character. Grant is the lynchpin of the movie, and if Spielberg hadn't focused on Neill's character as much as he did, Jurassic Park wouldn't have worked as well as it does.
Alan Grant's Reactions Perfectly Mirrored How Jurassic Park Audiences Felt
In Jurassic Park, Alan Grant is introduced as a knowledgeable paleontologist who isn't great at interacting with kids or new technology. When John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) offers to fund Grant's fossil digs for the next three years in exchange for a weekend at his nature preserve, Grant and paleobotanist Ellie Statler (Laura Dern) quickly agree to the terms. While the audience has an idea of what to expect from Hammond's dinosaur park, Grant and Statler are unaware that the InGen CEO has cloned dinosaurs from recovered DNA strands.
A brief glimpse at a Velociraptor is shown at the start of the movie, but the audience doesn't see a full dinosaur until a bit later. In fact, viewers don't get to experience Jurassic Park's dinosaurs until after Alan Grant does first. Actor Sam Neill's reaction perfectly builds tension ahead of the big Brachiosaurus reveal, taking off his sunglasses in stunned silence. Neill's eyes convey the enormity of what he's just seen, before he hunches over in shock. The moment has become famous in the decades since, as the reaction feels genuine and authentic. It sells the scale and impact, making it easier for the viewers to believe what they're witnessing throughout the rest of the movie. In this scene, Spielberg's focus on Grant is exactly what made the wonder, magic, and scale of Jurassic Park work so well.
Jurassic Park is Alan Grant's Story
From that point on, it's Alan Grant's reactions to the dinosaurs that help the audience know how they should feel. Director Steven Spielberg must have counted on the fact that most Jurassic Park viewers wouldn't know the differences between friendly herbivores and the meat-eating dinosaurs, and Sam Neill's performance helps to ground the creatures in reality while selling the threat level. There's a wide mix of these encounters during the movie, from Alan Grant's horrified realization that Hammond is breeding Velociraptors, to the moment he puts his head against the chest of an injured Triceratops to hear its belabored breathing. Grant's tense respect for the power and scale of the Tyrannosaurus Rex is palpable, but it doesn't prevent him from leaping to the defense of Tim and Lex when they're attacked by the creature.
The sheer variety of these interactions helps to sell the illusion of the special effects. Jurassic Park showcases a roller-coaster of emotions and changes for Alan Grant before the film's conclusion. Not only is Grant reacting with a mix of wonder and horror to the sights before him, but he's also grappling with what it all means for his future. Ian Malcolm's suggestion that paleontologists will be "extinct" as a result of Hammond's park is something clearly on Grant's mind right up until the movie's end. As he watches birds flying over the water in an InGen helicopter during the movie's final moments, Grant has a look of peace on his face, clearly contemplating his own evolution. From start to finish, Jurassic Park is Alan Grant's story.
More than three decades after Jurassic Park's release, the movie is remembered for the impact it had on cinema. The special effects were a game changer for Hollywood, though many studios failed to get the same results Spielberg had with the technology. A big reason is that the human aspect of Jurassic Park was pivotal to the film's success. In a movie with the most believable looking dinosaurs up to that point, the focus on Sam Neill's performance really brings them to life and sells them to the audience. Without the actor's incredible contributions to the movie, Jurassic Park could have ended up all spectacle with little in the way of emotional depth.
