The 1993 film Jurassic Park, which was based on the 1990 novel of the same name, stole a concept from another movie, but it was the right call.
Jurassic Park premiered on June 11, 1993, and not many knew it then, but the film would later turn into a multi-billion dollar franchise. Following the triumph of the 1993 movie, two sequels were made, which were slightly less successful but did well enough at the box office to warrant video games, comic books, theme park rides, and animated series based on the films. Plus, 14 years following Jurassic Park III, a sequel trilogy, Jurassic World, starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, kicked off. However, at the end of the day, the franchise's roots could be traced back to another science fiction movie that used a theme park as its backdrop.
Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg used the basis of the 1990 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton to create the story for the first movie. In fact, Crichton was hired as one of the co-writers for the film, and after its mind-blowing achievements at the box office, Spielberg convinced Crichton to write a second book that they could later turn into a movie. The Lost World was published in 1995, and The Lost World: Jurassic Park was released in theaters in 1997. But before the success of Jurassic Park, Crichton wrote and directed another theme park-based film — Westworld.
Jurassic Park Basically Copied Westworld
Seventeen years before Michael Crichton published Jurassic Park and 20 years prior to Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, the author directed and wrote Westworld, a 1973 movie starring Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, and James Brolin. While there are no dinosaurs in the film, the basic concept of Westworld is almost the same as Jurassic Park — a theme park idea gone wrong. Crichton just switched out the robots for dinosaurs for his 1990 novel.
Both projects have been successful, with sequels and series being made following the release of the original products. Westworld was eventually made into a television show that aired on HBO, which received plenty of critical acclaim and recognition at significant award shows. Meanwhile, Jurassic Park's reputation precedes it, as mentioned above. Both Westworld and Jurassic Park have had varying levels of success, but the latter was undoubtedly inspired by the former.
Using Westworld's Premise Was Good For Jurassic Park
Although saying one project copied another one could have negative connotations, it worked out well for Jurassic Park. The theme park gone wrong concept, which first appeared in Westworld, set Jurassic Park apart from other dinosaur films. It made sense for the story, and it made it more interesting. Plus, the theme park narrative allowed space for the studio to produce five sequels. So Jurassic Park wouldn't be the successful franchise it is today if it hadn't borrowed from Westworld's story.
Jurassic Park premiered on June 11, 1993, and not many knew it then, but the film would later turn into a multi-billion dollar franchise. Following the triumph of the 1993 movie, two sequels were made, which were slightly less successful but did well enough at the box office to warrant video games, comic books, theme park rides, and animated series based on the films. Plus, 14 years following Jurassic Park III, a sequel trilogy, Jurassic World, starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, kicked off. However, at the end of the day, the franchise's roots could be traced back to another science fiction movie that used a theme park as its backdrop.
Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg used the basis of the 1990 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton to create the story for the first movie. In fact, Crichton was hired as one of the co-writers for the film, and after its mind-blowing achievements at the box office, Spielberg convinced Crichton to write a second book that they could later turn into a movie. The Lost World was published in 1995, and The Lost World: Jurassic Park was released in theaters in 1997. But before the success of Jurassic Park, Crichton wrote and directed another theme park-based film — Westworld.
Jurassic Park Basically Copied Westworld
Seventeen years before Michael Crichton published Jurassic Park and 20 years prior to Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, the author directed and wrote Westworld, a 1973 movie starring Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, and James Brolin. While there are no dinosaurs in the film, the basic concept of Westworld is almost the same as Jurassic Park — a theme park idea gone wrong. Crichton just switched out the robots for dinosaurs for his 1990 novel.
Both projects have been successful, with sequels and series being made following the release of the original products. Westworld was eventually made into a television show that aired on HBO, which received plenty of critical acclaim and recognition at significant award shows. Meanwhile, Jurassic Park's reputation precedes it, as mentioned above. Both Westworld and Jurassic Park have had varying levels of success, but the latter was undoubtedly inspired by the former.
Using Westworld's Premise Was Good For Jurassic Park
Although saying one project copied another one could have negative connotations, it worked out well for Jurassic Park. The theme park gone wrong concept, which first appeared in Westworld, set Jurassic Park apart from other dinosaur films. It made sense for the story, and it made it more interesting. Plus, the theme park narrative allowed space for the studio to produce five sequels. So Jurassic Park wouldn't be the successful franchise it is today if it hadn't borrowed from Westworld's story.