A paleobotanist, a paleontologist, and a couple of kids try to survive a night in a dinosaur park with the security out.

I’m breaking down movies by their three-act structure. What is three-act structure? I explain it here.

Note: I break the story down into five-minute blocks to make it easier to see the length of each section. Rough time codes follow.

Prolog

Jurassic Park staff member is killed by a dinosaur (introducing the conflict: “we want to see dinosaurs but not be eaten by them” and NOT “we must escape dinosaurs”). 5

Act 1

As Dr Ellie Sattler looks on, Dr Alan Grant explains that dinosaurs–particularly velociraptors (introducing the villain)–were terrifying killers. (This actually introduces a secondary conflict in which Ellie wants children and Alan does not. This is played for laughs thruout and used to maintain tension.) 10

John Hammond convinces Alan and Ellie to Jurassic Park (the call to adventure). Dennis takes a payoff for stolen dinosaur embryos (introducing the secondary villain). 15

Alan, Ellie, and Ian Malcolm reach Jurassic Park and see live dinosaurs. 20

John Hammond explains Jurassic Park. 25

John gives them a tour of the lab, where they learn the dinosaurs can’t breed in the wild. Ian warns that “life finds a way”. Alan is disturbed that they have bred velociraptors (the motivation–sort of; it’s not like he then demands to be allowed to hunt them and kill them). 30

These warnings reinforce the conflict, but the fact the dinosaurs are managing to breed doesn’t feature in the plot; it only speaks the the fact that John Hammond is playing with forces he doesn’t understand. This way, John’s hubris is just as much at fault as Dennis’s greed.

Act 2

The guests venture into the park (the extraordinary world) to witness a horrific feeding and hear Muldoon’s concerns about velociraptors. 35

The guests express their concerns. John’s grandchildren arrive. 40

The guests go on the automated motor tour but see nothing. 45

The guests leave the SUVs and wander thru the park (entering the wilderness). 50

The guests find a sick triceratops. The staff is evacuated for the oncoming storm (plot twist 1!). 55

Dennis steals the embryos. His program shuts down security and stops the tour. (Not only is this a crisis, it’s the first actual danger the heroes are in!) 60

Midpoint

The t-rex breaches the fence next to the stopped SUVs (double crisis!). 65

The t-rex attacks the SUVs . Alan helps Lex escape, but the SUV ends up in a tree. 70

Dennis runs off the road and is killed by a dilophosaurus (killing the secondary villain! This is also plot twist 2, because it means there’s no one to turn off Dennis’ lockout program). 75

Alan helps Tim escape the SUV in the tree. A distraught Ellie searches for them. 80

The t-rex chases Ellie, Ian, and Muldoon. 85

John waxes philosophical over ice cream. Ellie condemns his vision. (This, together with the chase immediately before it, is the defeat. It works because the film has laid a lot of pipe about John’s hubris, which is sort of the ultimate cause of the conflict.) 90

Act 3

Alan and the kids flee a herd of gallimimus pursued by a t-rex. Ray goes to flip the breakers. (A false turn!) 95

Ray having gone missing, Ellie and Muldoon go to flip the breakers. (The real turning of the tables!) 100

Alan and the kids climb over the perimeter fence as Ellie turns it on. Tim is injured. 105

Alan revives Tim. He leaves Tim and Lex in the main building, but raptors stalk them (a final setback). 110

The kids evade the raptors. Alan, Ellie, and the kids reboot the system so they can call for a helicopter. 115

Raptors break in and stalk them. The guests escape but encounter the t-rex and slip away when it fights the raptors. (The end of an extended climax, and John even gets a line rejecting his own park and therefore his earlier hubris, resolving the conflict.) They reach the helicopter. 120

Epilog

They fly away. (Very brief and resolves the secondary conflict of Alan not liking children. Unfortunately, this is thrown away in sequels.)