Jurassic  Park
2016

Capri Theatre Montgomery, AL

with

Jonah Cohen

Manager of Science Education, McWane Science Center

Jurassic Park— Veloci-whaaaa? Real-Life Paleontology and Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park, and its sequels, set the standard for dinosaurs in the last two decades, but how does it measure up against our scientific knowledge of dinosaurs?

Capri Theatre Montgomery, AL

Film Synopsis

During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown that allows its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok.

Two dinosaur experts, Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), are invited by eccentric millionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) to preview his new amusement park on an island off Costa Rica. By cloning DNA harvested from prehistoric insects, Hammond's scientists have recreated living dinosaurs for the exhibits. Accompanied by a cynical mathematician who is obsessed with chaos theory (Jeff Goldblum) and the millionaire’s two grandchildren (Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards), the experts are sent on a tour through the resort in computer-controlled touring cars. But as a tropical storm hits the island, knocking out the power supply, an unscrupulous employee (Wayne Knight) sabotages the system so he can smuggle dinosaur embryos out of the park, and the dinosaurs rage out of control. Based on the novel by Michael Crichton, Steven Spielberg directed the first installment of this epic sci-fi adventure film.

About the Speaker

Jonah Cohen is the manager of science education at the McWane Science Center. Cohen has worked in science centers for over 20 years, doing research on dinosaurs’ living relatives—birds.