When Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm muttered the now-legendary phrase "life finds a way" in Steven Spielberg's 1993 masterpiece Jurassic Park, he was talking about dinosaurs reproducing against all odds. But three decades later, that line has taken on a whole new meaning—one that perfectly describes the unstoppable nature of the franchise itself.
While Jurassic Park is rightfully celebrated for its groundbreaking visual effects, the film's writing is equally sharp. Screenwriter David Koepp crafted a story that not only thrilled audiences but also delivered profound moments, none more memorable than Malcolm's offhand observation. In the original film, the mathematician warns that no matter how many safeguards are put in place, life—whether biological or cinematic—will always find a way to break through.
That sentiment has proven eerily accurate for the Jurassic series. After the original became a global phenomenon, Spielberg returned for The Lost World in 1997, though many felt his heart wasn't fully in it. A third film followed in 2001, and then the franchise went dormant until the 2010s, when Universal revived it with Jurassic World. That reboot spawned three sequels that raked in billions at the box office but earned lukewarm reviews from critics.
Each new installment seems to drift further from the wonder of the original. Yet, as Malcolm predicted, life—and in Hollywood, that means franchises—finds a way. The most recent entry, Jurassic World Rebirth (2025), starred Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey, and while reviews were mixed, another sequel is all but guaranteed. The franchise has also expanded into television with Netflix's Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous and Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, which have been praised for focusing on complex characters—something the later films have struggled with. For more on how that series succeeds, check out our analysis of how 'Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous' outshines the films.
There's a delicious irony here. A movie that warned about the dangers of resurrecting extinct creatures has itself become the poster child for franchise regurgitation. The original film's iconic shot—Ellie Sattler stepping out of a Jeep and gazing in awe at a towering Brachiosaurus—captured a sense of Spielbergian wonder that later films have tried and failed to replicate. As CGI has improved, the revivals feel more artificial, both in terms of the dinosaurs and the storytelling.
Malcolm's line also speaks to the cyclical nature of ambition. In the film, he notes that humans, having been created by God, now try to become gods themselves by cloning dinosaurs. That same hubris drives Hollywood to keep reviving beloved properties, even when critics and audiences grow weary. The Jurassic franchise is a perfect example: no amount of negative reviews can stop the next movie from being greenlit.
For fans who want to revisit the original's magic, it's worth noting that Spielberg's other underrated series, Terra Nova, also explored themes of survival and rebirth. Why Steven Spielberg's Most Underrated Series 'Terra Nova' Deserves a Second Look dives into that forgotten gem. And if you're in the mood for more dinosaur action, the Jurassic franchise isn't going anywhere—just like Malcolm said, life finds a way.
