Breaking The Scene (Jurassic Park — Lunch)

Today I’m gonna talk about my favorite scene from Jurassic Park which, funnily enough, is the scene that went entirely over my head as a kid. It doesn’t have dinosaurs, and doesn’t have even a hint of action. Rather, it’s just some scientists arguing with a megalomaniac. How could this scene possibly be the best? Well, I’ll do my best to explain.

Scene Context:

Hammond, the founder of Jurassic Park, just gave the team of scientists (made up of Malcolm, Suzanne, and Grant) a tour and is now sitting with them for lunch.

Scene Conflicts:

• Hammond wants the scientists to be impressed with Jurassic Park.
• The scientists are wary of the work that’s been done at Jurassic Park.

Scene Outline:

1. Hammond, his lawyer, and the scientists sit to eat. Hammond discusses prospects for making profit off the dinosaurs.
2. Malcolm expresses his concerns regarding the resurrection of dinosaurs. The lawyer begins to defend, but Hammond lets Malcolm speak.
3. Malcolm critiques how Hammond didn’t do any of the science himself, and therefore hasn’t considered the implications of his work.
4. Hammond argues that their scientists have done things never thought of before. Malcolm asserts how that’s not necessarily a good thing.
5. Hammond attempts to defend himself by referencing how creation of life can be beneficial. Malcolm retorts with an explanation of natural selection.
6. Hammond announces his surprise at how Malcolm is unimpressed with such a massive discovery.
7. Malcolm accuses Hammond of exploiting nature.
8. Suzanne interjects with support of Malcolm’s argument. Points that Hammond is ignorant of what he’s surrounded himself with.
9. Hammond reaches out to Grant, but Grant similarly voices his concerns. Hammond jokingly expresses his surprise/outrage.

Why It Works:

Surprise Attack: Hammond, having been established as an egomaniac of sorts, obviously expects effusive praise. I mean, these are dinosaurs in the 20th century brought about by him! And yet he’s told, in no uncertain terms, that his creation should be a point of worry, not pride. He’s flustered and off-balance, and thus the scene continues with him jumping to every possible defense in hopes to salvage his argument. With him evidently open to attack, this leads to the scene’s next great strength, that being…

Character Conviction: These are relatively unknown scientists taking a stand against a billionaire. For them to be openly critiquing his work, they must be sincerely sure of themselves. This adds a sense of importance to their words, and attaches genuine stakes to what would otherwise appear as preachy dialogue.

Guests vs. Host: Another aspect of pressure on our protagonists is that they are guests here. Most anywhere, guests aren’t expected to critique the host. But here, they do, because of their aforementioned conviction that something should be said. This extra pressure allows for characters to feel uncomfortable, and thus make the scene even more steeped in conflict.

Premise Realized: Were this hefty discussion on human responsibility in regards to discover held by any other group of people, it would lose a great deal of credibility. But because these characters are scientists, we trust them and believe that this is a conversation they would have. This all stems from good planning at the outline phase. If the writers wanted this kind of discussion on-screen, they had to create believable boundaries for that conversation to develop. By making sure the characters had backgrounds which qualified them for this discussion, the discussion played out in a way that feels believable and engaging.

Summary:

The scene thrives in it’s set-up. Sure the conversation is intriguing and the dialogue is snappy, but it succeeds largely off of the work put into creating the scene beforehand. It works particularly because the conversation is occurring under a definite pressure, and that those involved in the conversation are entirely qualified to discuss it’s lofty topics. Though the actual scene is written and structured quite well, it’s the care the writers took going into the scene that makes it truly shine.