It\u2019s hard to imagine a movie more iconic than Jurassic Park<\/em>. Packed with classic moments that movie fans can quote at the drop of a hat, Spielberg\u2019s blockbuster masterpiece helped to usher in the modern age of ultra-high-budget cinema, and its practical and special effects are still yet to be bested in many ways. If you\u2019ve just finished a Jurassic Park <\/em>screening and you\u2019re hungry for more, we don\u2019t blame you. Here are 15 movies that are similar to Jurassic Park<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The Lost World: Jurassic Park <\/em>(dir. Steven Spielberg, 1997)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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This sequel suffers from diminishing returns in many ways. The original Jurassic Park <\/em>simply can\u2019t be bettered, and although Spielberg tries his level best here, he just can\u2019t quite recapture the magic of the first movie. However, the CG effects are jaw-dropping, especially for the time, and Spielberg remains a master of directing tense action sequences that never feel muddled or difficult to follow. The writing and character work isn\u2019t as good here as it was in Jurassic Park<\/em>, but this is still a very solid movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Jurassic Park III <\/em>(dir. Joe Johnston, 2001)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Spielberg handed over the reins to Joe Johnston for this third movie in the Jurassic Park <\/em>franchise, which, just like the second film, won\u2019t satisfy you if you\u2019re looking for deep, affecting character drama. However, if all you want is more excellent CGI-animatronic hybrid dinosaurs wreaking havoc, then Jurassic Park III <\/em>will more than provide. Sam Neill and Laura Dern also return from Jurassic Park<\/em>, and it\u2019s always nice to see them on screen again, even if the movie itself is slightly derivative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Jurassic World <\/em>(dir. Colin Trevorrow, 2015)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Reviving the Jurassic <\/em>franchise after it went dormant in 2001, Jurassic World <\/em>picks up with Chris Pratt\u2019s charismatic Owen Grady, a dinosaur handler who works at the titular Jurassic World park. A dinosaur that\u2019s been subject to genetic experimentation breaks free of its containment and proceeds to rampage across the island of Isla Nublar, which means that Grady and Claire Dearing (played by a game Bryce Dallas Howard) must put a stop to the madness before all hell breaks loose. This is a fun popcorn blockbuster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom <\/em>(dir. J. A. Bayona, 2018)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Although Trevorrow didn\u2019t return for this second instalment of the Jurassic World <\/em>franchise (he\u2019s currently slated to come back for Jurassic World: Dominion<\/em>), J. A. Bayona proves himself more than capable of handling the dino antics of the series. Pratt and Howard return once again, joined this time by British veteran Toby Jones, among others. Fallen Kingdom <\/em>is an altogether bleaker and more edgy interpretation of the Jurassic <\/em>mythology, and while it doesn\u2019t always quite add up, it\u2019s entertaining nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Jaws <\/em>(dir. Steven Spielberg, 1975)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Like Jurassic Park<\/em>, Jaws <\/em>revolves around a giant animal of some kind rampaging through a natural setting and killing people, but unlike Jurassic Park<\/em>, it\u2019s only one animal. The novel version of Jaws <\/em>contains a subplot revolving around adultery that the movie cut, leaving an extremely taut, accomplished story about a shark chasing people down and eating them. Spielberg\u2019s penchant for creating thrilling blockbusters effectively got its start here, but it\u2019s very safe to avoid the sequels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. King Kong <\/em>(dir. Peter Jackson, 2005)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Fresh from his award-winning take on The Lord of the Rings<\/em>, New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson brought us an epic, expanded remake of a 1933 classic. King Kong <\/em>is three hours long and change, but it never becomes boring, largely thanks to typically sterling work from Andy Serkis in the title role. The human actors, like Naomi Watts and Jack Black, also bring some much-needed humour and humanity to proceedings, ensuring that the movie doesn\u2019t become too self-serious either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Godzilla <\/em>(dir. Gareth Edwards, 2014)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Technically speaking, Jurassic Park <\/em>could be seen as a disaster movie, and it\u2019s that exact energy that makes it similar to 2014\u2019s Godzilla<\/em>. Though this might look like yet another tired reboot on the surface, Godzilla <\/em>is packed with superb actors and some truly stunning visuals. The HALO jump sequence near the movie\u2019s conclusion is worth the price of admission alone, but Godzilla <\/em>has much more than that to offer, so check it out if your favourite part of Jurassic Park <\/em>is the dinosaurs themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Planet of the Apes <\/em>(dir. Franklin J. Schaffner, 1968)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Jurassic Park<\/em>\u2019s DNA can be seen all the way back in this seminal sci-fi movie from director Franklin J. Schaffner. Planet of the Apes <\/em>is iconic; you\u2019ve probably heard many of its killer lines (which we won\u2019t repeat here, because you might still not have seen it and we don\u2019t want to spoil). With surprisingly effective practical effects, an excellent score by composer Jerry Goldsmith, and a narrative that shocked and astounded audiences at the time, it\u2019s well worth revisiting Planet of the Apes <\/em>now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Tremors <\/em>(dir. Ron Underwood, 1990)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Tremors <\/em>injects the classic monster movie formula with a jot of humour. While it\u2019s certainly not short on scares – the worm monsters causing the titular tremors ensure that\u2019s the case – there\u2019s a self-aware comedy touch to the movie that makes it more fleet-footed and less heavy than some of its compatriots could be. You can put this one in the Gremlins <\/em>camp (more on which in a moment); it\u2019s still legitimately scary, but it\u2019s not trying to out-horror true horror movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Gremlins <\/em>(dir. Joe Dante, 1984)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Bear with us on this one. While Gremlins <\/em>isn\u2019t a Spielberg movie per se<\/em>, he has an executive producer credit, and it feels like it espouses his particular brand of sentimentality mixed with practical effect monsters and small-town Americana. \u201cNever feed your mogwai after midnight\u201d; so goes the legend, and it\u2019s a legend that Zach Galligan\u2019s Billy fails to heed after he\u2019s tricked into doing so by one of the titular gremlins. What follows is a riotous, chaotic, and surprisingly touching tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. Independence Day <\/em>(dir. Roland Emmerich, 1996)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Like Jurassic Park<\/em>, Independence Day <\/em>also stars Jeff Goldblum, and he\u2019s playing a knowledgeable scientist in this one as well. Of course, the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park <\/em>aren\u2019t aliens (as far as we know), and Independence Day <\/em>hews far closer to traditional disaster movies than its dinosaur cousin, but it provides the same kind of tense thrills as Spielberg\u2019s masterpiece, albeit less effectively. This is a fun romp that Emmerich directs with skill, although it\u2019s also just as leaden and jingoistic as his movies can often be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. Dinosaur <\/em>(dirs. Ralph Zondag, Eric Leighton, 2000)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n