Jurassic Park: quite stALAN you inGRANT

                Finally. Finally I’m going to stop messing around and get to what we have all been wanting to hear (by we I mean just me). Alan Grant is my favorite thing about this movie. Here is a list of reasons why Dr. Grant is stupendous:

1. Is a digger
2. Not machine compatible
3. Knew about dinosaurs evolving into birds before anyone else
4. You have to blow dust off you palm after you shake hands with him
5. Is a direct descendant of Ulysses S. Grant
6. He doesn’t know any lawyers
7. Goes into fits of hysterics upon the mention of a living T-rex
8. Has 28 chromosome pairs
9. Can judge blood temperature to within a few degrees just by holding an animal
10. Carries a canteen, compass, Leatherman, and trowel
11. Communicates with Brachiosaurs
12. Invented disposable contact lenses in 1987
13. Breaths life into children
14. Pulls off the big hat and neck bandana look

Here are some pictures of Alan Grant being stupendous:

Stupendous

STUPENDOUS

 

SAVES CHILDREN

 

IS THE FONT FROM WHICH LIFE FLOWS

                Grant is rightfully the protagonist of this movie. He is the most relatable, likeable, and respectable character (facts, not opinions). Sam Neill might not have as much charisma to carry the role as Jeff Goldblum (though he is from New Zealand, so that counts for something), but he brings more depth to this character than the admitted character actor that is Goldblum. Grant is the moderate character of the cast and seems to be the most reasonable. During the “Chilean Sea Bass Debate” while every other person seems to take a firm stance in the argument, Grant literally says “I don’t want to jump to any conclusions”, and then says that nobody can really know what is going to happen (this is probably the best character scene in the movie, and the set was really different and interesting, but enough about that, more Alan Grant). He is the objective scientist, and remains that way through the entire movie. Some of my favorite moments in the film are when Grant observes the dinosaurs out in the park and gets so engrossed that he forgets that he is actually running for his life. When he finds the eggs he is alarmed by what they imply, but you can also see that he is ebullient to be holding an actual dinosaur egg (he even smells it). There is also the shot after the baby velociraptor scene that shows Grant alone at the raptor pen. I love this, because it implies the he found his own way there due to some sort of magnetic attraction to raptors. Then when Muldoon is giving him facts about the raptors he is completely enraptured. He never loses his sense of wonder about the dinosaurs, even after witnessing their more terrible aspects, and I have a ton of respect for that.

This is a dinosaur egg

                I also respect his take on the hero role. Grant doesn’t really do anything to get the park back on line but spends the movie trying to keep people alive. The best part is that he doesn’t do it with raw strength or violence, but with intelligence and nurturing. The one time he picks up a weapon it has no effect and he isn’t even shown using it. This may just be my bias for brains over brawn heroes, but I think that he is a good non-archetypal character.  Speaking of his nurturing aspects, let’s talk about character development. Over the course of the movie Grant goes from this:

Who does this kid think he is?

 to this:

You guys are alright

Learning to appreciate children may not be the deepest character arc but it is the best we have in the movie and I’m happy with it. This character trait was the best change from the book in my opinion (I haven’t been mentioning the book because I want this discussion to just be about the movie). Some great scenes are created, such as when he scares the chubby kid, when he keeps changing cars at the beginning of the tour, and when both children are asleep on his shoulders in the chopper home.  This character growth also strengthens his relationship with Sattler, so that’s good too. Romantically, Grant seems like a bit of a distracted monogamist, which I can relate to. I even appreciate how his costume changes through the movie, with his hat getting blown off by the T-rex, and his bandana gets tied over Tim’s electrical burns. There are not many things that I don’t like about Alan Grant.

He even finds time for humor in dark situations

                Now to defend what are said to be some of Alan Grants flaws. First is his failure to operate a seat belt. This may be due to his incompatibility with technology, but I think it is due to something more dramatic. Alan Grant doesn’t understand safety. Ian Malcolm may know all about chaos, but Alan Grant is chaos. When Dr. Alan Grant blinks his eyes it rains in China (or maybe a butterfly drops dead, whichever is more intense). Second is the fact that he failed to get out his Leatherman and cut through the electric fence. This is clearly just an example of his Montana sensibilities. A respectable person doesn’t go around cutting other peoples fences. They may go around trying to steal national parks and coal deposits, but people from Montana are generally polite (can you tell I grew up in Wyoming?). Alan Grant is without flaw is all I’m saying.

If you don't agree you deserve a kick in the face

                In conclusion, Alan Grant it just another amazing part of an excellent movie. My only complaint is the negative depiction of technology, and the only improvement I could suggest would be to have made the main raptor more visually distinctive. I will close with a finally screenshot showing a tender moment between Hammond and Malcolm. 

It's cold in that bunker