Jurassic Park: One Dinosaur's Story Continued AFTER the First Film

Sunday, May 16, 2021

In Jurassic Park, one standout dinosaur's story didn't end with the credits. Even now, the T-Rex has grown into something even more exciting.

Fans of the original Jurassic Park find it difficult to talk about the movie without mentioning its breakout star, the Tyrannosaurus rex. Known as Rexy, she was introduced as an aggressor to the human survivors. Never an outright villain, she operated on her predatory instincts to survive. Ironically, this had her become an unlikely savior to the survivors at the end of the film, taking on a pack of raptors in the Visitor's Center. Following the movie's conclusion, Rexy has been the only carnivore whose story continued after the credits rolled, with her growth displayed through her personality and expanding intelligence.

Rexy was born years before the first film's events and was one of, if not the largest, Tyrannosaurus in the canon. As she continued to grow, she was moved from Isla Sorna to Isla Nublar to be integrated into Jurassic Park. Her instincts began to take full effect as she developed her own predator tactics that were still implied even in later films. One strategy that she has consistently implemented has been stealth. Though she is a massive creature, Rexy managed to sneak up on unsuspecting prey like the velociraptors at the end of 1993's Jurassic Park and a worker during a rainstorm in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Her intelligence has also played a large part in her stealth skills and overall growth. One of the earliest signs of her intelligence is in Jurassic Park when she tests the electric fences after the power goes out. Much like the Velociraptors, she knew that the fences were dangerous but frequently tested their integrity regardless. As her story continued past the first film, she became even smarter, gaining a personality able to differentiate between threats.

In Jurassic Park, Rexy was showcased as more of an anti-hero. She never protected the survivors on purpose but saw a threat in the raptors that needed to be eliminated instead. Jurassic World built off this idea with Claire Dearing using Rexy's aggression to kill the newly created Indominus Rex. Surprisingly, she acknowledged that the accompanying Velociraptor, Blue, aided her in the fight and didn't challenge her. Her ability to recognize faces and the actions of others was also evidenced in the animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. After a big game hunter named Mitch became tangled in his own snare trap, Rexy recognized him as the one who put a cattleprod in her nose and shocked her. For a moment, she hesitated, remembering who he was before devouring him.

Since the original and her subsequent appearances, Rexy is almost always shown getting the best moments in each film. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was a great example when she killed a Carnotaurus in front of Owen Grady during a volcanic eruption. Perfectly timed, Rexy let out her iconic roar just as another eruption took place in the background, mirroring her other big moment in the first film. It shows that even though she is an animal, the movies have made sure to recognize how important she is to the story and why she's still around.

For now, Rexy's whereabouts are unknown, but now that she is let loose in the modern world, she will become even more intelligent and dangerous. Continuing her story after Jurassic Park served to make the animal more than just another dinosaur. Much like the brilliant Blue, Rexy has become one of the smartest dinosaurs on the planet with a personality that has grown for almost three decades and will continue to develop in the years to come.

Source: www.cbr.com/