A Jurassic Park Theory Delivers a Fitting Origin for Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady
A fan theory suggests an iconic Jurassic Park scene links Dr. Alan Grant to Jurassic World's Owen Grady, and it just might hold up.
The original Jurassic Park is a beloved film that kickstarted a franchise still releasing new movies and TV shows even now. As more content releases, the lore surrounding the franchise grows as well. Now, events in the more recent Jurassic World films tie directly into characters and plot threads from the earlier films, including Dr. Wu and the original T-Rex. However, one theory believes that a character who appeared in the first film grew up to become a raptor trainer, Owen Grady.
According to the theory, the character that would become Owen was actually listed as "Volunteer Boy" in the credits. He appears early in Jurassic Park when Dr. Alan Grant breaks down the velociraptor fossil he just found. While he presents more evidence to prove raptors are more related to birds than reptiles, a young boy mocks his theory and says it looks more like a "six-foot turkey." Everyone lets out a small chuckle, but Dr. Grant shows a clear annoyance at the boy's comment.
Dr. Grant uses the opportunity to educate the young boy by describing how a raptor feeds and hunts. By using his fossilized claw, he mentions how raptors attack from the sides and use their massive foot nail to gut their prey while it's still alive. He then concludes his speech by telling the boy to have some respect. It's established after the scene that Dr. Grant doesn't have much affection for children and has no real plans to be a father, which explains his uncensored description and lack of regard for the boy's feelings.
Chronologically, the Volunteer Boy would be around 35 during the events of Jurassic World, which is also the age of Chris Pratt at the time. Owen also explains that training a raptor is about respect for one another. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom further adds to the theory by showing how deep his affection for Blue and her sisters, working with them even when they were children. The amount of respect he has for them would prove that Dr. Grant's talk deeply affected him, and rather than run from his fear, he faced it, understood it and grew to love it.
When director Colin Trevorrow was questioned about the theory and whether or not it's true, he preferred not to answer. Instead, he decided it was best to be left ambiguous and to keep the fun of the mystery alive. The best part about the theory is that it doesn't drastically change the franchise's narrative, so even if it is true, it only adds to the series and makes it that much more enjoyable for fans to watch.
The Jurassic Park franchise has become even more beloved as the years go on. From its amazing effects to a deeply layered story on ethics, the film has something for all ages. Now, with this theory making the rounds, even fans who thought they'd seen everything have something new to speculate. But with Jurassic World: Dominion coming soon, the answer to the mystery could come sooner rather than later.
Source: www.cbr.com/
