10 top films to watch if you loved Sam Neill’s ‘Jurassic Park’ franchise

The ‘Jurassic Park’ franchise, which started with Sam Neill’s iconic character, has been a fan favourite for decades. Setting the bar for prehistoric thrill and adventure, the movies were well received by the public, and the franchise continues to grow to this day. Over the years, many films have been released that have managed to match the same energy. From ‘Jaws’ to ‘The Mist,’ here is a look at the top 10 films you should watch if you loved ‘Jurassic Park.’

‘Alien’ (1979)

Directed by Ridley Scott, the science fiction film gave birth to its own franchise. The film follows the crew on Nostromo after they are tasked with investigating a mysterious transmission. However, their efforts to uncover the unknown turn deadly after they unknowingly bring a deadly extraterrestrial force aboard their ship.

‘Jaws’ (1975)

Another one of Steven Spielberg’s most iconic features, along with the ‘Jurassic Park’ films, ‘Jaws’ revolves around Amity Island, where a killer shark suddenly surfaces and starts killing swimmers and residents during peak tourist season. It is up to police chief Martin Brody, marine biologist Matt Hooper, and shark hunter Quint to kill the great white before it’s too late.

‘The Thing’ (1982)

Another thrilling film, ‘The Thing,’ follows a group of scientists studying organisms in a secluded Antarctic station. Things turn dire when an extraterrestrial force gets loose in the station. With its ability to mimic anyone around it, the crew starts having second thoughts about who to trust.

‘The Descent’ (2005)

Neil Marshall’s film ‘The Descent’ is about a group of women who go out on an adventure to explore a set of caves in the middle of nowhere. Not expecting much, they head down into the unknown, unaware that some creature is waiting for them. The women have to work together to find a way out before it’s too late.

‘The Mist’ (2007)

This is another iconic entry in the list if you loved the impending doom that ‘Jurassic Park’ brought upon its characters. The movie is set in Maine, where a weird mist covers everything after a small town is hit by a storm. As David Drayton and his young son Billy head into a supermarket with other people to reach safety, they discover that gigantic creatures are lurking within the mist, ready to kill anyone they come across.

‘The Relic’ (1997)

This film is set inside Chicago’s Field Museum, where a set of gruesome murders occur. Tasked with uncovering the truth, an evolutionary biologist and a detective investigate what is really happening. However, they realise they are not alone in the facility and that some creature has been killing people within the museum’s walls.

‘King Kong’ (2005)

Set during the Great Depression, the film follows filmmaker Carl Denham, who tricks his crew and actor Ann Darrow into travelling to the Skull Islands. Native islanders, they did not know of kidnap Ann and threaten everyone’s life as a 25-foot-tall giant follows them on their trail.

‘Underwater’ (2020)

Starring Kristen Stewart in the leading role, the film is set in the Marina Trench, where the crew of a drilling facility is tasked with moving to safety and rationing their oxygen after an earthquake destroys almost everything. When they walk on the seabed to reach another station for safety, the crew discovers that they are not alone in the trench.

‘Crawl’ (2019)

One of the more recently released films on the list, ‘Crawl’ follows Haley Keller, who returns to her father, Dave, in Florida amid a Category 5 hurricane. When the place starts to flood, and crocodiles from a nearby lake lurk in the waters, ready to hunt, the father-daughter duo must do everything they can to get to safety and call for help.

‘Deep Blue Sea’ (1999)

This is another film based on the deadly forces of marine life with a brand new twist. The film follows a group of researchers working in an underwater facility. While researching a shark, they discover that the scientists engineered it to be much smarter. Although this was done to help Alzheimer’s research, when the facility starts to flood and the shark runs loose in the area, the team must find a way to the surface.