5 Sci-fi Movies Every Jurassic Park Fan Should Watch

Sparke Films

There is nothing quite like Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park." I say this as someone who counts it as my personal favorite movie of all time. I also say this as someone who doesn't hate on many of the sequels. I love 2015's "Jurassic World." I'm a big defender of "The Lost World." That having been said, it is truly difficult to scratch the blockbuster movie itch in the way that Spielberg scratched it in the summer of '93.

"Jurassic Park" changed movies forever, becoming the biggest film of all time at the box office at the time of its release, and seamlessly blending CGI with some of the most impressive practical creature effects ever put to screen. Every dinosaur movie made since has had to live in its shadow, which is probably why there just aren't that many big-budget Hollywood dinosaur movies outside of this franchise. "Jurassic Park" is the definition of a game-changer. It's beloved multi-generationally, and it still holds up more than 30 years later.

Yet fans of sci-fi, dinosaurs, and/or giant monster movies who are chasing a similar high do have some solid options in the realm of popular cinema. Michael Crichton's original "Westworld" could arguably be one, given that it originated from the same writer. But there are plenty more worthwhile titles worth having a look at. 

Rather than suggest other super obvious offerings such as any of the "Jurassic" sequels or other very popular movies like "Pacific Rim," we're going to go a tiny bit deeper, looking at some other blockbuster-scale entertainment that just might scratch that "Jurassic" itch. Let's get into it.

Sony Pictures

As mentioned above, Hollywood studios are pretty resistant to making big-budget dinosaur movies while the "Jurassic World" franchise is thriving, but Sony Pictures gave it a shot in 2023 with the guys who wrote "A Quiet Place." Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, "65" is an effective monster movie with a clever premise. It's lean, mean, and a great deal of fun.

The movie centers on a pilot named Mills (Adam Driver) who crash lands on a strange planet during an interstellar mission. Before long, he discovers he's actually stranded on Earth 65 million years ago at the tail end of the reign of the dinosaurs. Mills only has one shot at rescue, leaving him and the only other survivor, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), to make their way across an unknown terrain crawling with dangerous prehistoric creatures.

Unfortunately, "65" got buried at the box office upon its initial release. For whatever reason, audiences just weren't all that interested in what Sony was selling at the time. But this movie very much understands what it is. The human characters are minimal yet compelling. The story wastes no time getting going and doesn't really let up for the duration of its runtime. The dinos look cool and the action is a blast. It doesn't reinvent the wheel by any means, but it knows how to effectively use that wheel for mass entertainment purposes.

"65" is a damn good time and showcases dinosaurs in a more raw fashion, leading right up to the moment when the famed asteroid collided with Earth and wiped them off the face of the planet for good.

Sparke Films

If "Jurassic Park" fans only watch one movie on this list, they would do well to make it "Primitive War." Directed by Luke Sparke, this absolutely bonkers dino adventure is absolutely everything that the "Jurassic" franchise can't be. It's unhinged. It's overstuffed. It's ridiculous in the best way a movie can be ridiculous. It's the greatest non-"Jurassic Park" dinosaur movie ever made, in my humble opinion.

Based on the book series of the same name by Ethan Pettus, the movie takes place during the Vietnam War and focuses on a recon unit as they venture to an isolated jungle valley in order to uncover the fate of a missing platoon. Before long, they find themselves in a fight for their lives as prehistoric dinosaurs emerge. Dino-fueled chaos ensues.

Director Luke Sparke managed to make "Primitive War" for a shockingly low budget, less than $10 million. I don't say that to scare anyone off — quite the opposite. Somehow, he managed to make it look like a real blockbuster for the entirety of its downright blistering 133-minute runtime, with more actual dinosaur action than the last couple of "Jurassic" movies combined. I'm not exaggerating either. This thing is overflowing with absolutely deranged action set pieces.

Look, "Primitive War" is not going to win any awards for its acting but it gets so many points for going over the f*****g top. It's everything that a mainstream Hollywood dinosaur movie can't and probably won't ever be. It's a truly wild ride, one that I've been championing ever since I saw it in 2025. Do yourself a favor and get in on the action.

Paramount Pictures

A lot of great movies flopped during the Covid-19 pandemic. Movies were, understandably, not the most important thing going on at that time. All the same, more than a few of the titles released in 2020 deserved a better shake, and director Michael Matthews' "Love and Monsters" is one of them. One part giant monster flick, one part love story, all hugely effective, this is the kind of original blockbuster we deserve more of.

It picks up seven years after the so-called Monsterpocalypse and centers on Joel (Dylan O'Brien), who has been living underground ever since giant creatures took control of the land, along with the rest of humanity. After reconnecting over the radio with his high school girlfriend, Aimee (Jessica Henwick), Joel opts to make the 80-mile trek across monster-infested lands to find her.

"Jurassic Park" is a monster movie with both great monsters and a lot of humanity at the center of it, which is why it works so damn well. None of the dinosaur stuff means anything without great people stuff to go with it, after all. "Love and Monsters" walks a very similar line, delivering great spectacle but also characters worth caring about.

This is a movie that people constantly seem to be pleased to discover. It's a hidden gem that deserves better than hidden gem status. If you've yet to find "Love & Monsters," now is as good of a time as any to amend that.

Toho International

I'm willing to bet the crossover audience for "Godzilla" movies and the "Jurassic" movies is sizable. That said, "Shin Godzilla" is one of the best "Godzilla" movies ever, and a full decade later, it's still one that not nearly enough people have seen. It didn't take off in North America like "Godzilla Minus One" did, meaning that a large portion of people who enjoy this sort of man-vs-nature spectacle still have the opportunity to watch this haunting gem for the first time.

Directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, it abandons all previous continuity within the franchise. The story picks up after something mysterious surfaces in Tokyo Bay. As the Prime Minister of Japan pleads with the public to remain calm, a horrific, tremendous creature makes its way into the city, leaving death and destruction in its wake. That may sound familiar but then ... Godzilla evolves. What it evolves into is one of the most outright terrifying versions of the King of the Monsters ever put to screen. 

What makes "Shin Godzilla" worth watching for "Jurassic Park" fans, aside from watching humans contend with monsters, is that it really gets to the heart of that "man's attempt to control nature is fruitless" idea that permeates the original "Jurassic Park." 

It's also nice because long-running franchises can seem daunting. Where do I begin? What movies do I watch? What movies do I skip? "Shin Godzilla" is a completely standalone, wonderful entry point into the franchise and one that highlights some of the darker, more resonant themes in Steven Spielberg's beloved blockbuster just as well. It's the real deal.

Paramount Pictures

Last, but certainly not least, we return to Steven Spielberg. It would be very easy (and perhaps lazy) to tell people to watch Spielberg's "The Lost World," which I would argue is a better sequel than it often gets credit for. Instead, I'd argue that "War of the Worlds" is one of the director's very best sci-fi movies and quite probably his most underrated. For anyone who wants to see Spielberg playing in a big-budget, science fiction sandbox again, this is the way to go.

Based on the H.G. Wells sci-fi classic, the movie centers on Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), a divorced dockworker who is also a less-than-perfect but loving father. After his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son and young daughter for a weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down. Then, giant aliens emerge, killing everything in their path, leading to the road trip from hell with Ray doing everything he can to help his children survive the invasion.

Time has been very kind to "War of the Worlds," which serves as one of the better 21st century Steven Spielberg movies. It's darker than Spielberg often goes, but is full of the sort of spectacle that he's defined his career with. It's really a shame that Spielberg and Cruise haven't collaborated with one another in more than 20 years because when they do, good things happen.

Not altogether unlike "Jurassic Park," this is humans trying to survive a dire situation. It's also Spielberg in full sci-fi blockbuster mode. So, while it's not apples-to-apples, this would certainly make for a compelling Spielberg double feature.