Jurassic Park fan points out overlooked detail, and now everyone thinks Hammond is the worst

Jurassic Park
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

The water vibrating in the cup on the dashboard. The velociraptor peering through the kitchen window. Jeff Goldblum's bare chest. Jurassic Park is chock-full of memorable moments that have been burned in cinema-goers' minds since its 1993 release – but according to one fan, one super important line has been overlooked over the years.

After a recent rewatch of the Steven Spielberg flick, Reddit user Dlph_311 took to the platform to gush about the bit where a construction worker reveals to lawyer Donald Gennaro (Martin Ferrero) that the titular park's owner John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) famously hates inspections. "They slow everything down," the foreman says flippantly, shocking Gennaro, who's been sent to Isla Nublar to check the attraction's viability and safety.

"I've seen this movie dozens of times and it's the first time I realized that Hammond's hatred of inspections is one of the major reasons the park failed," Dlph_311 admitted. "It's a subtle bit of foreshadowing that's easy to miss."

While we'd argue it's a major theme of the film and not as easy to miss as they claim, the original post certainly sparked conversation, prompting others to share similar examples, as well as point out differences between Michael Crichton's 1990 novel and Spielberg's take on the source material. 

"The dirty secret of the narrative which doesn't often go acknowledged enough is that the park's rapid failure was inevitable, because Hammond is nothing but a cheap-skating showboat," said a fellow fan. "Another under-referenced line is when Dennis Nedry utters, 'Don't get cheap on me, Dodgson. That was Hammond's mistake.' This directly contradicts Hammond's continual utterance of, 'Spared no expense.' He says it mostly as a theatrical cover.

"The character is played endearingly by Richard Attenborough, so it's easy to casually overlook, but John Hammond is a very flawed and irresponsible human, and no one like him should ever have been in charge of a project like JP."

Another wrote: "He's very much a villainous character in the original book; the cheap, profit-driven billionaire who cuts corners and sees science as an avenue to further wealth and power.

"Dude, Hammond is the worst. Always cutting corners, expects his scientists to do everything regarding the dinosaurs, but still has to be present at each hatch," said a third. "Hates inspections, because he knows he's cheap and cut corners. Spared no expense, my ass. Also I don't trust a guy who just lets his grandchildren get into these literal life threatening situations, and basically does bare minimum to get them to safety - ie, expecting Dr. Grant and Dr. Statler to go out and save their asses."

Elsewhere, someone else highlighted an unspoken nod to Hammond's love of shortcuts and need for immediate satisfaction: "He also puts champagne in a rocks glass when there are champagne flutes right behind him. I always like this detail because it shows his lack of attention to detail."

"Had he taken the time to do things right, things would've been a lot better," replied another user.

"Things like this are why Jurassic Park is such a perfect screenplay. Every line has a purpose. No scene is wasted. Many scenes are doing multiple things at once," praised one more. 

For more, check out our ranking of the best sci-fi movies of all time. (Spoiler alert: Jurassic Park comes in at #6).

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

Read more
Jonathan Bailey and Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth's writer says the new movie will include a novel scene they had to cut from the 1993 original
Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth looks more horror movie than adventure – and that has me thrilled
Jonathan Bailey and Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth actor teases a "link" with Sam Neill's Jurassic Park character – and fans think they've worked it out
Frodo and Sam in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
24 years later, fans are still spotting the incredible, "unmatched" attention to detail in Lord of the Rings
John Lithgow as Dave Crealy in The Rule of Jenny Pen
John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush's twisted chiller is a much-needed shake-up to the horror genre, disrupting harmful elderly stereotypes embraced by the likes of X and The Shining
Lily-Rose Depp in Nosferatu
Nosferatu has a mistake so obscure you need to be bird expert to notice it – and fans joke that Robert Eggers will be "genuinely upset" when he discovers it
Latest in Sci-Fi Movies
The Russo brothers
The Russo brothers defend use of AI in The Electric State: "There’s a lot of finger-pointing and hyperbole because people are afraid"
John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
John Boyega reveals Tom Cruise actually helped him get cast in Star Wars
The Electric State
Despite The Electric State's $300 million price tag on Netflix, the Russos say it "doesn't make a ton of sense to continue to spend that way"
Aaron Paul in Ash
Breaking Bad star's new sci-fi horror movie debuts to an almost perfect score on RT as first reactions compare it to Event Horizon
Starship Troopers
District 9 filmmaker Neil Blomkamp is working on a Starship Troopers reboot that goes back to the original 1959 novel
Chris Pratt in The Electric State
The Electric State post-credits scene: does the Russo brothers' new Netflix movie have a post-credits scene?
Latest in News
Mario odyssey screenshot showing mario standing with sentient forks
8 years later, Super Mario Odyssey players are still getting awed by the discovery that you can destroy metal crates by turning into a bird and pecking them 200 times
Wyrdsong
Skyrim and Fallout veterans' new open-world RPG is now a roguelike that's not open-world, after funding issues brought the team "down to a skeleton crew"
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2
Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy says his Star Wars show is trying to be "more serious about this sh*t than anybody ever has been"
Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing companion Shadowheart, a young half-elf woman with long tied-back black hair
Baldur's Gate 3 animation impresses Larian Studios, prompting one dev to say "mature" animation of the RPG "would pop the f*** off"
Captain America holds up his shield in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals devs reveal Season 2 is already completed, and that the studio has already completed designs for Season 3 and 4
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
28 years after Final Fantasy 7 introduced a generation to the concept of waifus, Tetsuya Nomura says Tifa's popularity is "not just about appearance"