While the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park might have stolen the show, the movie would not have become the classic it is today if not for the excellent cast of characters. Steven Spielberg has a real talent for infusing grand stories with relatable people and Jurassic Park certainly fits into that particular trend.
Each of the main characters is given distinct personalities with some being more endearing than others. Certain characters are entertainingly sleazy, others are charming despite their faults, and others make for perfect heroes to follow throughout this adventure.
Dennis Nedry
While it is certainly the dinosaurs that cause the majority of the damage in the movie, all the mayhem comes down to a human character. Dennis Nedry is an employee in charge of the computer systems at Jurassic Park who decides to sell the park's secrets to its competitors.
In order to carry out his corporate espionage, Nedry shuts down much of the park's security programs, letting most of the dinosaurs out. Through his greed, Nedry is responsible for the death of multiple people, including his own in a bit of karmic justice.
Gennaro
As the profit-focused lawyer in the group, Gennaro is immediately easy to dislike. He is the typical corporate slimball who sees dinosaurs being brought into the modern world and his first thought is about how much money will be made.
His crassness is enough to make him unlikeable, but he also proves to be a cowardly jerk when things turn bad. While sharing a car with the two children, Lex and Tim, Gennaro abandons them and tries to save himself when the T-Rex shows up.
John Hammond
It is hard not to be charmed by John Hammond with his grandfatherly personality and desire to share something extraordinary with people all over the world. In truth, Hammond is not a bad man but is simply misguided by his own ignorance.
He is unable or unwilling to acknowledge the dangers and ethical issues with bringing dinosaurs into the same world as humans. Even when people start to die and others including his grandchildren are still in danger, he tries to defend the park. Thankfully, he is wise enough to eventually see the error of his ways.
Lex
Another trend of Spielberg's movies is adding child characters to the movie, often to great effect. Lex is one such addition to Jurassic Park as she is the young granddaughter of John Hammond. And when the danger begins, it is easy for the audience to become invested in Lex's wellbeing.
The kid characters in these types of movies can sometimes be annoying as they are in constant need of rescue (which Lex certainly is) and the "hacker" subplot for the character is quite silly. However, watching her take on the raptors in the kitchen sequence shows that she can fight for herself when needed.
Tim
Tim is Hammond's other grandchild and Lex's brother. Despite his young age, Tim is shown to be a very intelligent young man who is also a big fan of Alan Grant's career on dinosaurs. it is always hard not to be charmed by precocious kids like this in Spielberg movies.
Tim also goes through a lot over the course of the movie, being thrown into a tree while inside a car, electrocuted, and nearly eaten several times. The fact that he still marches forward with that childlike sense of wonder is nice to see.
Mr. Arnold
Despite being played by Samuel L. Jackson, Mr. Arnold is a smaller role among the main cast as it was early in the actor's career. He is another one of the park's technicians who is given the impossible task of undoing all of the damage Nedry created.
His iconic catchphrase "Hold onto your butts" is enough to make Mr. Arnold likable, but he also proves himself to be one of the movie's most underrated heroes. Not only does he come up with a solution to the mess, but he volunteers to go out into the jungle to reboot the system, only to die off-screen.
Muldoon
In almost any other movie, Muldoon would have been the lead character. He is a badass hunter who both sees the dinosaurs as his enemies yet also has respect for them. Throughout the movie, he keeps a cool head and proves himself to be a man of action.
He continuously puts himself in danger without any hesitation and even goes off to hunt the raptors alone. While he is eventually outsmarted by the dinosaurs, he gets some memorable dying words to end on.
Ian Malcolm
Ian Malcolm might seem like an aloof and eccentric man when first introduced, but he quickly proves himself to be quite brilliant. He also has one of the most sensible views of the park from the very beginning.
Though he is in awe of what was able to be accomplished by Hammond and his team, he is also greatly disturbed by it and proves to be right in his theories. Ignoring that his flirting with Ellie is more than a little creepy, Malcolm gets some of the most iconic lines in the movie.
Ellie Sattler
While the sequels have yet to bring her character back in a meaningful way, Ellie Sattler is one of the best characters from the first movie. She is another person who is brilliant in her field and shows a mix of compassion and fearlessness at all times.
From helping out a sick Triceratops to standing up to Hammond when things go south to venturing out into the jungle, Ellie is shown to be a woman of action who helps to save the day.
Alan Grant
Alan Grant is the perfect kind of Spielberg hero as he has relatable character flaws, like his grumpiness towards children, yet overcomes them when trouble starts. Like Ellie, he is enthralled with the world of dinosaurs and can't help but show his excitement at being in Jurassic Park, even if he sees its dangers.
But he also becomes a grounded action hero later in the movie, serving as the one who takes Lex and Tim across the dangerous park while protecting them. He is a smart and brave man who thinks of others over himself.