John Hammond is well-known to Jurassic Park fans as the creator of the titular park. However, for those who have only seen the films and have not read the novels that inspired him, John Hammond is quite different in the movies. Not only did he have different personalities across materials, but he lived different lives.
John Hammond is no exception. When filmmakers translate books into films, they often add, remove, and change details. The books depicted Hammond as a greedy capitalist who was more concerned with his dinosaurs' happiness than his employees because the latter generated more money. Meanwhile, the films showed him to be less of a capitalist and more of a loving character.
In the Jurassic Park Books, How Was John Hammond Different?
John Hammond's book version was a disgraceful character that a lot of readers despise. He was willing to violate laws, be they legal or scientific, in order to accumulate the wealth he desired. However, he died at the hands (or fangs) of his very creations. It's not the best way to die.
The survival of John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) was somewhat different from his book counterpart, because he recognized that his park was a failure, which enabled him to escape a catastrophe which his book counterpart would have avoided. In the second film, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, he appeared to have abandoned his capitalist lifestyle and claimed to be a naturalist.
Why Is It A Good Thing Jurassic Park Changed John Hammond So Much?
Most readers believe that John Hammond's killing as a dungeon for the Procompsognathus is a karmic injustice, since it is very ironic that the creatures he grew his income off of became the cause of his death. However, Hammond found a different character in the films, as he gained a valuable lesson about wealth and capitalism.
The choice of showing Hammond in a less negative light was a wise move because it allowed viewers to learn more about the park rather than just a beacon of vexing greed. All in all, John Hammond's life could send a message to viewers about the consequences of unwatched greed.
READ NEXT: Jurassic Park and Jurassic World Films in a Box Office