10 Screenwriting Lessons You Can Learn From Jurassic World

10. Decide Who Your Main Character Is

Pop quiz: who's the main character in the original Jurassic Park? Dr. Alan Grant, right? Chances are that - having seen the movie - you come away with a firm idea of who its central protagonist is. Even if the other characters - Elle Sander, Ian Malcolm, Richard Hammond - feature in the movie in almost the same capacity, the movie essentially positions Alan as the driving force. He's the hero. It's clear as day. Jurassic World fumbles with this aspect, and - as a result - the movie loses a sense of purpose and identity in its attempts to feature multiple protagonists. After all, who are the main characters? The kids? At first, it seems as such. But then the film switches to Claire, and... okay, so she's the main character. Wait, who's this? Owen Grady? He's the lead? Jurassic World constantly drops the ball as it tries to present a "main character," but a solid script - especially a big blockbuster - needs a central character to drive the action. It's okay to have secondary characters who feature in almost all the scenes, but there needs to be a single journey to hinge the picture on. Jurassic World tries at Owen, but can't commit.