6. Dr. Alan Grant
As Seen In...Jurassic Park (1993) and
Jurassic Park III (2001) Don't get me wrong: I like Alan Grant, but I don't think his character was ever realised enough to warrant his reputation as something of an "awesome movie hero." Fact is, Dr. Alan Grant seems to come from that screenwriting school of thought where it's simply enough to give your character a single trait and allow that to define them. You know, like how the Captain in
Prometheus plays an accordian, and you're supposed to be all like, "Oh, yeah, that's
his character." It's something of a shortcut, and it's kind of lazy. Alan's shortcut is: he doesn't like kids. Okay, fine, that's interesting enough, given that he's paired with two bratty ones for most of the movie. But that's all we really ever learn about this guy. He doesn't like kids, and by the end of the movie, he's more okay with kids. And aside from all that dinosaur knowledge (which doesn't count, 'cause that's his job), he's kind of bland and only ever reactionary. In
Jurassic Park III, Grant is even less developed: he merely exists, in the same way that, like, a cardboard box exists. That's not Sam Neill's fault: I think he does pretty well considering how little he's given to work with. Ultimately, though, I believe that Dr. Alan Grant is remembered far more fondly than he deserves to be because of the circumstances in which his character is placed: the main character in the greatest dinosaur movie ever made - how can he not be an "awesome movie hero," right? At least, that's what your memories are telling you (Jeff Goldblum's character, Ian Malcolm, remains the movie's most interesting character - that's a fact).