Dr. Malcolm is a chaotician (he may or may not have made up that term – I’ve never heard of another chaotician). If you’re unfamiliar with the good doctor, he’s played by Jeff Goldblum in the first two Jurassic Park flicks. He’s not an expert on dinosaurs per se, but he is pretty good at math. Or something. But Dr. Malcolm was invaluable when the dinos start a chompin’.
You can’t be Indiana Jones’ dad and not make it on this list! Henry Jones is a professor of medieval literature and searches for the fabled Holy Grail in his spare time (i.e., every waking moment). He and his son obviously share a love of history but Henry’s quest for the grail put a strain on their relationship. Part of the reason I love this character is Connery, I mean, he was James Bond, so how can you not factor that in? But he’s a fun character and I can’t imagine anyone but Connery playing the role.
Everyone’s favorite child hating, raptor loving dino expert! Dr. Grant is a paleontologist from Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park 3 (not sure what he was doing in The Lost World). Dr. Grant is kind of a badass in that he’s survived all kinds of dino attacks. He’s great because he’s a bit of a curmudgeon but he softens a bit throughout the first film. Probably never did have any kids of his own, though (they smell!).
Chief Brody is Amity Island’s Chief of Police. He’s another everyman of Spielberg’s, just trying to do the right thing. But when the shit hits the fan, he’s one shark fighting son of a bitch. He came from New York, where there were plenty of murders but no GIANT SHARKS that’s for sure. He’s got great taste in hats and he’s smart enough to be afraid of the water. In all seriousness, Brody is a great character because he meets the responsibility of defeating the shark head on.
If you’ve read my bio here on the site, you’ll know that I shadowed an actual archaeologist in high school. Because I wanted to be one. Because of Indiana Jones. So, you could say the character had a bit of an impact on my life. Dr. Jones (played impeccably by Harrison Ford) is by far my favorite Spielberg character. He travels the world, gets the girl, and always defeats the bad guy. What’s not to love?
