“Jurassic Park” is one of the greatest blockbusters ever made. Its various sequels are … also movies that exist. It goes without saying that there’s a pretty big gap in quality between the first one and all the others, but as you go through the entire “Jurassic Park” franchise timeline, there is one constant: This film series is riddled with plot holes. 

Of course, some creative liberties are necessary. This is a franchise about cloning dinosaurs, so it’s understandable if the science doesn’t always add up. Even ignoring that, sometimes the science just plain doesn’t make any sense or actively goes against what’s been previously established. The “Jurassic Park” series offers a lot to chew on in terms of the dangers of men attempting to play god and messing with science they don’t fully understand. But if you start thinking about these plot holes too much, it’s hard to focus on those themes — or anything else, for that matter.

The basic science of the “Jurassic Park” movies gets explained through Dr. Hammond (Richard Attenborough) and his team cloning dinosaurs via blood samples from mosquitoes trapped in amber and then filling in the blanks with modern animal DNA. That’s all well and good for a science-fiction film explanation, but it doesn’t explain how they managed to clone plants that have been extinct for millions of years. 

Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) is taken aback by a plant that hasn’t existed since the Cretaceous period. It’s not like mosquitoes would’ve drank chlorophyll or anything to get plant DNA inside them, although we suppose there would be other ways for plant material to be preserved. It could be found in fecal matter from herbivores that’s been caught in amber and then reconstructed using modern plant DNA.

One DNA creation that absolutely doesn’t make sense is that of the mosasaurus in “Jurassic World.” After all, it’s not like a mosquito would’ve gone out to sea to quickly get some mosasaurus blood during the brief moments when it surfaces above water. There is a popular fan theory that none of the dinosaurs in “Jurassic Park” have legitimate dino DNA. Instead, Hammond’s team created wholly new mutants based on what people perceive dinosaurs should look like. Dr. Wu (B.D. Wong) in “Jurassic World” even has a line about how they’ve always genetically altered the dinosaurs, which explains why they don’t have feathers. However, taking the movies at their word that these were made, at least partially, from real dinosaur DNA does require some leaps in logic.

The ending of “Jurassic Park” sees the remaining humans cornered by a pack of velociraptors. Literally out of nowhere, a Tyrannosaurus rex emerges and takes a bite out of one of the raptors, saving the day. It’s a perfect showcase of how the T-rex isn’t evil. It’s an animal, and at the end of the day humans are completely at the mercy of nature, which can sometimes be beneficial and sometimes not. The scene works thematically, but it does raise the question as to where this T-rex came from. 

The building is still under construction, so there’s a chance there was an opening large enough for the T-rex to fit through. It still doesn’t explain how no one is aware of the T-rex’s presence until it literally enters the camera frame to eat a raptor. We’ve already seen that this T-rex’s stomps are powerful, as evidenced by the iconic water cup scene where its footsteps cause the water to ripple. But no one, not even the raptors that should be more attuned to big sounds, sees it coming. It’s even more ridiculous when you realize Dr. Grant (Sam Neill) and the others were looking right where the T-rex would’ve been and don’t react until it makes its move on the raptors. 

Many directors play with the logic of off-screen space. As an audience member, we instinctively know there’s more to the film’s world beyond what the camera’s showing us. But many filmmakers will use that off-screen space to play with expectations, like having something appear unexpectedly for comedic or horrific purposes. It adds to the tension, but it still doesn’t explain why no one knew a T-rex was coming. 

“The Lost World: Jurassic Park” brings the dinosaurs to the mainland for the first time. A T-rex is put on a ship and transported to San Diego, where it promptly gets loose and runs amok. But there’s a problem with how the T-rex gets there in the first place. Specifically, all of the humans aboard the S.S. Venture are dead by the time the ship reaches California, but the T-rex is still in its holding cell. What exactly happened to the crew?

There’s some speculation online that an original version of this sequence involved velociraptors stowing aboard the ship and killing everyone, but that it got scrapped. From what we can tell, there’s no hard evidence to suggest this was the case, so the only explanation that remains is that the T-rex killed everyone. The dinosaur was sedated beforehand, which means it would’ve needed to wake up, eat everyone on the ship, and then wind up back in the cargo hold. 

The only possible explanation, and the one we’re meant to believe, is that the T-rex wreaked havoc on the ship before it reached shore. But that sequence of events feels so unlikely. Once again, this feels to be a case of director Steven Spielberg wanting to create a cool, suspenseful set piece with a dead ship crew serving as an ominous warning of what’s about to happen next. The problem is that thinking about it for five seconds makes the whole thing fall apart logistically. 

The “Jurassic Park” franchise has had some incredibly brutal deaths throughout its history. Even people who are trained fighters and mercenaries aren’t a match for dinosaurs. Despite this, beyond all logic and reason, 12-year-old Eric Kirby (Trevor Morgan) manages to survive on a dino-infested island for eight weeks all on his own until his parents and Dr. Grant come to save him. 

This is probably meant to speak to Eric’s ingenuity, but it defies everything we know about the franchise so far. He’s been holed up in a supply truck with food all this time, but he still had to reach the truck in the first place, which feels like it would’ve been a massive undertaking for a kid. After eight weeks, the T-rex or spinosaurus should’ve smelled him from inside the truck and ripped it apart trying to get to him. The only explanation is that he’s unbelievably lucky.

There’s also the matter of him having a container of T-rex urine. When Grant asks him how he got it, Eric responds, “You don’t wanna know.” That vial is pure urine; it’s not like Eric would’ve dug it out of dirt or something. Plus, he knows that it repels smaller dinosaurs but attracts the spinosaurus. If he learned that first-hand, he would’ve needed to escape from one of those, and that really seems like a long shot. A child’s death may be a step too far for the “Jurassic Park” franchise, but under any normal circumstances, Eric should’ve died almost immediately upon getting trapped on the island. 

“Jurassic Park III” ups the ante by introducing the spinosaurus, which is successful in taking down a T-rex and establishing itself as the new baddest dinosaur along the way. Several scenes are dedicated to showing just how vicious this creature is, like when Grant and Eric barely escape from it in an enclosure. Even when they’re on the other side, they’re not safe, because the spinosaurus plows through an enforced fence and chases after them once again. It seems unstoppable until just a couple of minutes later where it’s stopped in its tracks by a door.

Granted, it’s a heavily-reinforced door, but it doesn’t seem any tougher than the enclosure the spinosaurus made quick work of. Let’s even assume the door is simply impenetrable. What would’ve stopped the spinosaurus from ramming through the walls and entering the building that way? 

It’s a classic case of power scaling. The spinosaurus is all-powerful when it needs to be a serious threat, but when our heroes need a break, its strength decreases significantly. Whoever designed the enclosures on this island really should’ve just made it entirely of doors, since that seems to be the spinosaurus’ main weakness. 

The “Jurassic Park” franchise came roaring back to life with 2015’s “Jurassic World,” which remains the highest-grossing film in the franchise. But the new lease on life also brought with it a host of plot inconsistencies and things that just plain didn’t add up, especially as they’re related to the Indominus rex, a mutant hybrid dino. Whereas the T-rex and velociraptor are at least based on creatures that actually used to exist, the Indominus rex was a wholly new creation with some of the best powers in the animal kingdom. It’s incredibly intelligent, with the ability to speak with velociraptors. Plus, it can camouflage with its environment, which all around feels like a bad idea to begin with.

The camouflage allows the I-rex to sneak up on security personnel and wipe them all out, but it’s unclear why the scientists at Jurassic World would give it this power in the first place. The whole point of creating this creature was to be a shiny new attraction at the park. If it can basically turn invisible to where no one can see it … then how are guests supposed to see it? Anyone who paid an exorbitant amount of money to visit the park would surely demand a refund if the main attraction decided to hide all the time. 

There’s a running theme throughout the “Jurassic Park” franchise that just because humanity can do something doesn’t mean we should. The scientists, who we assume must be smart people, really should’ve thought that one through. 

Come to think of it, Jurassic World feels very poorly designed in several aspects. For instance, take the gyrosphere ride. Each sphere allows two passengers to roam amongst the herbivores. It looks pretty fun, almost like when zoos have a safari ride where people can get up close to zebras. The only problem is that the spheres aren’t attached to any kind of track. What’s to stop someone in a gyrosphere from ramming into a dinosaur and potentially hurting it? 

Even beyond that liability, how long is this ride supposed to take? There can only be so many gyrospheres the park has available, with two people going into each one. Theoretically, someone could take a gyrosphere out for a spin and use it for hours, denying other paying guests their chance to go on the experience. There obviously isn’t even a recall function, as Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simpkins) receive a message for all gyrospheres to return to the station, but they just keep going further and further into the attraction. 

The idea of a gyrosphere you’re in total control over does seem fun, and it creates a more thrilling set piece when the Indominus Rex goes on the loose later. But it makes zero logistical sense as a ride.

We’ve already gone over a couple of aspects of the completed Jurassic World theme park that don’t make any sense. And honestly, neither of those hold a candle to the biggest head-scratcher of all. Why, for the love of all that’s good, would you build a theme park on the same island as an active volcano?

Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) return to Isla Nublar to attempt to save as many dinosaurs as possible from the impending eruption. But it just seems foolish to build a park here in the first place. Granted, the fact Isla Nublar has volcanic activity is mentioned in the original 1990 “Jurassic Park” novel: “Isla Nublar. Actually an extinct volcano, though there’s still volcanic steam in places … as you can see, ocean currents make it permanently covered in mist.” However, it doesn’t come up in any of the previous films. 

A generous interpretation of this plot point is that building a theme park on an island with a volcano is yet another way John Hammond spared an expense. Despite him asserting in the first “Jurassic Park” movie that he took great care in ensuring the theme park was safe, we frequently see things go wrong because he was too cheap. This might simply be another case. Perhaps Hammond thought the volcano had been dormant for so long that it was a non-issue to build here. If there’s one expense Hammond shouldn’t have skimped on, it was hiring a geologist to be absolutely certain the volcano wouldn’t go off anytime soon.

It’s a good idea to take any “science” in the “Jurassic Park” movies with a hefty grain of salt. These are science-fiction tales, after all, but there are some key details that just don’t make sense. We’re not even talking about things related to cloning, as “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” incorporates a real-life drug into its plot in a way that simply doesn’t work.

The mercenaries use tranquilizers containing carfentanil to subdue the dinosaurs. This is an incredibly strong real-life drug: In fact, it’s 100 times more potent than fentanyl. Even a tiny dose can be fatal to humans, which means Owen Grady should absolutely be dead. When Owen and the mercenaries locate Blue, they fire on Blue to make the raptor sleepy. They then turn their guns on Owen, realizing he’s been double-crossed, and fire him with the same tranquilizers containing carfentanil. He receives a dose suitable for a dinosaur, which means there’s no way he should’ve woken up from that nap. 

Zia (Daniella Pineda) does pull the dart out before giving its full dose, but that’s almost irrelevant. Again, even a small amount should be fatal. They could’ve simply been vague with what the tranquilizers contain, but name-dropping this real substance only raises more questions.

In “Jurassic World,” Owen is established as a raptor trainer. He’s managed to (somewhat) tame a group of raptors, notably Blue. His calling card with this is extending his arm straight in front of his body while keeping his palm open. This seems to work to get the raptors under his command when they get a bit unruly. This comes up again throughout the franchise anytime Owen wants to tame Blue, which makes sense since Blue was used to it. But in “Jurassic World Dominion,” Owen begins doing the hand trick to every dinosaur he comes across, and strangely enough, it works.

It’s just one of the many things that doesn’t make sense about “Jurassic World Dominion.”  At the beginning of the film, Owen encounters a wild parasaurolophus. All Owen has to do is get the rope around its neck and extend his hand, and the dinosaur becomes much calmer. But this doesn’t make any sense. It’s like teaching your own dog a trick and then expecting some random dog you find on the street to obey. The latter wouldn’t have the same training, so why is this dinosaur listening to Owen?

He does the same thing during the dino market sequence, and honestly, it might just be muscle memory for him. If it works out, then that’s great. But if the dinosaurs remain wild, he moves onto Plan B (which is to say, he runs away).

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” introduces Maisie (Isabella Sermon). The story implies Lockwood (James Cromwell) created her after his daughter’s death as a way to still have a piece of her, and this human cloning is what caused his falling out with Hammond. However, “Jurassic World Dominion” completely changes her origins and makes her an even more convoluted figure in this series.

“Dominion” retcons this and instead explains that Maisie’s mother, Dr. Charlotte Lockwood, gave birth to her own clone, Maisie. She was then able to go into Maisie’s DNA to take out the fatal disease that would wind up killing her so that Maisie wouldn’t suffer the same fate. Maybe Lockwood didn’t want Maisie to know that she was, in fact, raised by her mother for a little bit. But what purpose would lying serve? It just feels like the franchise couldn’t really figure out what to do with her and altered her origin when it wanted something different.