John Hammond, the filthy rich owner of a premier biotechnology company called InGen, has a grand dream—to bring dinosaurs back to life for the viewing pleasure of the public.  For a handsome price, tourists will be able to visit a lush island where the animals roam free in all their ancient glory. Thanks to the cloning methods discovered by Hammond's scientists, his impossible goal is coming to life.  Jurassic Park is almost up-and-running.  Before officially opening the park, however, Hammond brings in a team of experts to experience what has—up until now—been a (mostly) secret project.  Hammond's visitors—Alan Grant, a professor of paleontology; Ellie Sattler, a paleontologist; and Ian Malcolm, a mathematician, specializing in chaos theory—are as amazed by the living dinosaurs as Hammond expected them to be.  He didn't anticipate the trio's skepticism, however.  No matter.  Hammond's grandchildren have also arrived.  Having the youngsters on the island will make his point very nicely—Jurassic Park is as safe as any other amusement park.

 If that were true, there wouldn't be much of a story, of course.  So, naturally, things start to go wrong.  An InGen employee tries to smuggle dinosaur embryos off the island, dinosaurs escape their pens, the animals—supposedly incapable of reproducing—do exactly that, etc.  As everything goes haywire, it's up to Hammond's terrified visitors to save themselves and the children.  Can the horrifying chaos be contained on the island?  Will anyone make it out of Costa Rica alive?  What will happen to John Hammond's glorious—and deadly—Jurassic Park?