Ian Malcolm (character)
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Dr. Ian Malcolm is a fictional character from the ''
Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...
'' franchise created by
Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavil ...
and portrayed by Jeff Goldblum. Malcolm is a gifted mathematician from the University of Texas at Austin who specializes in
chaos theory Chaos theory is an interdisciplinary area of Scientific method, scientific study and branch of mathematics. It focuses on underlying patterns and Deterministic system, deterministic Scientific law, laws of dynamical systems that are highly sens ...
. The character was inspired in part by American historian of science James Gleick and French mathematician Ivar Ekeland. In Crichton's 1990 novel ''
Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...
'' and its 1993 film adaptation, Malcolm is invited by insurance lawyer Donald Gennaro to notice any problems with John Hammond's dinosaur theme park, Jurassic Park. Malcolm was intended by Crichton to fill in the role of the audience in the scenarios he is put through. Malcolm is a secondary protagonist in the original novel and the main protagonist in the sequel, '' The Lost World'', due to positive fan reception from Goldblum's performance as the character in director
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
's film adaptation of the original novel. His role as Ian Malcolm in ''Jurassic Park'' skyrocketed Goldblum's career. Malcolm has become one of Goldblum's most popular characters and has been depicted in many forms of popular culture. The character's signature line, "Life finds a way", has become synonymous with Goldblum and the ''Jurassic Park'' franchise, and Malcolm has been recognized as the franchise's most enduring character.


Fictional character biography

In Crichton's novel, Dr. Ian Malcolm, along with
paleontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...
Dr. Alan Grant and
paleobotanist Paleobotany or palaeobotany, also known as paleophytology, is the branch of botany dealing with the recovery and identification of plant fossils from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments (pale ...
Dr. Ellie Sattler, is hired as a consultant by InGen CEO John Hammond to provide opinions on Jurassic Park, a theme park on the remote island of Isla Nublar that features genetically recreated dinosaurs. Malcolm is the most pessimistic about the idea of the park, feeling that Hammond and his scientists have not taken the time or effort to fully understand what they are creating. In particular, he points out that Hammond's assertion that the dinosaurs can be controlled through sterilization and managed breeding is foolish since there are far too many unpredictable variables where biology is concerned. During a tour of the park, disgruntled computer programmer Dennis Nedry shuts down power to the park to gain access to dinosaur embryos to sell to a rival. Nedry's actions cause the electrified fences to shut down as well, allowing the dinosaurs to escape from their paddocks. Malcolm is attacked by a ''
Tyrannosaurus rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' () is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The type species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' ( meaning 'king' in Latin), often shortened to ''T. rex'' or colloquially t-rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It live ...
'', which breaks his leg. Malcolm is found by game warden Robert Muldoon and attorney Donald Gennaro and taken back to one of the lodges to be looked after by park veterinarian Gerry Harding. Harding administers
morphine Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...
to Malcolm, who spends the rest of the incident ranting about science and philosophy while attempting to assist the other survivors. His condition continues to worsen, and by the time the Costa Rica Air Force arrives to Isla Nublar, Malcolm is said to have died from his injuries. In the sequel, '' The Lost World'', it is revealed that the declaration of his death was premature, and Malcolm was able to be saved. Malcolm is upgraded to the main protagonist of the sequel, which begins with him giving a lecture on extinction and
chaos theory Chaos theory is an interdisciplinary area of Scientific method, scientific study and branch of mathematics. It focuses on underlying patterns and Deterministic system, deterministic Scientific law, laws of dynamical systems that are highly sens ...
. It is also stated that Malcolm used to date
Sarah Harding Sarah Harding (born Sarah Nicole Hardman; 17 November 1981 – 5 September 2021) was an English singer, model and actress. Her professional career began in 2002 when she successfully auditioned for the ITV (TV channel), ITV reality series ''Po ...
, and they have remained friends. Malcolm and Sarah are approached by paleontologist Richard Levine, who wants him to help find a "Lost World". Though Malcolm refuses the offer many times, he eventually relents and travels to Isla Sorna. Malcolm injures his leg again during an encounter with another ''Tyrannosaurus'', but survives.


Film adaptation

The film adaptation of Crichton's novel directed by
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
features actor Jeff Goldblum in the role of Ian Malcolm. Unlike in the book, Malcolm is never declared dead in the film adaptation, but is severely injured by the ''Tyrannosaurus''. In the film, Malcolm's injury comes from attempting to lure the ''T. rex'' away from the car carrying Tim and Lex Murphy, whereas in the novel Malcolm's injury came out of cowardice (more akin to the death of Donald Gennaro in the film). This change was suggested by Goldblum. Goldblum reprised his role for the sequel, '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'', in '' Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'' in a minor role, and alongside
Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile acto ...
(Alan Grant) and Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler) in ''
Jurassic World Dominion ''Jurassic World Dominion'' is a 2022 American Science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emily Carmichael (filmmaker), Emily Carmichael from a story by Derek Connolly and Tre ...
''. Some fans found the personality changes of Malcolm from the first movie to the character seen in ''The Lost World'' to be somewhat drastic, and some have speculated that the character suffers from
PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...
after his trip to Jurassic Park. In the first film, it is stated that Malcolm has been married several times and has three children. One of his children, Kelly Curtis, appears in '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park''. By the time of the sixth film, he has had two more.


Production

Before Goldblum was cast, comedic actor
Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...
had auditioned for the role of Ian Malcolm. The film's casting director, Janet Hirschenson, believed that Goldblum was the perfect actor for the role, and spoke of Carrey's audition saying Carrey, "was terrific, too, but I think pretty quickly we all loved the idea of Jeff." Actor Cameron Thor had initially auditioned for Malcolm, before landing the role of Dodgson. In the novel, Malcolm states that he only ever wears black so he does not have to put much thought towards what he wears. This is a characteristic shared with an earlier Goldblum character, Seth Brundle from '' The Fly''. Malcolm's line, "must go faster", was reused by another Goldblum character, David Levinson in ''
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
''.


Reception

Goldblum's portrayal as Ian Malcolm was lauded by fans and critics. Malcolm is the most popular character in the franchise, and is one of Goldblum's most popular roles. Goldblum was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal in ''
Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...
'' alongside
Wayne Knight Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played recurring roles such as Newman on the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996â ...
as Dennis Nedry, but both lost to Lance Henriksen in '' Hard Target''. Goldblum was also nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - SciFi for his role in '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park''. Goldblum's lack of screen time and over marketing in '' Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'' was criticized by fans of the franchise, who had felt like the marketing for the film relied too heavily on featuring Goldblum's return as Ian Malcolm, only for the actor to appear in only two short scenes at the start and very end of the film. Timothy Donohoo of ''
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'' was critical of Malcolm's characterization in ''
Jurassic World Dominion ''Jurassic World Dominion'' is a 2022 American Science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emily Carmichael (filmmaker), Emily Carmichael from a story by Derek Connolly and Tre ...
'', calling the film his worst appearance in the series. Donohoo wrote that while the first two films depict Malcolm as "a cynical voice of reason", ''Dominion'' "reduces him to a source for inane comedy", opining that Goldblum essentially played himself.


Legacy

Ian Malcolm has gone on to become one of Goldblum's most iconic and frequently referenced characters. Malcolm and another character, Dr. Henry Wu, have appeared in four films throughout the series, more than any other characters. Malcolm has been referenced in different dinosaur studies, as well as his line, "Life finds a way". The quote has become synonymous with the ''
Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...
'' franchise as well as with Goldblum himself. The character also reinvigorated an interest in chaos theory, due to a scene where Malcolm flirts with Ellie Sattler while discussing it. A scene from the first film where Malcolm appears with his shirt open has been widely noted by Goldblum as the primary reason the character was established as a sex symbol, with the pose serving as the subject of many tattoos,
Internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...
s, a
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toy figure, as well as receiving a statue in Potters Fields Park in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.


See also

* List of ''Jurassic Park'' characters


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malcolm, Ian Characters in written science fiction Fictional characters from Texas Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder Fictional mathematicians Jurassic Park characters Literary characters introduced in 1990 Male characters in film Male characters in literature