Tyrannosaurus rex is the most famous dinosaur. Ever since the North American paleontologist, Henry Fairfield Osborn, described this carnivore from the Cretaceous in 1905, it has not ceased to become a leading star in fiction in all formats . Literature, cinema, comics and video games have included Tyrannosaurus rex among their most striking and spectacular elements. Possibly, the stellar appearance of this species has occurred in the “Jurassic Park” saga. This and many other cultural presences make this dinosaur as well known as it is misunderstood. But this time we are not going to focus on the scientific aspects of T. rex , but on some of its appearances in popular culture.
a movie star
Before the Jurassic Park saga, a T. rex was already a protagonist in the cinema. In 1918, Willis O’Brien directed “The Ghost of Slumber Mountain”, a film with the stop motion special effects of the time, in which we witness a confrontation that would become a classic: t. rex vs triceratops . A fight between hunter and prey that Charles R. Knight painted in 1942, creating a mural for the Field Museum of Natural History that pushed many to study paleontology and fueled the imagination of others to create stories with these fascinating protagonists.
O’Brien himself would handle the effects on the 1933 classic “King Kong.” In the film, the great ape faces a T. rex in another of the most epic battles in cinema, repeated in the re-adaptation of the 2005 film.
Without a doubt, the most emblematic representation of the Tyrannosaurus rex occurred in “Jurassic Park”. Steven Spielberg adapted Michael Crichton ‘s novel and since you surely know the plot, let’s move on to other examples. In fact, many of you may not know that the same year that “Jurassic Park” was released, 1993, another movie about dinosaurs hit theaters. “Carnosaur” , produced by Roger Corman, adapted the homonymous novel by John Brosnan. But the effects of this film, which also had sequels, were far from the quality presented by the saga that did triumph: “Jurassic Park”, thirty years later, remains young.
Animated film has the ability to parody even the most fearsome animals. From the ferocious monster of the “Jurassic Park” saga, we move on to the insecure and shy Rex, the dinosaur from “Toy Story” . Tiny is also an animated rex who appears in Meet the Robinsons . The species also gained prominence in “Ice Age 3: the origin of the dinosaurs” , a nice saga dedicated entirely to prehistoric species.
As famous are his more or less realistic recreations as his own fossilized skeleton . In “Night at the Museum” , the works on display come to life at night. One of them is the skeleton of a playful T. rex .
Batman and Hitler also have their own Tyrannosaurus
Batman has a Tyrannosaurus rex in his batcave . It is an airship robot whose history dates back to the Batman #35 comic, published in 1946. In this issue, the DC superhero and his partner, Robin, face dinosaur-shaped machines on an island. It thus mixed the concepts of “Westworld” and “Jurassic Park”, curiously, both stories created by Michael Crichton. Would you read this comic and did it inspire you? Could Batman have influenced “Jurassic Park”? Your head is exploding, we know it.
Dinosaur-shaped machines are also used in the “Power Rangers” franchise. In the original saga, the leader is given power and control by the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord . Another world that unites high technology and dinosaurs (this time with life) is the “Dragon Ball” saga. Throughout its chapters several T. rex appear, but one of the most recognizable is the one that constantly chases Gohan during his training (or survival) in the wild.
“Digimon” and “Pokémon” also have creatures with T. rex -inspired looks like Agumon and its digivolutions , Tyranitar, Tyrunt, and Tyrantrum.
They have also put their face, claws and devastating jaw to the service of video games . They appear in titles like “Dino Crisis”, “Tomb Raider” and “Ark”, in which you can tame your own Tyrannosaurus.
Without a doubt, it would give for a book to review all his appearances. These are just a few examples, but we do not want to say goodbye without remembering one of the most bizarre: in the 2019 film, “Iron Sky: The Coming Race”, Hitler appears riding a T. rex to dominate the world.
