Dilophosaurus (Jurassic Park 25th Anniversary, Pop! Movies by Funko)

With this year being the 30-year anniversary of the release of Jurassic Park, I thought it was well past time (5 years to be exact) that I reviewed this figure that was released for the 25^th anniversary of the film. It’s the Dilophosaurus Pop! by Funko. Although many Jurassic Park/World Funko figures now exist they don’t have a strong presence on the DTB. In fact, the only other Funko review (the Stygimoloch) was written by me. In that review I stated that I don’t collect Funko Pop! figures and that you shouldn’t expect more reviews of them by me unless I got the Dilophosaurus. I got it, so here we are.

I actually got this figure for Christmas a year ago and it has patiently been sitting on my desk, waiting for its 15 minutes, but other reviews have kept bumping it to the bottom of the to-do list. I don’t imagine there’s much demand for Funko reviews ‘round these parts, it’s the sort of thing you either like or don’t without needing the critical analysis of a written review. For a brief crash course on Funko Pop! figures check out my Stiggy review.

In my Stiggy review I stated that I don’t feel like the Pop! aesthetic translates well to dinosaurs. The gigantic, bulbous heads and tiny bodies just doesn’t work well for me and by-and-large I find the Funko dinosaurs to be rather ugly. There are a few exceptions though, including the previously reviewed Stygimoloch and this Dilophosaurus, as well as the recently released Giganotosaurus which might be the only rendition of the Jurassic World: Dominion Giganotosaurus that I actually like. I think that these figures succeed because their adornments help blend the giant heads with spindly bodies or distract from the proportional differences. Horns for the Stiggy, the frill and crest for the Dilo, and the exaggerated spikes and scutes for the Giga. Indeed, there is a version of the Dilophosaurus without the frill and I find it as off-putting as the Funko Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor.

The Funko Dilophosaurus, with its giant head, vacant black eyes, and toothy grin is equal parts unsettling and adorable. The snout, lips, and top of the head are detailed with scales while the lower jaw is more minimally detailed with only some cross hatching for scales. The body is mostly devoid of detail, save for some bumps across the hide and tarsal scutes on the feet. This is normal for Funko figures where most of the finer details are limited to the head sculpt, the focal point of any Funko Pop! figure. The iconic crest is nicely textured with deep grooves and the frill has various skin folds and a toothed edge.

The paintjob doesn’t look very much like the original Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus with a blue-green skin tone like that of the Dilophosaurus mount in the Lockwood mansion, as seen in Fallen Kingdom. The frill is a closer match to what we get in Jurassic Park though, being yellow with red markings. It’s not nearly as intricately patterned as the frill of the movie’s Dilophosaurus, or more screen accurate figures like those by Mattel.

With the frill being a major focal point on this toy I would have liked a more elaborate paintjob. The dull red crest is only painted on its outside surface and the inside is the same color as the body. You don’t have to worry about misprinted eyes though, since the eye orbits are highlighted in black anyway. The teeth are white and the tongue and skin at the corners of the mouth is pink. Shockingly, all the finger and toenails are painted gray despite their small size. Take note, Mattel!

The Pop! Dilophosaurus is one of the better executed dinosaurs from Funko, a cute and whimsical caricature of an iconic movie monster that is sure to enchant Jurassic Park fans. My main complaint is that I wish that we got a more screen accurate and intricate paintjob. Other color variants exist of this figure too, an entirely red Target exclusive one and a green glow-in-the dark one. This version can still be found widely online for varying prices.  Maybe Funko will give us an accurate Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus repaint for the 30^th anniversary, but I doubt it.