Hollywood seems to have a skewed idea of veterans who return to the civilian world. They’re either over-the-top action junkies, like John Rambo (in movies outside of First Blood), or they’re a broken-down husk of who they once were, like, well, basically any character in any drama set after a war’s end.
In real life, veterans are cut from the same cloth as everyone else. You’ve got your outstanding, Captain America-types, your aggressive Punisher-types, and just about everyone in between. But all of the characteristics of your everyday veteran can be seen clearly in Chris Pratt’s character, Owen Grady, in 2015’s Jurassic World.
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Grady’s service is barely hinted at in the movie. In the scene where Owen and Claire are trying to find her nephews, Claire implies that Owen could, simply, just track them down by their scent or footprints. Owen quickly (and hilariously) responds with, “I was with the Navy, not the Navajo.“
This one line gives a whole new meaning to everything that he does throughout the film.
Owen is reclusive, professional, mission-oriented, and reasonable — much like a real-life veteran. They don’t have him claim some overly badass job description — he just says that he was in the Navy. He, like 97% of the military, wasn’t a special operator.
In fact, his role in the military is never explicitly stated, but when you look at his skills in leading Blue and the raptors, he shows talents very similar to those of a dolphin and marine animal trainer — which makes sense since it explains why the film’s antagonist, Vic Hoskins, hired him directly out of the Navy. Vic also mentions Owen’s military service and refers him as a “dog of war,” which Owen shrugs off.
But what really defines Owen as a character is he demeanor. He’s smart enough to know the ins-and-outs of the island while also being jaded enough to only speak up once. This usually involves him telling people that raptors aren’t able to be controlled right before the raptors rips someone to shreds. Hey, at least he tried to tell ya.
It’s unclear if they will further elaborate on Owen’s backstory in the upcoming Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom but, so far, Owen Grady’s character is an excellent, authentic representation of veterans that doesn’t make us look like heroes or broken men — but rather just like any other guy who’s good at surviving bad situations.