# In Jurassic Park what was the point of showing the Barbasol Can covered in mud? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2026, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991 "2026-02-26T08:33:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/41 "2026-02-26T17:47:52Z")
Oh.. ya. I forgot about that. Well, I sure didn’t expect to see that helmet again. Edit: and thanks. Weird Luke grabbed it as he barely escaped with the corpse but I’d forgotten the shots of the pyre. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/42 "2026-02-26T17:54:45Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I think that served more purpose. It established tht the grail is truly gone, the Knight will die, and the grail story is now over. If it had been left with the Knight, it would only be a matter of time before someone tries to get it again. I always got the impression that after everyone left, the Grail temple would be restored, the Grail and the knight would be back in their chamber. There’s a magic earthquake when Ilsa tries to take the Grail past the sacred seal, then the floor gives way under Indy leaving the Grail just beyond his reach. These are not coincidences. I figured the whole place would magically reset and wait for the next poor slob who thought he was worthy to possess the cup of Christ. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/43 "2026-02-26T17:55:54Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Edit: and thanks. Weird Luke grabbed it as he barely escaped with the corpse but I’d forgotten the shots of the pyre. That clip _should_ have continued with Yub Nub… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/np6vAuS0KNs/hqdefault.jpg "Yub Nub (Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Ending)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np6vAuS0KNs) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/44 "2026-02-26T18:11:04Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Yub Nub And I DO remember the Stormtrooper helmet percussion from when I was a kid. I thought the Darth helmet would have been recovered from hulks like we see from the intactish throne room or Rey scavaging power couplertersh for resale. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/45 "2026-02-26T18:15:00Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I thought the Darth helmet would have been recovered from hulks like we see from the intactish throne room or Rey scavaging power couplertersh for resale. We almost got this. > **[It's official: 'The Force Awakens' almost started with Luke's severed hand](https://mashable.com/article/star-wars-hand)** > > Mark Hamill confirms the long-rumored opening scene. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/46 "2026-02-26T23:11:48Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > There’s no way for anybody else to get the can because the coolant only lasted 24 hours and everybody left on the island was either dead, evacuated or in the process of evacuating. At the point where Nedry is killed, we don’t yet know anything about the ultimate fate of the other people on the island. The viewer might reasonably assume that the can could be recovered in time. Nedry’s death scene is the point in the plot where the loss of the can hits hardest with the “it was all for nothing” realization. > [@Asuka](#): > > We couldn’t just assume the can died with him in his jeep they had to show it getting away from him and subsequently buried? Such an assumption might gradually occur to the viewer, perhaps long after the movie is over, but that doesn’t have nearly the impact that showing the can actually being lost does. It hits the viewer over the head with the futility of the whole plan. It’s not subtle but it’s not intended to be. ---
**Author:** ![Cwturner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Cwturner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cwturner)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/47 "2026-02-27T01:58:18Z")
Sorry to go off topic, but I’m not the first. It always bothered me when the jeeps crashed and Trex was hunting them. Jeff Goldblum(?) said “ Keep still. Their vision is motion based” So is ours, and we’re not blind when there’s no movement. CW ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/48 "2026-02-27T02:10:01Z")
I saw the Barbsol as a symbol of our civilization. The dinosaurs are capable of crushing our civilization into the mud. It could be a Coke or beer can. I guess they didn’t want a advertising placement for those products. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/49 "2026-02-27T03:34:09Z")
Side question, what can we really say about dino vision? I always loved that scene because I think it’s about the random way things get preserved in the fossil record. That can could have landed anywhere, but, sequels notwithstanding, it could go undiscoved for another 60 million years. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/50 "2026-02-27T03:39:58Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I saw the Barbsol as a symbol of our civilization. Interesting - and it’s a product designed to keep men’s faces in an “unnaturally” hairless state. (Perhaps that struck a chord with Spielberg as a non-face-shaver?) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/51 "2026-02-27T18:09:49Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > Side question, what can we really say about dino vision? When Crichton wrote Jurassic Park, the prevailing theory (or, at least the one he listened to) was that T-Rex wouldn’t notice you if you didn’t move. By the time he wrote the sequel, the prevailing theory was the other theory was crap. He had a character in the book try to not get eaten by standing still; character gets eaten; another character says something along the lines of “I guess he read the wrong study.” ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/52 "2026-02-27T18:18:55Z")
Sidebar: I always assumed Dodson was some middle management flunky (I am pretty sure the novel agrees) and the fact that the future movies made him the CEO because he’s the character we know is a symptom of what is wrong with most legacy sequels. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/53 "2026-02-27T18:22:43Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Sidebar: I always assumed Dodson was some middle management flunky (I am pretty sure the novel agrees) He was already Head of Research in the novel. What you might be remembering is that he _didn’t really do much research_, instead feeding Biosyn’s research team partially developed tech stolen from other companies through corporate espionage. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/54 "2026-02-27T18:25:44Z")
By the way, I just realized that the whole “evil corporate guy throws a woman off a ship to cover up the fact that he’s here to steal dinosaurs” plot from Rebirth was done by Dodgson in the Lost World novel. And he gets fed by the rex to its babies at the end. So I guess he doesn’t become CEO in the novel universe but it’s not that crazy that he would in the movie timeline. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/55 "2026-02-27T18:29:19Z")
There’s a scene early in the novel where he basically asks the board for permission to steal the embryos without anyone saying anything that would be incriminating later. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/56 "2026-02-27T18:50:48Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > Side question, what can we really say about dino vision? What’s rather funny about the whole thing is that all the really dangerous dinosaurs in the movie (T rex, the raptors, the dilophosaurus) were all theropods and thus reasonably closely related to birds. And nobody would ever say birds have bad vision. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/57 "2026-02-27T22:30:10Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > Side question, what can we really say about dino vision? > > I always loved that scene because I think it’s about the random way things get preserved in the fossil record. That can could have landed anywhere, but, sequels notwithstanding, it could go undiscoved for another 60 million years. In the novel it’s a plot point that Grant figures out on the fly while running from one that the T Rex’s vision is based on motion (it only sees things that are moving). It’s specifically presented as an example of the kind of thing you couldn’t know about a animal until you meet a live one. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/58 "2026-02-27T22:42:50Z")
To be fair, birds are descended from _flying_ therapods, who might have evolved good eyesight alongside flight. For all we know, their flightless therapod cousins could have had poor eyesight. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/59 "2026-02-27T23:23:19Z")
I almost forgot the computer guy was given the Barbasol container to steal frozen embryos. Not sure if it has any significance to the getting squashed in the mud scene. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/60 "2026-03-02T23:50:11Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Considering how much Jurassic Park must have cost, it’s pretty ironic that it was destroyed over such a relatively small sum. Ahhh, but Nedry really needs the cash. I haven’t seen it for three decades, but I clearly remember the scene where Hammond’s being a prick and is making Nedry repay him for some mistake that cost the park money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991.md?page=4)