Trivia

Ernie Hudson stated that playing the character "Captain Munroe Kelly" is his personal favorite from his career.

The "diamonds" used for the scenes during the climax of the movie were actually Herkimer Diamonds borrowed from the Herkimer Diamond Mines of Middleville, New York. They are doubly-terminated (two-ended) quartz crystals that are found in only two places in the world. They were the only gems that would look enough like diamonds and be that large. As a kind of tribute, Tim Curry's character's first name is "Herkermer" (his character does not appear in the Michael Crichton novel upon which the movie was based).

Executive producer and director Frank Marshall originally intended to use the computer work pioneered on Jurassic Park (1993) for the gorillas, but opted for models, as the computers weren't capable of reproducing hair.

Bruce Campbell auditioned for the role of Dr. Peter Elliot. He was given the small part of Charles Travis instead.

Problems with the grays in the design stage only intensified when the characters started shooting. The mine in which the Grays' scenes were set was essentially a large, empty cavern of red rock. There was no foliage of any kind, and without it, director of photography Allen Daviau was unable to justify the kind of dappled lighting that would have gone a long way in making the grays look more authentic. "In any kind of creature work," Stan Winston commented, "so much of its success depends on the lighting and setting those characters are in. I wasn't at all happy with the Grays' environment. That big red cave didn't allow for interesting or dramatic lighting at all."

Jimmy Buffett: the 727 pilot.