Jurassic Park

The biggest attraction of this film back in 1993, of course, was the realistic computer graphic animation of the dinosaurs by SGI coupled with the realistic sound effects and the good use of suspense built around them both.

After I first saw this movie in the theatre 24 years ago, I laid in bed awake for hours, not from fright, but from the lingering excitement of the entire experience. Up to that time, nothing like it had ever been done on that scale. This is hard to remember when, since then, the Discovery Channel came up with the whole "Walking with ..." series of documentaries on dinosaurs, early man, and creatures before the dinosaur that use the same techniques that this film did, and thus people have become accustomed to this level of realism in animation both on the small and large screen.

Thus with the "shock value" of the animation removed, this movie doesn't seem quite as "5-star" as it did during its first run. The dialogue, in particular, seems a bit thin now. One aspect of the movie that still impresses me that doesn't get much mention is the outstanding use of sound and sound effects. For example, when the T-Rex first appears in the movie, it is not just the sight of the thing that terrifies, but its tremendous roar. It is still great action adventure viewing for the entire family.

JURASSIC PARK was the film that ignited my interest in filmmaking and drove me to get a degree in it, so I will always have a soft spot for it. I was eleven when I read the book, but all the technical stuff lost me and I never finished it. A couple years later when I heard the movie was coming out, I decided I would just see it instead. With advance tickets selling out fast, my mom was lucky enough to get some a few days before it's premiere. We stood in line for roughly thirty minutes before we finally got in. Even as the lights were dimming, I still had no idea what to expect. Within moments I was glued to my seat. The opening sequences remains one of my favorite scenes in any film and continues to give me goosebumps to this day. For the next two hours, I sat in my seat just staring at the screen as these marvelous, life-like creatures that were unlike anything I had ever seen before. The film was full of awe and scares. I walked out of the theater virtually trying to catch my breath. What a thrill ride the film had been, and I eventually went back and saw it a few more times. The film was a turning point in my life, as I said, because I walked out saying to myself, "That's what I want to do." Sure the characters aren't deep and the dialogue isn't great, but who cares when the film is this entertaining? The actors are good in their parts, especially the always great Sam Neill, and the dinosaurs are incredibly life-like. The action is great, and the pacing (after a slow start) is relentless. The film has a few continuity flaws, but none of them matter. This film is great entertainment.

What can I say? Jurassic Park is one of the most underrated movies ever. Yes, I did say underrated. True, it is the fourth highest grossing movie ever (for the time being) and was a motion picture bible for eight-year-olds across the country, but it has never been regarded as artistically superior. When, in reality, it is one of the most artistically inventive movies ever. It contains all of Spielberg's magical strokes of genius from fantastic art direction and wonderful camera techniques to astounding technical quality ( which comes from his well known control over technology). The minor flaws of a theme park are masterfully embedded into the art direction, script etc. and the acting is superb. This is one of the only movies I've seen with great acting by children. Spielberg's camera usage ranges from foreshadowing the appearance of dinosaurs with extreme up-angles to exquisitely composed scenes of the dinosaurs' "interaction" with the characters. Aside from technical quality, Jurassic Park bears powerful social messages of human intrusion and destruction of natural environment and the self-revering nature of man. Also, it had an undeniable effect on cinema being one of the first movies to use CGI at such a large scale. However, the most ingenious aspect of the film is the portrayal of the dinosaurs as animals rather than ruthless monsters. At many times throughout the movie, the humans are portrayed as antagonists and the respect and appreciation of the dinosaurs is wonderfully developed. And, best of all, like star wars you can analyze the movie all you want or just sit back and enjoy the ride.

It's hard to believe that it's 6 years since this film appeared at the cinemas. At the time it was a truly ground-breaking film, managing for the first time to portray dinosaurs in an extremely realistic manner, unlike those plasticine monsters that we were forced to watch in previous monster movies. Jurassic Park will also be remembered as the movie that finally made George Lucas sit up and realise that it was possible for him to make his prequels.

In hindsight, while it is still an extremely well directed and tension filled movie, the script did seemed dumbed down in order to appeal to as many people as possible - but that's really irrelevant since this film is all about dinosaurs. One of Spielberg's brilliantly directed films, it even managed to make me forget Spielberg's previous disaster of a movie - do you recall HOOK?

8/10.

I don't know why I loved this movie so much. Maybe it was the utter amazement when I first saw the Brachiosaurus eat from a tree. Or maybe it was my adrenaline rushing when two 12 year old were attacked by velociraptors. It might possibly be the chills that went down my spine when the T-Rex first made his terrifying roar. Whatever it was, it made me write this review.

Allan Grant (Sam Neil) and Ellie (Laura Dern) are two successful paleontologists who are asked by a rich man John Hammond to come at his park for a major tour. They agree and are taken to an island where "Jurassic Park" logos are everywhere. The two paleontologists have no idea what they are getting themselves into. The first dinosaur to make an apearance is the Brachiosaurus, which both of them are extrememly amazed by its giant apearance, and so is the audience. What the two of them don't know is that there are much more terrifying and carnivorous dinosaurs who are about to escape and run loose....

Directed by the mighty Steven Speilberg, Jurassic Park relied on more character development than any other creature-feature. Usually you get second-rate actors who can't act, getting terrified by monsters that don't really exist. Jurassic Park was the opposite. It changed the way we looked at the world, and it will forever. Based on the novel by Micheal Crichton, Jurassic Park was an amazing movie.

From beginning to end, Jurassic Park bedazzled us with dinosaurs. Dinosaurs that are EXTINCT. There are a lot of cool cameos and the stars give great performances. The whole family should watch this movie. Not for the glossy title, but because of the dinosaurs. I remember being a kid when I first watched it, and I remember loving this movie so bad. The climax was excellent, and I am not saying what happens, unlike the sequel to this film (Jurassic Park 3). A climax-less bad film, that was. But this....this was magic. And yes, it was a masterpiece.

The magic of this film is what brought me into dinosaurs, too. I had a "Jurassic Park" marathon today and I watched this movie, and I can still feel the magic. You will feel the magic too once you see it. I just have absolutely nothing to say except that Steven Speilberg will put a spell on you. Even if you don't like creature-features, this movie will entertain you. Steven Speilberg will take you to places that no one else ever will. And the "life will find a way" speech is here, ready to make someone feel that creating dinosaurs that have been extinct for millions of years is a good thing.

Absolutely needless to say, Jurassic Park was a golden diamond.

10/10 (One of the greatest films ever made)