Review Jurassic Park film review by DoomRulz
Written By DoomRulz on 2015-06-09 11:32:44
Just about everyone on the planet loves dinosaurs, especially kids. Don't lie. Growing you at least knew about T.Rex, Triceratops, "Brontosaurus", Stegosaurus, Allosaurus, and others. Perhaps one of them was your favourite (more likely than not, it was T.rex). With that love combined with a child's love for movies, it's hard to not be excited for a dinosaur film and when it comes to such films, none stand out more clearly than 1993's Jurassic Park.
Jurassic Park was released on June 12, 1993 to much hype and box office fare, going on to become the highest grossing film of all time until 1997's Titanic. It is directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and the late Richard Attenborough. It is based on the Michael Crichton novel of the same name. The story is about a theme park filled with dinosaurs that have been brought back to life through the miracle of cloning via dinosaur DNA found trapped inside mosquitoes, which were preserved in amber. Jurassic Park is the brainchild of John Hammond (Attenborough) but must first convince his investors that the park is safe for visitors. Enter paleontologists Alan Grant (Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Dern). They join chaotician and rockstar wise-cracker Ian Malcolm (Goldblum) on a journey to the park. While they all have their doubts about the park's design despite their initial amazement at seeing prehistoric animals in the flesh, everything goes to Hell in a handcart once the park's security is shutdown and the animals break free.
What makes Jurassic Park work more than anything is the breathtaking CG work. Up until the film's release, dinosaurs had been rendered on-screen via stop-motion animation or crudely constructed suits with sweaty men lumbering about a miniature set. Here we have dinosaurs that look (in most cases) photo-realistic, with CG work that still holds up 22 years after the film's initial release. Their scientific accuracy is questionable however, as even though the dinosaurs are accurate for their time, it's clear to anyone with dino-knowledge that liberties were taken with the dinosaurs' physical design (especially tha Dilophosaurus).
Of course I can't forget the humans who keep the story moving. While none of them are the deepest of individuals, they all work perfectly for they need to be. Neill and Dern have chemistry together as a paleontologists who also happen to be seeing each other. Goldblum is, well, Goldblum, as usual. He has a swagger about him that instantly makes you want to watch him as he steals every scene he's in. It could be his distinctive growl-like laugh or his never-ending sarcasm, but he draws you in each time. The other characters are appropriate where needed, such as Joseph Mazello and Arianna Richards as Hammond's grandkids Tim and Lex who come to the park as a suprise. Remember what I said about kids loving dinosaurs? They're Hammond's target audience so he brings them for the test ride (what could possibly go wrong?). Samuel L. Jackson plays Ray Arnold, the head of the park's computer team (and also his last PG role ever in cinema history), the late Bob Peck plays the park's game warden Robert Muldoon, and Wayne Knight of Seinfeld fame acts as the head of park security, which turned out to have been a very bad idea.
Jurassic Park is a film that has stood the test of time and will forever wow audiences both new and old with its timeless effects work. It's a monument to the magic of cinema and the wonder of adventure. If you haven't seen it, you really, really need to.
