Paleontologists Alan Grant (Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Dern) and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Goldblum) are among a select group chosen to tour an island theme park populated by dinosaurs created from prehistoric DNA. While the park’s mastermind, billionaire John Hammond (Attenborough), assures everyone that the facility is safe, they find out otherwise when various ferocious predators break free and go on the hunt.
- Based on the novel Jurassic Park.
- External Sites(will open in a new window)
When looking for something to watch, I noticed something I hadn’t really thought about before: there are a lot of films coming out that are the continuation of a series. With all the sequels and prequels (Deadpool & Wolverine, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Alien: Romulus, etc.), there are a lot of films that we haven’t reviewed yet before we can even get to those. Of course, then something else caught my eye – Jurassic Park. With another sequel/reboot planned, it seemed like a decent place to start. So would this original film stand up, or are the most recent films leaving all of these originals in the dust?
The cast of the original film in this series really hasn’t been beaten yet. While Chris Pratt was a solid choice for Jurassic World (since he was so popular when it was released), the cast of Jurassic Park seemed to be picked more for their ability to portray their characters. Sam Neill leads, and while he hasn’t gotten acclaim for other roles (like his turn in In the Mouth of Madness), he’s on top of his game here. He delivers the wonder and magic that seeing realistic dinosaurs on screen brought to viewers back when this was released. Even now, the viewer can relive that feeling through him and his co-stars. Jeff Goldblum is excellent – if irritating – as a know-it-all, and he uses his usual manic energy to good effect. Laura Dern is good as well, and really has a chemistry with Sam Neill. Spot appearances by Newman from Seinfeld (TV) and Mr. Fury himself, Samuel L. Jackson, only add to the fun.
There’s a reason that Steven Spielberg is a household name. He seems to be able to take any subject – whether it’s something as heart-wrenching as the slaughter of the Jews during the holocaust (Schindler’s List) or the violent life of a soldier in WWII (Saving Private Ryan) or a shark attack (Jaws) – or even the adventures of an archaeologist (Raiders of the Lost Ark) and give viewers such a personal look they can’t help but get attached. Even something as fantastical as an alien visitor (E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial) – or living dinosaurs in the present day (Jurassic Park). He’s able to draw viewers in with the special effects or odd camera tricks, but keep them around for the compelling story.
The special effects are still pretty impressive, even 30 years after Jurassic Park first hit theaters (yup, it’s really been that long). While you can see a little bit of a green screen effect in certain sequences, it’s super hard to detect, and doesn’t occur at all during the big action sequences. It’s only during the slow points that you can catch any errors at all – truly impressive considering how far special effects have come in that same timeframe. Thanks to the use of some Stan Winston animatronics (the same guy who made the original Alien folks look so realistic), this film is built to last (as are most Steven Spielberg films. That guy is smart enough to keep an eye on how his films will look not only today, but in the future as well).
While the special effects are what caused the original “Wow” reaction from the crowds, it’s the storyline – based on a solid novel by Michael Crichton, that keeps this film at the forefront of this series. While future films keep trying to update the “wow” factor (and some have succeeded), many forget about the storyline – or the likeable characters. There’s never going to be a match for that opening shot of Isla Nublar from the helicopter – or a duplication of the magic the viewer felt the first time the characters laid eyes on a real live dinosaur. And that’s just a part of what makes Jurassic Park so special, even now.
