Jurassic Park
Release Date: June 11, 1993
Runtime: 127 Mins
Winner of all three Academy Awards for which it was nominated including Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects
Read our thoughts after the jump...
By Sean Knight
I vividly remember seeing Jurassic Park in the theater for the first time. It was 1993, I was about eight years old living in Greece, and I spent a large majority of the picture’s runtime forcing my father to take me to the bathroom. I was terrified and exhilarated. This was my second Spielberg feature that I saw in a theater – the first being Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. As a child, the subject of dinosaurs coming back to earth after sixty five million of years of extinction was fascinating. And Spielberg delivered on showing us lots and lots of them. Jurassic Park was a landmark feature for the advancement of computer generated effects and, for that reason alone, Hollywood types and children of the Spielberg generation, like me, will always remember it fondly. The film is an effective thrill ride similar in tone to Spielberg’s own Duel and Jaws, hence my eight year old nerves needing a potty break every twenty minutes, or so. Jurassic Park is also somewhat of a missed opportunity for Spielberg. While he definitely delivers the thrills and spectacle of Dinosaurs walking the earth, we miss out on the child like awe that if the film were made in the previous decade it most certainly would have had. It seems a shame that once we get these long deceased magnificent creatures up on the screen we can do little but run and scream from them.
There is a little of the Spielbergian awe toward the beginning of the film when we see the dinosaurs for the first time. It’s a perfect Spielberg moment as Dr. Grant, played by Sam Neil, and Dr. Sattler, played by Laura Dern, stare out of their jeep in wonder as a herd of Brachiosaurus march across the land. The camera lingers up at them from a distance and the earth rattles with their walk. I can still feel the hairs standing up on the back of my neck from that first viewing when the Brachiosaur takes a bite from the tree tops and crashes down to the earth. The theater shook and the audience was captivated from this moment on with one thought in their head – how the hell did Spielberg do this? While the effects in Jurassic Park are no longer as groundbreaking as they once were, when you look back they hold up surprisingly well. Credit must be given to the artists at ILM who were sailing through largely uncharted waters here. To create a living, breathing, realistic organism through a computer had never been accomplished before. Spielberg went on faith that they could pull it off by looking at bare bones computer tests (literally a herd of bones flocking towards the camera). He even went as far as to tell ILM that he would not make their job easy by making his camera immobile – he would use all of the Spielberg camera tricks in his arsenal to bring this thrill ride to the screen. His gamble paid off. The introductory T-Rex scene, with a blend of animatronics and CGI, is still as effective as it was in 1993. And the Raptor chase through the kitchen, that left me scurrying to the bathroom as a child, still remains terrifying despite some obvious seems between the real and the computer generated.
Criticism has been thrown at Jurassic Park over the years for its lack of interesting human characters. While the human characters definitely take a back seat to the dino action, I think the accusation is a little unfair. The character of John Hammond, played by British film director Richard Attenborough, is tragic and beautifully acted. Ian Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum, provides needed comic relief through his eccentricities. But, it is Sam Neil, as Dr Grant, who provides the heart of Jurassic Park. Spielberg is again working with parental themes here, but instead of a distant father figure we have a man who has no interest in children. Over the course of the film he comes to care for Hammond’s grand children, played by Joseph Mazello and Ariana Richards, but it never seems trite or sentimental. It’s as if Spielberg himself is forgiving his father and embracing his own role and responsibility as a father now.
On this most recent viewing I kept thinking how much more effective the film could have been if it was from Hammond’s grandchildren’s point of view. Spielberg has never had qualms with putting children in danger and, indeed, the kids in this film get put through the ringer. But, the reason it would have made the danger more powerful from their perspective is that the child wonder and awe would have been present from the outset. Jurassic Park was made to thrill children and young adults, so why not have a protagonist that we can relate to? If Spielberg had made Jurassic Park in the late seventies, or even the early eighties, this is probably the road he would have taken for the narrative. But, it is somewhat silly to criticize Jurassic Park for what it might have been when Spielberg provides us with such an electrifying ride.
By J. Link
“We Spared No Expense”
Is there anything Steven Spielberg can’t do? Seriously. He’s made a movie about a Shark, Aliens, and now Dinosaurs. I remember seeing the trailer for this movie and thinking that there was no way in HELL that I would ever see it. I’m sorry but the trailer scared the crap out of me. The tyrannosaurus rex has always been showcased as this huge scary thing and I thought that it was going to be nothing more than a bunch of people get torn to shreds. I was relieved to discover that while some people met their fate, it wasn’t all blood and gore…..but it will still be filed in the, “movies that stress me out” file. I’ve ridden the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios and for awhile that made me feel like I had seen the movie. I knew the jist of it. Some old rich guy creates this place where Dinosaurs roam free and people come and tour it. Then something goes horribly wrong (THANKS WAYNE KNIGHT) and the dinosaurs are let loose and the people must fight off death in order to escape the island. I had also convinced myself that Kirsten Dunst was in this movie…..maybe I was thinking of Jumanji? Anyway, in my effort to gain more film knowledge I realized that I had to bite the bullet and finally watch Jurassic Park.
I did a pretty good job of staying calm through the entire movie. There was only one instance when I freaked out. When I say freaked out I mean leapt across the room screaming. Sean was so mad. I looked like a fool but I couldn’t help it. That raptor came out of nowhere! Then the scene with the kids in the kitchen?? Nope. I tried covering myself with a blanket but Sean being the BAD friend that he is kept pulling it off of me. I’m glad I finally grew some balls and watched this movie. I really enjoyed the thrill of not knowing who was going to make it off the island. Plus, anything with Jeff Goldblum makes me happy. I wish he was utilized more in this one. That was my one problem with the movie. He kind of got the short end of the stick because he got stuck with an injury and couldn’t do much. **Spoiler Alert** I’m glad they didn’t kill him off. I mean, ya can’t kill Jeff Goldblum! He brought that comedic energy to the movie and I was very grateful for that. This movie needed a comedic spark to balance it out.
As much as I live for Jeff Goldblum I must admit that his performance wasn’t my favorite. He wasn’t bad by any means! He was great! But, Sam Neill (Dr. Alan Grant) wins my award for best performance. I thought it was perfect that a man who wasn’t the biggest fan of children was saddled with the task of keeping them safe. Watching his character change through the course of the movie is something that has stuck with me. The first encounter we see him have with a child he is very harsh and straightforward but through the course of the movie we see him move into a more protective role. I appreciated that and thought Spielberg did a great job of showcasing those tender moments. The scene that sticks out to me is when Dr. Alan Grant, Tim (Joseph Mazzello), and Lex (Ariana Richards) are sitting in the big tree watching the Brontosaurus’ eat. Grant keeps the children calm by teaching them about dinosaurs and promises to stay awake all night and keep watch. Spielberg finally had a “father figure” type character that was present and didn’t abandon them. Maybe he’s worked through his daddy issues?
There were many intense moments in this movie. I was proud of myself for handling the first meeting with the T-Rex as well as I did. I didn’t really panic. I already figured out who would be the first victim and that there was only one way he could die so I knew what to expect. The one that sent me flying was when the Raptor attacked Laura Dern. Good gravy! It’s making me nervous just thinking about it. The stakes were already so high in that moment. Laura Dern (Dr. Ellie Sattler) was turning the electricity back on, the kid was still on the electric fence, Samuel L. Jackson had disappeared, Muldoon (Bob Peck) was standing guard outside. So many things were building on top of one another. When the raptor popped out I was NOT expecting it. I leapt off the couch and ran to the other side of the living room. I was having a panic attack. We had to stop the movie for a few minutes while I calmed down (and had another drink). Sean was yelling at me to shut up and laughing at me at the same time. It was not one of my finer moments. But in my defense I was really wrapped up in what was happening and was not expecting it. So cut me some slack! I was also a mess when the kids and the raptors were in the kitchen. If one of those raptors had gotten a hold of one of those kids I would have gone home.
The technology that was developed for this movie is also of great significance. If you own the DVD you should to watch the “Making Of” documentary because it really showcases the impact this movie had on the technology used today. It raised the bar and really pioneered the way for the technology that is used to make the movies the being released in theaters. It’s a fascinating watch and I urge you to check it out.
Overall, I think this movie is another homerun for Mr. Spielberg.
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