जुरासिक पार्क

Wow! That's about all one can say about this movie. The first time that I saw it I was mesmerized. The movie looked so cool and hey, it actually had a good plot. If you haven't seen this movie yet, get out from your cave and see it right away. I have seen this movie umpteen times and it still shocks and suprises me. If you have a DVD player I suggest that you buy the Jurassic Park 2 pack as soon as possible. The movie sounds and looks great, and the extras are cool too. So to summarize go see this. Spielberg is a true genius. Almost all of his movies were great. 10/10!

What can be said about this movie that hasn't already been said? Who knows. We all know that this has some of the greatest special effects, even today. Also, if there's anything that can match the awesome T-Rex, it's the movie's musical score. I swear, listen to it more than once, and you're bound to see the movie yet again, if for that sole reason. It's that powerful. Oh sure, acting isn't this movie's strong suit, but who looks for acting in a Dinosaur thriller? Who?!

Anyway, I think I've made my point. Jurassic Park: One of America's greatest classics. Steven Spielberg created magic with this movie. If you haven't seen it once, you haven't seen it at all.

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.

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.

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.