I apologize for what must seem like an onslaught of reviews these past few days, but I simply knew I had to write this when I learned today was the 25th anniversary of Jurassic Park. I had originally intended to share this review back in March to coincide with the release of Spielberg's Ready Player One, but that plan fell through when I took a brief hiatus from this format. Anyways, things worked out nicely in the end because I'm now able to share this on the actual anniversary. For the rest of the week, look forward to my Throwback Thursday Review of The Incredibles in addition to reviews of new releases Tag (2018) and Incredibles 2. I'll be preparing my Throwback Thursday Review of The Lost World: Jurassic Park to share while I'm away next week and then I'll certainly be reviewing Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom when I return. If you're wondering about the other Jurassic films, I'm saving those reviews for another time.
'Jurassic Park' Review
Nominated For: Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
Won: Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
Jurassic Park ventures alongside a select group chosen to tour and approve an island theme park off the coast of Costa Rica that is populated by dinosaurs recreated from prehistoric DNA. When the preview tour goes awry and the dinosaurs break out of their enclosures, the excursion soon becomes a scramble for survival.
Jurassic Park was directed by the astounding Steven Spielberg and featured a screenplay written by David Koepp and Michael Crichton which served as an adaptation of Crichton's own novel. It's often said that no one makes a movie like Spielberg, and that statement couldn't be any closer to the truth. Just take a glance at the man's body of work, and you'll soon see his range and flexibility as a filmmaker. He's helmed a film in just about every genre from action-adventure to holocaust dramas... Hold on a second... He actually directed two films attributed to those categories in the same year when both Jurassic Park and Schindler's List were released in 1993 with overlapping productions. As I was saying, the man can make whatever he'd like whenever he'd like, but his sense of Spielbergian awe and wonder remains present through just about all of it. Even his lesser work is enhanced by his special touch.
With that being said, I consider Jurassic Park to be top-tier Spielberg and it still reigns supreme amongst his filmography in my eyes (perhaps coming in second to Raiders of the Lost Ark). From the very get-go, Spielberg hones in on establishing the exposition and the film's underlying foundation as both exciting and informative. It all starts with men simply moving a crate, but the atmosphere of the scene makes the opening all the more mysterious and intense before a worker's suddenly killed by a velociraptor. Four minutes in and Spielberg's already hooked the audience's attention so he can start to steadily reel them in and ease them into his story before delivering the exhilarating, edge-of-your-seat action they all came to see. In the meantime, he and the writers must introduce all the major players along with furthering the story and educating the audience on some crucial dino-behavior for later.
It's actually quite important that Spielberg took his time before he brought out the dangerous dinosaurs. He took the Jaws approach, and it only made the grand entrances for the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Velociraptors all the more satisfying and suspenseful. For the first hour, we've gotten to know the characters and learned everything we need to know about these creatures. Now, we find ourselves invested in their survival when it matters most. The stakes are high for our heroes and we actually care about their safety, which is more than most Jurassic Park sequels can say.
On that note, I'd like to briefly discuss why no Jurassic Park sequel will ever top the original. While I admit there are other franchises out there with additional installments I enjoy more than the first, the Jurassic franchise is currently batting 0-3. Why is that, you ask? Well, Jurassic Park was lighting-in-a-bottle and it's incredibly difficult to recreate the conditions that lead this film to become the masterpiece we still cherish today. Even with Spielberg behind the camera on The Lost World, the results weren't quite as great as one might hope. Who knows? Maybe Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom or the inevitable Jurassic World 3 might be the next great thing? However, I sincerely doubt it because it's already incredibly difficult for other films to measure up to Jurassic Park, let alone those within the franchise.
On a brighter note, the practical and digital effects hold up remarkably well. The animatronics and CG-creations weave together seamlessly for an incredibly immersive experience that's only further enhanced by the sensational sound design, Dean Cundey's captivating camerawork, and one of John Williams' greatest film scores. Williams themes actually are the lynchpins that hold it all together as the accompaniment echoes the triumphant feelings of awe and wonder associated with the park and ratchets up the tension tremendously in the suspenseful scenes.
As for the cast, everyone nails it as Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Samuel L. Jackson, and Wayne Knight lend the proper personality to their respective roles. Neill's Alan Grant is as stern as can be while Dern's sweet and badass as Ellie Sattler. Then Ian Malcolm is pretty much peak-Goldblum, Attenborough perfectly personifies Hammond as warm-hearted yet misguided, Jackson keeps it cool, and Knight's schtick is quite amusing.
Also exceptional are the young child performers Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards as Tim and Lex. It's through their eyes that the entire experience is given an extra layer of authenticity as they look on in both horror and amazement at the wide assortment of dinosaurs. While they each may have slipped from the more mainstream movies in the time since, I'm sure they'll be forever remembered for the astonishing work they provided at such a young age.
To simply call Jurassic Park a beloved blockbuster classic would be a massive understatement. It's endlessly iconic from start-to-finish and I can't imagine it will ever go extinct. It's really no secret that I strongly suspect Jurassic Park will forever be fossilized as one of the best action-adventure films to ever roam the Earth.
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