Jurassic Park (1993)
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Jurassic Park Movie Review
Jurassic Park is a 1993 science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. It’s one of the director’s better films.
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“God help us, we’re in the hands of engineers“
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Wealthy businessmen and scientists revive the dinosaurs and create a wildlife park for them, but technical problems lead to visitors struggling to survive and escape these carnivorous animals. The premise is perfect for the film treatment, and it just goes to show how Spielberg has always had a great eye on what to adapt, and he ended up improving upon his source materials.
The reason why I find this flick better than most of his other blockbusters lies squarely in its brain as it’s also concerned to deal with some interesting themes and is never at all empty. In particular, it portrays so truthfully how nature always finds the way when it comes to survival instincts. It also deals with ecology and the balance of all living things, and how dinosaurs have had their time, and it’s not the same as reviving the dodo bird for instance as we humans are not responsible for their demise. I also liked its tackling of powerful business moguls and how they will stop at nothing to make additional buck.
The movie’s adventurous elements are impressive in their own right. The entire first act is a glorious case of old-fashioned adventure storytelling that is all too rare in modern times. The first scene where they see the dinosaurs is simply miraculous in its sense of wonder and excitement. The build-up to it is excellent as thankfully, despite the big advancements in VFX, Spielberg knew not to show the creatures too early.
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However, the reason why Jurassic Park is pretty good and not great lies in its third act. The horror elements then get introduced and I was not thrilled with those. The never-ending escapade from the dinosaurs gets rather tiresome, and although many of those action/horror scenes are undeniably well mounted, I still found them overwhelming.
The movie’s kids are per usual not great as they aren’t well developed at all. But the various scientists and powerful businessmen are really well portrayed, and in particular the main three characters are all terrific. Sam Neill and Laura Dern are a wonderful couple, and she is particularly likable and badass here. And of course, one cannot talk about this picture without praising Jeff Goldblum who is easily one of its most memorable parts. He brought a lot of his signature silly humor into the procedure, resulting in all of his scenes being wonderfully lightweight and fun.
Jurassic Park benefits from powerful technicalities, which led to it being one of the finest blockbusters of the nineties and a bona fide blockbuster sensation. The special effects are so great that they brought CGI to the cinematic map. The dinosaurs look very much real, and I loved how the movie showcased all the different dinosaurs, both carnivores and carnivores, both famous and lesser known creatures.
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The pacing is also strong before that overlong third act, the performances are uniformly strong and the direction from Spielberg is one of his best. And of course, the score from John Williams is one of his greatest. It was shamefully snubbed for an Oscar. The score is so moving, so grandiose and so magical, especially in the aforementioned first dinosaur witness scene.
Jurassic Park remains overwhelming in its overly action-oriented third act, but the film prior to that is suitably adventurous while also exploring some very interesting themes. It’s thus not an empty blockbuster, but a rich tale of evolution and the power of nature. The characters are mostly very good, the direction is great, the VFX are outstanding and the score from John Williams is one of his best. The scene where they first witness the dinosaurs offers undeniable movie magic. As a result, the film remains one of Spielberg’s finest blockbusters.
