Wednesday, April 11, 2012

"Clever Girl..."

JURASSIC PARK (1993)
When writing a review of Jurassic Park, it's tempting just to write the word DINOSAURS over and over again with a plethora of exclamation marks and call it a night. But Jurassic Park is so much more than just a dinosaur movie. As if it needed to be more! Really. We all would have been plenty happy with watching dinosaurs run around and eat people for a couple hours. You know you've watched those re-imagined dinosaur specials on The Discovery Channel. But here we have flesh-and-blood human characters, a strong script, solid acting, and a soundtrack that will go down in history. Between the swell of the human, the awe on the character's faces, and the vast landscape as they settle their helicopter down onto the island, there's a moment when everyone watching turns into an ecstatic child. Steven Speilberg, you've done it again. 

I could go on about the actors. About how Sam Neill delivers, and Laura Dern is a badass, and Jeff Goldblum is hilarious and classic. About how Richard Attenborough gives us an amazing John Hammond, and Samuel L. Jackson makes a wonderful computer nerd, and even the children are likable. Or I could talk about how epic the music is, how timeless, how John Williams owns it. Hell, I could even mention how awesome the dinosaurs are, how even the special effects stood the test of time. But the real magic of this movie is the beating, bleeding heart of it. All of the characters have very real, very emotion motivations and aspirations. But it's the awe and wonder they feel in the presence of such awesome creatures like the dinosaurs that really brings us back to what's important--nature is a beast. Life will find a way. And dinosaurs are awesome. 

14 comments:

  1. It is truly a classic that hits on all cylinders. It's another movie I've bought multiple times too. Fullscreen VHS. Widescreen VHS. DVD. No Blu-Ray yet but its only a matter of time. Didn't like 2; did like 3, just to put a bow on it.

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    1. Agreed! If ever there's a movie to buy not once, but multiple times, it's this one.

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  2. I saw this in the theater the summer I was 10. My brother had to "use the bathroom" five times. For a week afterwards, I listened for T-Rex footsteps as I slept in my grandmother's living room. Great movie!

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    1. Hahaha! That sounds epic! T-Rex footsteps are for the win. Really. Nothing more frightening.

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  3. this crazy movie shouldn't work, but it does!

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  4. love your blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    and calling it a day. =)

    A to Zer!
    prose-spective.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks!! I'm glad you enjoy it! Happy A to Zing!

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  5. Great "J" entry! I love Jurassic Park, both the book and the movie. It's one of those movies where you successfully suspend disbelief and just hang on for the ride. You have a great blog and a new follower.

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    1. Thanks! I've been meaning to finish the book for some time now. Started it...haven't been able to finish it. But this has to be the best Michael Crichton adaptation. Damn you, Timeline movie, damn you!!!

      (PS: YAY new follower!)

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  6. This was my first PG-13 movie. I was in second grade and my class was learning about dinosaurs. My mom saw Jurassic Park at the library and thought I would like it but since she didn't have her glasses with her she misread the PG-13 as PG. I loved the movie but there were a few unexpected moments that made me cautious about walking down a dark hallway.

    Good luck during the second half of the A to Z Challenge.

    Sarah @ The Writer's Experiment

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    1. This is an excellent first PG-13 movie! Definitely a good one to have up on the list. And dinosaurs are scary as all hell. But so worth it!

      Thanks for the comment! Good luck to you too!

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  7. My jaw unhinged in the theater the first time I saw this and it was like the first time I had seen the original Star Wars. I was a giddy kid on fantastical ride. The T-Rex moment still rates as one of my all time fave tension moments. The thuds, the water...

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    1. Agreed! Jurassic Park is really right up there with Star Wars, in my opinion. The thuds, the water...every since frame is perfect. No exaggeration.

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