Jurassic ParkI don't know about you, but I read plenty of books about dinosaurs as a kid. I could name a bunch of different varieties, and knew the difference between a herbivore and a carnivore, the Triassic Period and the Cretaceous Period, and so on. A fondness for this dynamic and exciting, extinct life from millions of years past is the same kind of thrill which propels paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and paleobotanist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) in their respective professions, and what their benefactor, a rich industrialist named John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) counts on when he invites them to visit his top secret blend of genetic revolution and theme park.
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Based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park is the battle between science and commerce, of ego versus humility through Hammond, who invites Alan and Ellie--along with self-proclaimed "chaotician", Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), and John's grandkids, Tim (Joseph Mazzello) and Lex (Ariana Richards)--to witness the spectacle of his newest attraction, an actual dinosaur wildlife preserve called "Jurassic Park". But even before this, the tone of Jurassic Park is set as ominous and deadly, due to an ill-fated attempt to corral one of the now more infamous dinosaurs, a Velociraptor, into its pen by resident game warden, Robert Muldoon (Bob Peck), and his unfortunate staff, making it clear from the start that the venture is doomed. Without sparing much time, it becomes clear that the reason for the tragic failure of Jurassic Park is because it is founded not on the auspices of science or discovery as much as it is on the desire to turn a buck, evidenced by the presence of the "bloodsucking lawyer", Donald Gennaro (Martin Ferrero), who only sees the legal liability and the monetization of the formerly extinct reptiles above anything else. So when the disgruntled computer expert, Nedry (Wayne Knight), betrays Hammond by attempting to steal preserved embryos, disabling the park's security and thus endangering all its human inhabitants, the fears expressed by the skeptics become very real and very deadly.
Jurassic Park introduced the world at large to the terror of the Velociraptor, a lethally evolved dinosaur which, as Alan observes, shares more in common with a bird than some of its Paleozoic counterparts. The Velociraptors make for the best kind of movie monster; they are convincingly real, very cunning, and learn, belying perceptions that they operate on instinct alone. They are a kind of super predator which operates in packs. The way that Grant describes how he would assume the Velociraptor to hunt its prey proves to be spot on in one clever display of their prowess. When the "raptors" invade the visitor center, pursuing Tim and Lex into the kitchen, the scene is one fraught with tension, recalling Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. This is not just because the kids are ill-equipped to defend themselves, but because the raptors have more than just intellect, they seem to have a kind of malevolence. The Velociraptor shares more in common with Spielberg's best-remembered film about another deadly predator, Jaws; in both films, the "monster" is more like a force of nature, barely endured by man, who is incapable of understanding the raw perniciousness of a creature who is not only adept at killing, but the act is also intrinsic to its being.
One of Jurassic Park's strengths is how each character is very distinct and a lot of their personality is conveyed in interesting ways. Alan Grant is fairly soft-spoken and pragmatic, and he claims that he has no interest in children. On the other hand, he connects well with Tim and Lex, forced to protect them when they are abandoned and confronted by a deadly Tyrannosaurus Rex. He is also a bit mischievous, describing raptors claws to an unimpressed boy at a dig site in Montana, and even playing around with a ten-thousand volt electric fence to keep Tim and Lex's spirits up. Ellie Sattler is devoted to the welfare and understanding of living creatures--flora and fauna--even diving into dirty work when necessary, and is one of the braver members of the party, volunteering to aid Muldoon to restore power to the park against Hammond's mildly sexist protestations. Were Jurassic Park solely a monster movie, a character like John Hammond would likely be a greedy tycoon unconcerned with the repercussions of his mad science. In this film, he is amiable and warm, more Santa Claus than Doctor Moreau, someone who admires the mosquito encased in amber adorning his walking stick, but is a man who needs it on a practical level, too. Even Ian Malcolm, who initially comes across as an irreverent scientific "rock star", proves himself to be highly astute at ascertaining the layered complexities of Jurassic Park, seeing deeper than almost anyone else to the true problems with such a venture; in nearly all cases, his assessments are proven right. In addition, Jurassic Park also remains a stunning work of special effects, which is impressive given the advances in computer technology more than twenty years later. Each display of the dinosaurs--from the majestic to the terrifying--is a sight to behold, often punctuated by the stirring score by John Williams, a frequent Spielberg collaborator.
Aside from the presence of huge, sometimes predatory creatures displaced from time by millions of years, the real problem with Hammond's park is the commercialization of science, with integrity ultimately ending up on the chopping block, regardless of best intentions. Hammond often comments that he spared no expense in the park's inception, but as Ian Malcolm observes as his skepticism surfaces about the morality of the park, that the question of whether Hammond's scientists could clone dinosaurs should have come second to whether they should do it. Alan and Ellie's invitation to the park is less a matter of their scientific acumen as it is a way for Hammond to garner their professional approval to satisfy his investors at his lawyer's behest. He sells them on the idea--he also effectively bribes them into coming--and wows them with the spectacle of dinosaurs brought back to life. But as scientists, both Alan and Ellie realize the inherent dangers in resurrecting a species which time has dictated can no longer be sustained by the Earth, extinction events notwithstanding; their understanding of the past is what prepares them for the tragic future of the park. It is somewhat ironic then that Jurassic Park became--and is--a multimillion dollar media bonanza, a spectacle that has become an attraction enjoyed by families of all ages--although I would argue that the film has some decidedly violent moments best suited for older audiences. I say "ironic" because the film is also in part a satire of the hyper-commercialization of spectacles by audiences not equipped to adequately appreciate them. The park itself is nearly complete in its branding, even before the public has seen it, a pre-packaged product for display, manned by uniformed employees and guided tours; even the jeeps look like toys. This makes Hammond's comparison between his Jurassic Park and Disneyland astute, but so is Ian Malcolm's response about the difference in the danger level. Alan and Ellie's enthusiasm for the promise of the park is genuine; when they bear witness to a massive Brachiosaurus eating leaves from the top of a tree, their eyes light up like those of a child, sold by the promise that their passions have been given flesh. But the subsequent terror accompanies the disappointment that the park itself is a sham, where the safeguards are little more than superficialities, easily circumvented, and reinforcing their intrinsic understanding as to why man and dinosaur have been separated by such a wide gulf in time.
Recommended for: Fans of a thrilling blockbuster about dinosaurs and the danger they pose when reunited with our world. It is an exciting, smart, and intense action film, one which is always thrilling.
Jurassic Park introduced the world at large to the terror of the Velociraptor, a lethally evolved dinosaur which, as Alan observes, shares more in common with a bird than some of its Paleozoic counterparts. The Velociraptors make for the best kind of movie monster; they are convincingly real, very cunning, and learn, belying perceptions that they operate on instinct alone. They are a kind of super predator which operates in packs. The way that Grant describes how he would assume the Velociraptor to hunt its prey proves to be spot on in one clever display of their prowess. When the "raptors" invade the visitor center, pursuing Tim and Lex into the kitchen, the scene is one fraught with tension, recalling Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. This is not just because the kids are ill-equipped to defend themselves, but because the raptors have more than just intellect, they seem to have a kind of malevolence. The Velociraptor shares more in common with Spielberg's best-remembered film about another deadly predator, Jaws; in both films, the "monster" is more like a force of nature, barely endured by man, who is incapable of understanding the raw perniciousness of a creature who is not only adept at killing, but the act is also intrinsic to its being.
One of Jurassic Park's strengths is how each character is very distinct and a lot of their personality is conveyed in interesting ways. Alan Grant is fairly soft-spoken and pragmatic, and he claims that he has no interest in children. On the other hand, he connects well with Tim and Lex, forced to protect them when they are abandoned and confronted by a deadly Tyrannosaurus Rex. He is also a bit mischievous, describing raptors claws to an unimpressed boy at a dig site in Montana, and even playing around with a ten-thousand volt electric fence to keep Tim and Lex's spirits up. Ellie Sattler is devoted to the welfare and understanding of living creatures--flora and fauna--even diving into dirty work when necessary, and is one of the braver members of the party, volunteering to aid Muldoon to restore power to the park against Hammond's mildly sexist protestations. Were Jurassic Park solely a monster movie, a character like John Hammond would likely be a greedy tycoon unconcerned with the repercussions of his mad science. In this film, he is amiable and warm, more Santa Claus than Doctor Moreau, someone who admires the mosquito encased in amber adorning his walking stick, but is a man who needs it on a practical level, too. Even Ian Malcolm, who initially comes across as an irreverent scientific "rock star", proves himself to be highly astute at ascertaining the layered complexities of Jurassic Park, seeing deeper than almost anyone else to the true problems with such a venture; in nearly all cases, his assessments are proven right. In addition, Jurassic Park also remains a stunning work of special effects, which is impressive given the advances in computer technology more than twenty years later. Each display of the dinosaurs--from the majestic to the terrifying--is a sight to behold, often punctuated by the stirring score by John Williams, a frequent Spielberg collaborator.
Aside from the presence of huge, sometimes predatory creatures displaced from time by millions of years, the real problem with Hammond's park is the commercialization of science, with integrity ultimately ending up on the chopping block, regardless of best intentions. Hammond often comments that he spared no expense in the park's inception, but as Ian Malcolm observes as his skepticism surfaces about the morality of the park, that the question of whether Hammond's scientists could clone dinosaurs should have come second to whether they should do it. Alan and Ellie's invitation to the park is less a matter of their scientific acumen as it is a way for Hammond to garner their professional approval to satisfy his investors at his lawyer's behest. He sells them on the idea--he also effectively bribes them into coming--and wows them with the spectacle of dinosaurs brought back to life. But as scientists, both Alan and Ellie realize the inherent dangers in resurrecting a species which time has dictated can no longer be sustained by the Earth, extinction events notwithstanding; their understanding of the past is what prepares them for the tragic future of the park. It is somewhat ironic then that Jurassic Park became--and is--a multimillion dollar media bonanza, a spectacle that has become an attraction enjoyed by families of all ages--although I would argue that the film has some decidedly violent moments best suited for older audiences. I say "ironic" because the film is also in part a satire of the hyper-commercialization of spectacles by audiences not equipped to adequately appreciate them. The park itself is nearly complete in its branding, even before the public has seen it, a pre-packaged product for display, manned by uniformed employees and guided tours; even the jeeps look like toys. This makes Hammond's comparison between his Jurassic Park and Disneyland astute, but so is Ian Malcolm's response about the difference in the danger level. Alan and Ellie's enthusiasm for the promise of the park is genuine; when they bear witness to a massive Brachiosaurus eating leaves from the top of a tree, their eyes light up like those of a child, sold by the promise that their passions have been given flesh. But the subsequent terror accompanies the disappointment that the park itself is a sham, where the safeguards are little more than superficialities, easily circumvented, and reinforcing their intrinsic understanding as to why man and dinosaur have been separated by such a wide gulf in time.
Recommended for: Fans of a thrilling blockbuster about dinosaurs and the danger they pose when reunited with our world. It is an exciting, smart, and intense action film, one which is always thrilling.