Jurassic Park

After the release of the trailer of Jurassic World, I decided to go and watch the first installment of the franchise just to see what I'm getting myself into when I watch the fourth installment. I did not imagine that I would spend the next two hours screaming at the characters to run or do something beside freeze in place to await for their death. The characters' personalities make you panic for their lives, and the same time wonder how on earth they survived.

John Hammond has found a new business venture in the form of dinosaurs. However, due to an accident in the island, specialists are now required to stamp their seal of approval in order for the business to push forwards. The specialists Mr. Gennaro got were Dr. Alan Grant (who was accompanied by Dr. Ellie Sattler), and Dr. Ian Malcolm. They were presented with a weekend getaway to experience first hand the features of the park. However, events happen that cause awry in the park, endangering people along with it. 

The concept itself is actually viable. While the legitimacy of the science can be questionable, technologies nowadays, coupled with further advances in the fields of science can make this concept come to life. If there wasn't a probability of death, I would pay money to go to this park and see actual live dinosaurs. The visuals were great; it brought a kind of realism to the film. There was a lot of dinosaur action involved, as it should be. The film still had its flaws and questionable moments; these moments are blatant in the movie but it doesn't impede the effect Spielberg was going for. Jurassic Park is thrilling, even if presents questionable characters and limited character development. 

The characters are both a strong and a weak point of the movie. They're an asset because their characters weren't coincidental; they each had a specific role to play and were needed for the progression of the story. My only exception to this statement is Jeff Goldblum; despite playing an expert, he wasn't out much in the field. I'm not certain of his involvement in future movies, but for this one he played the group's excess baggage (and based on the events, they got rid of all excess baggage). The characters become that weak point because for a group of intellectuals, they're kind of stupid. There were instances that the character could have done a sensible thing, but didn't. The decisions of the group were based on story progression, even if it was out of character. For having a survival instinct, only Dr. Grant was able to display that feat in him. 

I would watch all three movies in a row, but after that, I'm going to need a bit of a break. The movie was great; I just felt like shaking the characters to their senses. 


Final Word: No wonder this spurn two more movies, and another one to be released next year. Great stuff from Spielberg!

Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
Director: Steven Spielberg
Year: 1993

12 comments:

  1. Great! I remember getting amazed viewing this for the first time. Who would think that big if not Spielberg? That's why I liked this one. Well, I don't really like the two sequels of this one, but, I think Jurrasic World deserve a look. Right?

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    1. This was such a feat that I look at Spielberg's filmography now and ask myself what happened to this guy? Maybe Jurassic World would ignite that spark of imagination again. This movie was good. I haven't seen the sequels but would try to get on it soon.

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  2. What a brilliant idea! I'm not even sure I've seen the film as a whole yet, but I'm definitely going to watch it before seeing the newest version :)
    - Allie

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    1. This was a fun movie, even if I did spend most of the time screaming at the characters to do something besides scream.

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  3. I love this movie. Visually, there was nothing like seeing a real looking dinosaur on the screen back when none of us had seen such a thing. It was a watershed moment for cgi and the realization of what could be accomplished. Story-wise it's just all sorts of fun, though you make valid points about the characters. There is some fun to be had with the next two installments, but neither is anywhere near as good. Hope this fourth movie can recapture the magic.

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    1. The CGI of the movie was amazing, really opens up the thought of possibility. I haven't seen the sequels, but would try to get to it soon!

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  4. Jurassic Park is such a fun movie, I can't remember how many times we watched this movie in band class in high school (since we were obsessed with playing all the pieces from the film). The book it's based on is also really good. Different from the movie but it's fantastic as well!

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    1. Hi! I didn't know this was based on a book! Something new I learned today.

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  5. I love this film, and I have since I was a child. I think I actually have the whole thing memorized. lol

    Great review!

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    1. It's hard not to like this movie, the CGI work alone is fantastic, and the concept was intriguing.

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  6. Nice review! Jurassic Park is one of my favorites. If you have the chance, check out the book by Michael Crichton- it's pretty great too. :)

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