MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #21 - 'Jurassic Park' (1993)

5/5 Stars!

When my dad and I saw a TV spot for “Jurassic Park” in 1993, we knew we had to go see it. The footage they showed looked cool, it was going to be about people trying to get away from dinosaurs, and it was from Steven Spielberg, the genius behind “Jaws” and the Indiana Jones movies.

When we finally watched it on opening night, we were blown away by the CGI special-effects. Never before had dinosaurs looked this real on film. In other movies, they had used stop-motion or models and they always looked somewhat fake. These dinosaurs were real!

For those who have somehow missed this movie, the story is simple. A wealthy man named John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) has created a new theme park and is getting ready to open it. There is something different about this park, though.

Laura Dern and Sam Neill star as Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant in 'Jurassic Park'!

Using his genetics company, InGen, Hammond has managed to clone real-life dinosaurs! The only problem is that there have been a few onsite accidents and Hammond must now prove that the park is safe to open. Therefore, he recruits chaos theorist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) and two archeologists named Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) to be the park’s first guests and get their sign of approval that it is safe.

Of course, it isn’t always going to be safe, is it? A greedy technician sets out to steal the dino embryos for a rival company and shuts the park down while the guests are in the park. This also means that the defenses are down and the dinos are loose! Now, our cast of characters must survive until they can find a way off the island where the park is located.

In its original theatrical run, “Jurassic Park” made over $914 million dollars and easily became the highest grossing film of all time. The move it dethroned was Spielberg’s own film, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”. It would remain the highest grossing film until the release of “Titanic” in 1997.

The dinosaurs are very real as Alan Grant tries to ward off a T-Rex!

So, the movie is over 30 years old now and what impresses me the most while rewatching it for this review is how well the special-effects hold up even by today’s standards. Granted, there are some signs of aging but that’s no real surprise. I still got sucked up into the movie today just as much as I did back in ‘93.

Not only are the special-effects great, but I love the characters and the simple story as well. The movie is one of those “when man decides to play God” movies where someone tries to change nature itself only for there to be dire consequences for all of the cast. In this case, sure we’ve made bold scientific breakthroughs but are they all for the better of humanity or the planet we live on?

Beyond its moral questions, the movie’s story is just a pure and fun action adventure from start to finish. Thankfully, we have characters we like to go on this journey with us as well. Goldblum is a scene-stealer as Ian Malcolm and Neill is fantastic as Alan, a man who is not only trapped out in the wide-open park but a man who also finds himself trying to protect both Tim Murphy (Joseph Mazzello) and Lex Murphy (Ariana Richards), Hammond’s two grandkids who he also brought out to enjoy the park.

Dern and Attenborough also give exceptional performances. What I love about Hammond’s character is that they could have made him a sleazy character who doesn’t want to own up to what happens at the park. Instead, he assists Ellie as she decides to head out and try to rescue Alan and the grandkids. There is one point where he tries to justify his decisions. After all, he just wanted to make something that everyone could enjoy, but he soon realizes that his dream has died with the incident at the park and that they are in very real danger.

Welcome to Jurassic Park!

Ellie Sattler is one of our more underrated movie heroines. Dern gives the character strength and you realize just how much of a badass she is when she decides to head out on a mission to try and restore power to the park.

The action in the movie is unparalleled. From the first T-Rex attack to the frightening encounters with the Velociraptors, the movie’s action makes the most out of their computer generated dinos. I will say, even though the movie used state-of-the-art computer effects at the time, they also used a fair amount of believable animatronics courtesy of the legendary Stan Winston and his amazing effects company.

Now, how can I leave before mentioning the master composer himself, Mr. John Williams. Once again with this movie, he created an epic score. When you hear the main “Jurassic Park” theme, you’re immediately transported into the fantastical and action packed world. Spielberg always gives credit to Williams and says that without his legendary scores, his movies wouldn’t be half as good and the famed director might be right on that score.

It goes without saying, “Jurassic Park” is not just good. It’s a classic that has stood the test of time. It’s an action adventure sci-fi movie that everyone in the family can enjoy. I won’t debate whether or not this is Spielberg’s best movie. He’s had too many classics to have that debate.

I will say, though, that it is definitely one of my top ten favorite films of all time and while I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it, I can say that if I’m allowed to stay on this planet for a little while longer, there are plenty of rewatches in the future.