Michael Crichton wrote Jurassic Park in 1990, and before the book was even published, film studios were already competing for the rights to the novel. Steven Spielberg, seeking more serious adult-fare and trying to break away from his "kids movie" stereotype, wanted to make Schindler's List. Universal Studios, having acquired rights to Jurassic Park, agreed to back Spielberg on Schindler's List only if he made Jurassic Park first. Spielberg agreed, and 1993 was led by the release of what would become two of Spielberg's greatest works.
Jurassic Park's titular island is the creation of John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), a billionaire industrialist with creative ideas but little moral standards. He provides the financial backing for several scientists to create an innovative technology: cloned, real-life dinosaurs. The basic idea behind the technology is that by taking the blood of mosquitos that have been frozen since the dinosaur age, scientists can clone actual dinosaurs by creating eggs with the combination of the frozen blood and frog DNA to fill in the gaps. On the island, they have many popular creatures, including brontosaurus, velociraptors, triceratops, and, of course, a T-Rex. How do they contain them? Simple. All dinosaurs on Jurassic Park are female.After a feeding results in the death of an employee, investors demand a thorough examination of the park's safety. Hammond brings in famed paleontologists Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ellie Satler (Laura Dern), chaos theorist Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), lawyer Donald Gennaro (Martin Ferrero), and Hammond's grandchildren Lex and Tim (Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello) to preview Jurassic Park. Along with the park's own game warden Robert Muldoon (Bob Peck) and technician Ray Arnold (Samuel L. Jackson), the visitors are initially impressed by the appearance of actual dinosaurs.
However, they start to question the moral grounds of the park, and things start to dampen with the arrival of a brutal storm. Their argument makes sense; as Malcolm points out, the scientists at Jurassic Park are essentially rebirthing a species made extinct by nature. Dinosaurs are not like other technologies or even modern animals, because for a time they were the dominant race on the planet. Now, they have to co-exist with humanity, a relationship avoided because of millions of years of evolution. Spielberg obviously agrees with controversy, as the park is made on an island, away from society (and therefore moral standards). No matter the benefits, Jurassic Park remains a project that should never have happened. Jurassic Park is suddenly thrust into chaos after a traitorous technician named Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) shuts down power throughout the park to steal dinosaur embryos. Suddenly, all the gates keeping the dinosaurs at bay is shut off, and the humans are left on the island alone... with rampaging dinosaurs on the loose.
Jurassic Park remains a high-concept, thrilling adventure that plays like a favorite amusement park ride. It is fast, entertaining, and scary when most other films would reduce the story to pure nonsense. Spielberg keeps audiences riveted with the visual magic yet does not lose sight of the surprisingly creative plot.The CGI of the movie revolutionized what was possible at the time of its release, and the first arrival of the dinosaurs remains one of cinema's most magical moments. While animatronics were used for several of the dinosaurs (including the T-Rex, which in 1993 was the largest animatronic ever built), CGI dinos captured the imagination and thrills of the audience. This almost magical technology made way for several director's projects, most notably George Lucas, who after seeing the innovations of Jurassic Park decided that technology was ready for him to create the Star Wars prequels.
The film is not bogged down by the normally gory effects of sci-fi monster horrors, and instead maintains the famous Spielberg principle of hiding the villain until late into the story. Like Jaws, we are not exposed to either the monstrous T-Rex or the savage velociraptors until over halfway through the movie. Instead, the audience is forced to imagine what terrors the creature actually holds for themselves. This brilliant direction allows for smartly crafted suspense and eager anticipation. And on this end, Spielberg does not disappoint.
Jurassic Park remains infamous for two of the most suspenseful scenes in motion picture history: the arrival of the T-Rex, and the kids being chased by velociraptors in the kitchen. After the power goes out, and the visitors are trapped in their motionless vehicles, they notice loud vibrations coming towards them. Suddenly, they see a large eye in the grassy trees, and the slow ascent of a massive head- the T-Rex upright and fearsome. The huge beast comes towards the vehicle with the children, and lets out a massive roar that shakes the viewers to their cores. The second scene, the velociraptor chase, is arguably even more suspenseful than the arrival of the T-Rex, because it involves a confined area with fierce hunters. In both cases, CGI and Spielberg's masterful direction crafted thrilling images.Like many of Spielberg's films, Jurassic Park features a beautiful score by John Williams, easily the greatest living movie composer. His music drives the action of the narrative, creating art with majestic scenary or suspense with silence. Two themes are featured in the movie: the beautiful end credits and the triumphant adventure score. Both are very powerful, and Williams furthers his own legacy with this legendary score.
This month, Universal released a 3-D upgrade for the movie's 20th Anniversary. After viewing the enhanced film, I can honestly say that the magic of Jurassic Park is not harmed, but rather improved with the latest technologies. The movie is almost designed to function with the added depth of 3-D, with foregrounds established and dinosaurs launching themselves towards the audience. The now-known thrills make us jump once again. Plus, for anyone like myself who was unable to see the film during it's initial release, seeing Jurassic Park on the big screen remains a totally different experience that all should see.Jurassic Park remains one the most magical movies in cinematic history. Whether by the vast improvements to film technology, the directorial thrills, or even just the giddy fun of seeing dinosaurs, Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster smash (where it became the highest-grossing film of all time until that boat movie was released in 1997) remains a legendary achievement in moviemaking. If there is one thing the recent re-release has shown us, it is that Jurassic Park remains as timeless as ever, and it's recent 3-D rendering only aids the cinematic magic of this thrilling masterpiece. It makes viewers believe in the power of the movies, and we look forward to enjoying it for another 20 years.
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