Jurassic Park

You may think that since this is a review of Jurassic Park, this review is going to be long because there's so much to talk about. The truth is, I have a hard time reviewing movies that are as well known as Jurassic Park. I had a similar dilemma when I considered reviewing the Star Wars movies (both prequels and original). There are some movies out there that have been around for so long, and they're so well known that everything worth saying about movies like this have been said a billion times over. In the example of Star Wars films, there's not much of a point saying that Jar Jar Binks is an annoying character because every review of The Phantom Menace has said that exact thing a billion times over. The good thing is, the same thing can be said about a good movies and its good qualities.

And Jurassic Park is a perfect example of this. I mean there's a lot I could say in praise of this movie, but I have no doubt that its been said a billion times over as well.

However, I will try and give as much of a comprehensive review as I can, especially since this movie is really, really good.

In 1993, the great Steven Spielberg introduced us to the movie adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel, Jurassic Park.

I did end up reading the novel and I definitely recommend it. Like most of my reviews, I try not to compare too much between the book and movie. With this I'll just say the book was good and there are a couple differences. If you have the chance and the time, take a break from the movie watching and read that book because its definitely worth it.

As far as story goes for this movie, a group of experts have been gathered by the mysterious and wealthy John Hammond (played by the late Richard Attenborough). These experts include Dr. Alan Grant (played by Sam Neill) a paleontologist running a dig for dinosaur fossils, Ellie Sattler (played by Laura Dern) an expert in ancient botany, Dr. Ian Malcolm (played by Jeff Goldblum) a mathematician and chaos theorist. They are gathered by Dr. Hammond to be consultants for a new park Hammond is opening that has been having problems getting proper funding due to the possible dangers associated with it.

And its exactly what you think it is, its a park full of Dinosaurs. If you know anything about movies you know the basic premise of Jurassic Park but what you may not know (if you haven't seen it) are the simplistic but incredibly memorable characters, the stunning visuals that still hold up today, and the fascinating themes and ideas that make Jurassic Park more than a simple monster movie.

That is the one thing about Jurassic Park that fascinates me, people really build this movie up as a really deep movie with more ideas than scares and monster effects.

And while that has some truth to it, the actual truth is that Jurassic Park is in fact a monster movie. Pure and simple. Jurassic Park is a monster movie with dinosaurs in a park. The characters are going off and running away from a monster.

Now to be fair, they are beautiful monsters. The visuals of Jurassic Park really do hold up today, some would even say they hold up more than Jurassic World did. But what's so great about this movie and what I think makes it hold up is the wonder and amazement that comes when these people see the dinosaurs.

Jurassic World had a little bit of the wonder element but they also tried to put in the underlying idea that in this world of phones and texting, we just wouldn't be interested in dinosaurs the way we were in the 90s. While I like the idea, it really sacrificed the great scenes like the one in Jurassic World where Alan Grant literally is brought to tears by the sight of a dinosaur. When Ellie Satler has no words. These are the scenes that are iconic and unfortunately, little Iron man 3 up there just didn't provide enough wonder and amazement in Jurassic World.

But that goes back to the idea of characters in Jurassic Park.

These characters really are iconic and memorable. From Sam Neill as Alan Grant, to Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm, to even the kids Tim and Lex. And the best part is, they're not so much characters as they are stereotypes.

And I don't mean that in the traditional ways stereotypes are used. In Michael Bay movies, characters are stereotyped by their race, or appearance. It can be entertaining but it also can be incredibly offensive... especially if its a Transformers movie.

But Jurassic Park taps into the archetypes as opposed to overt stereotypes. Dr. Alan Grant is the heroic Indiana Jones archetype. Ellie Satler is the strong heroine, probably one of the best the 90s could produce. Ian Malcolm is the jokester. Hammond is the ambitious old man character, and yeah they even have the stereotypical lawyer character. With the exception of making fun of lawyers, the archetypes are not offensive and while they are simple, they let you fill in the blanks with your imagination but giving you enough information on the characters to enjoy them and make them interesting. The combination of them all really make the movie entertaining and kind of make you forget the flaws and hallowness of the characters as a whole.

I mean I almost feel like I could wrap up the review right now because the movie is really, REALLY good. Prior to seeing the film, I was skeptical because of all the hype this movie garners. But sometimes when a movie has been beloved for over 20 years, you kind of have to start listening.

The story is fascinating, the characters are lovable, as I said before, the visuals still hold up today. and the Music... my god the music.

I tell you, the 70s, 80s, and 90s were a prime time for John Williams and you wouldn't think that a movie about dinosaurs would need such a great soundtrack but it really is an iconic theme.

These are the kinds of movies that you just want more and more of the more you think about it. Right after I finished watching it, I was actually thinking that I want to watch the movie again. I wanted to start watching the sequels which is sad because I've heard that those movies are not nearly as good as the first one. It makes me want to watch Jurassic World and see how it does really compare to the first movie.

The thing is, while this movie is incredibly entertaining and really was ahead of its time, it amazes me that when the 3rd sequel is released there is just as big of a reaction but the movie is only stated as okay, instead of a masterpiece.

It still baffles me how a movie can be the third highest grossing film in film history and yet get such mediocre reviews from critics. (That being said, Avatar is the number one film... so...)

The thing that fascinates me, especially after watching Jurassic Park, is that I believe that if Jurassic Park came out today, it would probably get the same reaction Jurassic World did. People would think its a good movie with a lot of heart, but not the best thing in the world.

Maybe they thought of that when they were making Jurassic World (I'm really interested in seeing that again with the refresher on Park) that times have changed since the release of Jurassic Park. We've spent so much time with CGI and stunning visuals that yeah, we think its fun to watch dinosaurs, but they don't blow your mind like they used to. Before 1993, the idea of dinosaurs you could interact with in a park and visually look as though they were there was really unheard of, now we're just so used to it that the wonder of dinosaurs still exists to make Jurassic World successful, but the visual experience is gone and the heart is gone as well to make it a classic.

I don't know if that makes any sense. I know that there is a difference between cinema today and in 1993, but let me know what you think. Is Jurassic Park really a great movie or was it just a product of its time and a breach of great visualization?

Comment and Discuss below. I'm sorry if this wasn't the grandieous review that you were expecting for Jurassic Park but I have a laundry list of things to do, including a bunch of reviews I'll hopefully be getting to in the next few days. Bear with me.

You can also send me your thoughts on Jurassic Park and other movies via my twitter @cmhaugen24 and send me your requests for future reviews. You can also follow me to get updates on future movie news and reviews.

I'll leave you with this. It's been too long since a post so I'm not gonna waste any more time than I need to. Here's the how it should have ended for the movie. Enjoy!