Jurassic Park review

Rating: 9/10 (6 January 2020)

Numerous films have built on the inventive story telling methods pioneered by "Jurassic Park," Jurassic Park remains a truly remarkable and impressive film and a great addition to any movie lover's collection.
"Jurassic Park" tells the story of the creation of a theme park filled with genetically re-engineered dinosaurs and the problems which arise when things go awry on the secluded island where the park is located. The film is packed with excitement and thrills as some of the dinosaurs begin to hunt the humans on the island. Some of these scenes might be a bit much for young children or fairly timid viewers, and there are a few scenes in which children are put in peril, however, for those who can stand these more intense scenes, such scenes in the film are exciting and fun. Much of the second half of the film offers edge-of-your-seat thrills which will often get a viewers heart racing a bit more. Because this is somewhat of a family film, many of the suspenseful scenes are more exciting than scary, and it is constantly entertaining to watch the interactions between humans and dinosaurs .
The film is based on the novel by Michael Crichton, and Crichton's constant attention to even the most minute details is carried into the film version quite well. Despite the somewhat far fetched central notion in the plot, between the efforts of Crichton and Spielberg, the film seems fairly believable. The film encourages a suspension of disbelief of the viewer with dazzling visual effects and the surround sound serves to envelop the viewer in the suspenseful action.
Unquestionably, the visual effects and dinosaurs take center stage, the film is made even better by a number of enjoyable performances. The stars of the film, Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum all put in strong performances, particularly Goldblum who offers a bit of comic relief as caustic chaotician Ian Malcolm. In addition, the film features a fine performance by Sir Richard Attenborough as John Hammond, the Park's proprietor, and good supporting performances by Wayne Knight (who basically plays a computer genius version of his "Newman" character from Seinfeld) and Samuel L. Jackson (about a year before his career skyrocketed with "Pulp Fiction").
Although contemporary films, such as "Walking with Dinosaurs" now use CGI visual effects with great frequency, due recognition must be given to the film which was a quantum leap forward in visual effects. While the film has attained landmark status for such developments it is also an extremely spectacular film. In the DVD's bonus materials, Steven Spielberg speaks about the wonder and fascination with which children view dinosaurs. With this film, Spielberg instills similar feelings in viewers of all ages with an extremely majestic and enjoyable film. While the film does contain some scenes of violence and suspense which might be a bit frightening for children (or more timid viewers) this is a film which is not to be missed and makes a great addition to any film lover's collection.