One of Those Moments

Rating: 9/10 (24 February 2006)

There are a handful of movies that absolutely grab a person. The case I had on jury duty had been settled out of court and so I had an afternoon to see a movie. This is the one. I had anticipated it for so long and was ready for the disappointment that usually follows. It didn't happen. From the moment that Richard Attenborough says, "Welcome to Jurassic Park," I was hooked. And when the Brachiosaurs come lumbering across the grassy park, I was stunned. I know that since that time, computer generated special effects have become regular fair, but this was amazing. The other part of it, however, is that this a masterful story with a great deal of complexity (chaos theory, etc.). The people are interesting; the villain foolish and in over his head. Then there is wonderful set up of a park that is foolproof, suddenly losing its security. I don't normally like child actors, but the two in this express the terror that they indeed should. Some films hammer one with so many images; this one still relies on the greatest method of scaring people. It's not what you see; it's what you don't see. It's what's lurking in the bushes. The other thing is that the characters are on the playing field of their adversaries. Kowledgeable as they are, they are not in their own world. Those veloceraptors are a nice touch. As I was growing up, enamored with dinosaurs like most kids, I had never even heard of these creatures. Granted some of the threat is orchestrated, the scene in the kitchen is as frightening as anything I've ever seen