Uniformly uneven performances...

Rating: 7/10 (21 July 2014)

JURASSIC PARK has one thing above all else going for it: those dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the uneven performances of most of the cast tend to undermine even THOSE fx. Laura Dern appears BEMUSED throughout the whole thing, like a kid who's wandered onto a playground when in fact she was looking for an indoor outhouse; she appears oddly out of place. Likewise, Attenborough himself: he often seems to be waiting for direction. Goldblum constantly mutters to himself like he's stumbled into the wrong movie and can't figure out how to get out. His reactions to the monsters are almost sedate. Sam Jackson literally chain-smokes his way through his wantonly gratuitous scenes as if he has nothing better to do. The best performances are those of the dinosaurs. I guess THAT really sums this one up for me. It COULD'VE been Great, but is, ultimately, a mediocre movie with great fx.