a return to form for Spielberg

Rating: 8/10 (15 August 2002)

I've noticed the general public often lumps Steven Spielberg movies in with the rest of Hollywood product (because they're popular), and it drives me nuts. The guy is an artist, and shouldn't be placed in the same category as hacks like Roland Emmerich or Michael Bay. Granted, the period from 1986 to 1992 was a pretty dry one for him. This is why I was so excited when I saw this movie.
Like a roller-coaster, this witty, very entertaining adventure/fantasy climbs that first hill slowly (the first half hour feels forced), but once it gets going, it is terrifically scary, with exhilarating, inventive, expertly staged suspense scenes, which will carry you over plot holes and implausibilities. The script is unfortunately as schlocky as its source (a Michael Crichton novel). The story could easily have turned laughable, but it was skillfully handled. The only other flaw of importance is the self-conscious acting of the child actors, especially Joseph Mazzello, who acts like someone who watches too much TV.
What breathes life into this movie is Spielberg's sense of wonder. And it's the first time since The Color Purple that it feels like he's fully invested in a movie. This was the first time he makes extensive use of computer-generated effects, and perhaps this new toy fired up his imagination. When digital effects first became popular, Spielberg and James Cameron were the only two directors who truly knew how to use them. No one else used them with as much imagination and purpose. Digital effects felt as though they were merely inserted with a click of the mouse. In Jurassic Park, you can tell a lot of work and imagination went into perfecting the images (down to individual drops of rain on a dinosaur's head) so they would be as real to the audience as possible. Spielberg magically transports you to the world he has created.