Rip Roaring Adventure with Brilliant Science

Rating: 8/10 (15 April 2013)

Hold onto your butts, this is the review of the epic battle we see all the time of Science vs. Nature. In 1993 Steven Spielberg blew the world away with groundbreaking CGI dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Jurassic has intense moments with unforgettable characters and lines that are quoted time and time again. The basic premise is that a millionaire wants to open a theme park that features scientifically engineered dinosaurs, but before he can open it he needs to make sure it is safe so he brings a team to the island and it all goes to hell when the dinosaurs escape and run wild all over the park. This highly entertaining film is considered a classic and is up there in one of my favorites.
I say a few things a lot when it comes to movies. "Music makes the movie." And "The first few scenes are curtail." If a movie an do that than its on a good start to getting the Seal of Approval. Jurassic Park didn't disappoint as the very first scene is a quick incident at the park involving the raptors but more on them later. It then kind of slows down with a lot of explanation but if you listen to the conversations then you should be sucked right in. The music is absolutely fantastic as well. Everybody knows the Jurassic Park theme and the very first shot of the island the theme kicks in and you know it's about to get real and the movie starts to get good. Then it gets even better. The very first shot of any dinosaur is the Brontosaurus and it looks fantastic. It looks beyond real and they shot on site. It's the same with all the dinosaurs; they look amazing and are still some of the best special effects I have ever seen to date.
Now let's get into characters. Jurassic Park was originally a book written by my favorite author Michael Crichton, God rest his soul, so he already created the characters so the actors just had to play it properly. Ian Malcolm is one of my favorite characters ever. His wit and brilliance fit in perfectly and Jeff Goldblum plays him. He delivers memorable lines. "Ah, life will find a way. God creates dinosaurs, God destroys dinosaurs, God creates man, Man creates dinosaurs, Man destroys God." Malcolm has trouble speaking, literally, and I love everything about this character. Everything he says doesn't sound like it could happen but he is the only one with any sense. My favorite scene is when everybody is eating lunch discussing the park.
This scene is just great conversation and is the reality of the situation. Sam Neil plays Dr. Allen Grant, the main character and hero and in this scene he says it best. I love remembering lines but I can't remember word for word, but basically he says that dinosaurs have been extinct for 65 million years and how can anybody know what to expect now that they are back in another time period. Personally everything scientific about this movie is fascinating and makes it that much better. When I was younger I found it boring and only wanted to see dinosaurs eat people but with a more mature look at the move I see the brilliance and wonder of Spielberg and Crichton.
I read the book Jurassic Park and I loved it for what it was. Seeing it on the big screen was a lot different from the book. There were characters in the book that were a lot more important. The man who gives Newman the can to get the embryos off the island, Dogson, is so much more important in the books and the movie doesn't do him justice. One could make an argument for Muldoon but think his character was well represented even though he played a bigger role in the book. Also Dr. Wu is a significant side character and he is only in one scene and his name is only mentioned. Then there are the Compys which are the scavengers of the dinosaur world and they aren't even in the movie at all. Things like this really bugged me until I saw the credits the other day and found out that Crichton wrote the screen play or was involved with the writing so he chose what to cut out, so I was OK with it. At least he gave a lot of focus on the raptors in the movie.
If you ask any kid before 1993 what their favorite dinosaur is, they are going to say the T-Rex. If you ask any kid in the 90s or maybe any kid today they will say the raptor. These things were so intelligent and fast, the perfect hunter. They establish themselves as the elite villain in the movie and everybody is afraid of them. If you say you didn't jump when the raptor scared Ellie in the basement thing, then you're just lying to yourself. Another great scene is early on when Dr. Grant scares the life out of the little kid about how the raptor feeds. The look on his face was priceless. After seeing this movie raptors are easily my favorite dinosaur because they are intense and they get approved.
Overall, Jurassic Park is an amazing movie with special effects that still hold up today. The visuals look even better than most CGI movies we see today. For incredible characters, unforgettable dialogue, intense action sequences, a high re-watch value, and just because it has dinosaurs in general Jurassic Park gets the WillyT seal of approval. If you haven't seen this movie yet then I have nothing to say to you other than you haven't lived. See this movie, It is a great time alone or with friends. Let's be honest, nothing looks cooler than the T-Rex tearing through the electric fence. WillyT out!