Finally...

Rating: 9/10 (22 February 2001)

Well, I was browsing through the website, and I thought, 'whatever happened to that movie, "Jurassic Park"'? Seeing as a third installment is brooding on the approaching horizon. So, I thought to myself, why not? Why not post a review on this film? So, here goes...
Well, what do we have here? Hmm, let's see...action, dinosaurs (that should actually be dinosaurs, then, action...) science, imagination, feasible plot, varying acting.
Well, the most memorable thing about this movie is, of course the effects and dinosaurs. Even now, eight years later, the dinosaurs look realistic and move believably. Time has not yet wreaked ravage on them, so that must say something.
The plot, and script are fine enough. The plot, credit for which must lie with the author of the book, the ol' boy Mike. With a little extended belief and a dollop of naievity, you have a feasible, even likely movie plot. It seems, unfortunately, there were problems in transistion from this to the scriptwriter...which is uncanny, seeing as there wasn't really much of a transistion. Why not? Because the credits state that the author of the novel is also the script-writer. Maybe Michael ought to stick with writing novels rather than scripts for movies.
The sound and lighting was all pretty faultless, and along with the scenery which obviously caused the designers much overtime in ensuring its realism, all paved the way for an impressive looking feature.
Spielberg's directing is, as ever, ubiquitous and lacking in any form of subtlety. It's always there - in the form of twee endings and, quite literally, unbelievable turn-outs. Still, he manages to pour the benefits of having a director of his experience on board, and the overall effect is pacey and slick.
Finally we come to the acting. Well, the general quality was high; shame about the two leads. Alan Grant had his moments, and though faltering periodically, wasn't too bad. No, what was distressing, was Laura Dern's performance. I feared for her as I watched the movie, I really did. Not because I thought she may get eaten, oh no. One could only wish. More like because she looked like she was in pain. Seriously, she was bent over for the whole movie. Watch her! All the way through - she is bending over, as if standing up straight would injure her back permanently. For that reason alone, I struggled to feel for her as she was set upon by the dinosaurs. Her acting was dubious at best, and I'm afraid falls far below the usual standard. The other actors range from fine and good, the best, arguably, being Jeff Goldblum. His trademark pauses, sarcasm and humour are all present. Top notch.
So, what of the movie as a movie? It isn't perfect, no film is - it could always be better - but it goes a long way along that path. It blew me away when I first saw it - and still does now. Very entertaining. If you haven't seen this movie, you need your head-checking!