Dinosaurs! Dinosaurs! Dinosaurs!

Rating: 8/10 (5 October 2005)

What is it about dinosaurs that makes them so fascinating?Maybe, it is because they're extinct and we are intrigued by what used to be. Or, maybe, it is because we're so amazed by their size and eating habits that we can't actually believe they could've existed. If you fall into one of these categories, chances are you are going to like this movie.
John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) is a millionaire who creates a park on a island off the coast off Costa Rica, which has regenerated dinosaurs living on it. After an employee is accidentally killed, he must assign a group of people to make sure it is safe. The group includes paleontologists Alan Grant (San Neill) and his girlfriend, Ellie Sattler(Laura Dern), Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), and a lawyer who exists only to be the first victim of a T-Rex. Also, John Hammonds' two grandchildren, Tim and Lex Murphy(Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards) are there to take part. One of the employees,Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) is trying to steal dinosaur embryos, so when he does, he causes a security shutdown that causes even the dinosaurs to escape from their fences. So now, everyone must run for their lives or be dino-food. Samuel L. Jackson has a minor role in the movie as a scientist. Is it just me or is he in everything, nowadays? Who would of thought that Christopher Lee would be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the international star with the most screen credits to his name.
First and for all, yes, the dinosaurs are magnificent. They are a landmark in special effects. I have never seen a dinosaur, but if I did, this is exactly how I would imagine them to look like. They are majestic and towering. There are many awe-inspiring moments like when you see the brachiosaures eating leaves off of some tall trees. It is a miraculous sight, yet there are dark undertones foreshadowing that not all of them are so friendly. There is one particularly frightening scene where the two kids are in a jeep and all of a sudden, you see ripples in a cup of water. It is an excellent use of symbolism. The trembling of an object represents that something is coming to invade their lives because a few seconds later, a giant T-Rex is trying to get in the car, so he can eat them. Another scene that uses this effect is when Tim and Lex are eating dessert in a lab kitchen when the jello starts trembling. It is a good way to rise the tension, but there is also some comic relief provided by Wayne Knight's character.
I was reading a couple reviews about this movie written by other critics and they all said that this movie lacks character development and I sort of agree. Jeff Goldblum's character is wasted, if there was, in fact, an actual use for him. I thought Sam Neill did a good job with his character, though. At the beginning of the film, he is rather mean-spirited toward kids as in one the earlier scenes where he frightens a child by sticking out a Velociraptor claw and saying that if it still existed, it could cut him by "splitting your intestines." Yet, by the end of the film, he is more concerned and fatherly toward children. In one scene, Lex cries, "He left us! He left us!" after one of the men ran away instead of trying to save her, when Alan Grant replies, "But that's not what I'm gonna do." It is a touching moment. Laura Dern also does a decent job. She does exactly what the script tells her to do and nothing more. But, let's face the fact, no one wants to see a sweet, love story. We want dinosaurs, dinosaurs, DINOSAURS......and the film delivers. We see dinosaurs in all their ancient glory.
John Williams did the memorable score, which co-exists perfectly with the juxtaposed images on the screen. A lot of critics were dismayed that Steven Spielberg spent so much time focusing on the dinosaurs, but, hey, if you have it, flaunt it. The film is terrifying without five pounds of blood squirting at the screen per minute. I wish some of the scenes, like where a T-Rex swallows a man whole would leave more to the imagination because it looks more ridiculous than scary. Yet, this is a movie that works despite its flaws. This movie has everything you really need (except for character development, but who would want that when you have dinosaurs around?).Action, terror, and dinosaurs: sounds like the perfect formula for success.
P.S. Christopher Lee has starred in about 225 films, so far, while Samuel L. Jackson has starred in a measly 91 films(so far).