Spielberg's Action-Adventure Monolith Stands the Test of Time

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2013)

Although the concepts and general framework of this story are faithfully lifted from the Crichton-penned source material, in action it's got Steven Spielberg's fingerprints all over it. That isn't a negative, really, as the director was still clearly in his prime, but it does fit quite snugly next to the other family-friendly adventure flicks in his portfolio in that it's big and intense without going so far over-the-top as to scare the kiddos. Of course, at the time the real star here was the film's fantastic effects work - it was CGI's coming out party, after all - and that aspect has aged surprisingly well over the past two decades. Sure, if we look closely a few seams might show here or there, but the raptors remain unsettlingly vivid and our first glimpses of a grazing brachiosaurus remain nothing short of stunning. Some excellent casting decisions enrich the whole package (Jeff Goldblum is pitch-perfect as the muttering, brainy Ian Malcolm) and there are plenty of character moments scattered about to flesh out the more extravagant action sets.