Not just another Jaws

Rating: Null/10 (24 January 2016)

It might sound like little more than 'Jaws' with dinosaurs as this Steven Spielberg thriller focuses on mayhem at an amusement park where dinosaurs have been brought back to life, but 'Jurassic Park' a unique and exciting thriller in its own right and one that stands up to multiple viewings. The dinosaurs are quite breathtaking CGI creations, and more than that, they are menacing at all the right times. The dinosaur attacks are very well done with Spielberg not relying on music (sort of the opposite of 'Jaws') and instead dead silence to render the attacks frightening. Spielberg throws a lot of neat directing tricks in the mix too, such as extreme close-ups on Samuel L. Jackson's technician and decent doses of humour, like an 'objects in mirror are closer than they appear' warning visible as a dinosaur roars into an automobile side mirror. Not so successful are the film's attempts to drill home messages such as the risks of tampering with nature, all spelled out through character dialogue. The way the child-hating Sam Neill eventually learns to bond with kids is also so forced and obvious from early on that it never really works despite a credible turn from Ariana Richards as a surrogate daughter of sorts. In fact, the film is very well acted overall, give or take Wayne Knight's inappropriately comical performance as the closest the film has a human antagonist. The strongest of the cast is Jeff Goldblum as a mathematician who finds himself often talking to himself, but Jackson, Neill and Richard Attenborough as the amusement park owner have their strong moments too.