A Classic

Rating: 10/10 (6 March 2010)

In general, summer action movies are lumped together as dumb fun with over-the-top action sequences, simple stories that require limited to no brainpower and stock characters. However financially successful they may be, few of these are given any serious thought by cineastes. "Jurassic Park," although one of the highest grossing films of all time (it was at the top until "Titanic"), has been lumped together with "dumb fun" movies like "Pirates of the Caribbean" or "Superman." That's unfair, because it's not giving Steven Spielberg's film it's due credit. This film is a classic of cinema in the same way that "Lawrence of Arabia" or "Casablanca" are.
On a small island off the coast of Costa Rica, an entrepreneur named John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) has done the impossible: he has brought dinosaurs back to life. In order to put his investors at ease, he has brought three scientists to take the tour and give their stamp of approval. But things go wrong, and what was going to be a fun weekend is now a desperate fight for survival.
The late great Michael Crichton had a tremendous gift for fudging science to make something impossible seem believable. Of course this story couldn't happen, but the story is told in a way that makes it seem credible. This adds a certain level of verisimilitude to the film that it desperately needs.
Many have criticized the film for its characterization, or lack thereof. This is not only unfair, but it's also untrue. Many characters in classic films were not richly developed. The characters here are no better developed than Rick and Ilsa from "Casablanca." What makes those two characters to memorable is that they were portrayed by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Additionally, the characters here are indeed multi-faceted. Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) begins the film as a man who hates kids, but once he gets to know Lex (Ariana Richards) and Tim (Joseph Mazzello), he warms up to them. More importantly, any further attempts to develop the characters would have merely wasted time in an already perfect film.
The actors in the film were not big names at the time of production (obvously for budgetary reasons). That all changed after this movie. Most of the actors have had successful careers, especially Samuel L. Jackson and arguably Wayne Knight. All give solid performances. Sam Neill is good as the aloof scientist, but circumstances cause him to warm up to others. Laura Dern is also good as his paleobotanist girlfriend, who actively tries to bring out his human characteristics. Jeff Goldblum is delightful as the cynical and sarcastic "chaotician," and he supplies most of the film's humor. Richard Attenborough is actually the film's most tragic figure. He had the best intentions, but he deluded himself into believing that he could control this startling new technology. Samuel L. Jackson and Wayne Knight are on hand in small but important roles.
Without a doubt the dinosaurs are the main attraction of the movie. And believe me, they go above and beyond the call of duty. Creative and technical experts at Industrial Light and Magic pushed the limits of visual effects in film-making to a point that has been unrivaled ever since. These days, CGI is done cheaply, and it's obvious what is and what isn't computer-generated. Not here. Even today, after visual-effects extravaganzas like "Titanic" and "Lord of the Rings," nothing has even come close to the dinosaurs of "Jurassic Park."
But for all the special effects and solid performances, one must not forget Steven Spielberg's stellar work on this film. 1993 was a huge year for Spielberg. In the summer, he came out with this mega-blockbuster classic. Later that fall, he released what is arguably his most celebrated work, the Holocaust-epic "Schindler's List." Altogether, they're two very different films than cannot and should not be compared, but if anything, they demonstrate Spielberg's skill and versatility. Spielberg is most at home with big budget epics (although he has taken forays into smaller scale films as well). But when viewing this film, one is forced to realize that Spielberg's skill when it comes to creating suspense. There are a number of sequences that are genuinely frightening. The first encounter with the T-Rex, the climax, just to name a few. But for me, the scariest part of the movie was Dennis' encounter with the Dilophosorus that sticks out in my mind when it comes to scary movie moments in "Jurassic Park." All in all, saying any more about "Jurassic Park" would either give something away, or become repetitive. The bottom line is that this movie is a terrifying classic that will get anyone's blood pumping. It is also one of the best films ever made.