One of the best films of 1993

Rating: 8/10 (18 November 2005)

1993 was an amazing year for director Steven Spielberg. He proved that he could make realistic and serious war time dramas with his masterpiece, Schindler's List, and he proved that he is still one of the best directors at making pure cinematic entertainment with Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park isn't all fun and giggles, however, the film does make a statement. I'll get back to what the statement is later in my review. Basically 1993 was the year when Spielberg proved once and for all that he is the greatest director ever to have lived (a title he was recently awarded ahead of Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Ridley Scott).
Spielberg is a master of special effects but more than that he is also very much an actors director. He really does bring out the best in his actors. Sam Neill, whom I already knew was a class actor has one of his very best performances in this film. His acting is very realistic and he brings a high level of credibility to his character and equally important he seems believable as a scientist. He certainly seems intelligent enough. He is quite a subtle actor meaning that he is not afraid to stand out but he is also not afraid to blend in and let others steal the show which of course helps to make the acting seem more polished overall. Laura Dern is, like Neill, a very realistic, no nonsense, actress and her scenes with Sam Neill are marked by great chemistry between the two actors. Jeff Goldblum has a very flamboyant energy about him in this film (as opposed to the sequel where he tries to act in a more realistic manner) and for me his character worked great. Both as comic relief but also dramatically. Richard Attenborough is great! No questions asked. He plays his character very enthusiastically and makes the character both likable, charismatic and well meaning. Other actors worth mentioning are Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight and the child actors: Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards who do very well for child actors.
Effect wise the film is stunning. Simply stunning. Even today 13 years later the effects are still believable which is very rare as most films tend to become very dated when such an amount of time has passed. Jurassic Park was the first film to use computer effects extensively and coupled with some very believable puppetry it takes at least 2 viewings to spot any obvious mistakes. Especially the tyrannosaurus, which has become the signature mark for the films is incredibly well done. There is a scene where one of the children flicker a light in the eye of the dinosaur and you see the pupil contract. When I saw this the first time I thought: "Wow, what an incredible detail." and it is exactly the details that marks the difference between Jurassic Park and other films in the genre like, Godzilla (1998). Also the raptors are very well done and more importantly they work great as tension makers. The first time I saw the film they scared me. All in all the effects are stellar. Two thumbs way up.
The film is not purely entertainment (although that is the film's primary goal). Spielberg makes a statement with the film about genetic research and how it is wrong for humans to play God and this element works great as well because it is not done wrong. It does not make the film seem preachy. Its not blasted up in our faces every five minutes but it is mentioned once and remains an underlying message all the way through the film. I must once again commend Spielberg for the way he handled this. He balanced entertainment and a message extremely well. Kudos to Mr. Spielberg. Also Spielberg has a wonderful way of not making the film all about the effects (even though that is what attracts people). I actually cared about the characters and their fates but this is something that could be said about all Spielberg's films. His way of making the audience care about the characters.
All in all Jurassic Park is not Spielberg's best film but it is highly entertaining and can be watched several times if only for the effects. There are a few ridiculous moments, like one of the children getting electrocuted by a fence that could kill a tyrannosaurus and survives without any permanent injury. Aside from a few minor errors the film is very, very good and I highly recommend it to fans of Spielberg and film lovers in general.
8/10