Directed by:
Steven SpielbergCinematography:
Dean CundeyComposer:
John WilliamsCast:
Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Martin Ferrero, Samuel L. Jackson, BD Wong, Wayne Knight (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Paleontologist Alan Grant and his paleobotanist girlfriend, Ellie Sattler, give lectures on dinosaur history between digs at remote exotic locales. One dusty afternoon, John Hammond, a millionaire inspired by scientific wonders, makes an offer to the erudite couple that they can't refuse: He asks them to act as consultants on his entrepreneurial endeavor--an amusement park with live dinosaurs as the main attraction. On an island off the coast of Costa Rica, Hammond's already biologically engineering living dinosaurs by extracting and reconstructing dino-DNA from fossilized insects. But bedlam ensues when Wayne, a computer genius, tampers with Jurassic Park's security system so that he can smuggle out a bunch of frozen embryos. The prehistoric creatures break loose around feeding time and the millionaire, the scientists, the park employees, and two children become fair game. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (14)
A flawless example of integrating CGI into the narrative. Thanks to the fact that dinosaurs also appear as attractions in the fictional world and the characters perceive them as such, they film still has a palpable “wow” effect to this day (exemplary in this respect is the scene in which the main characters first see the dinosaurs in all their glory). At the same time, it is an excellent (or reprehensible, depending on how much you despise capitalism) example of how to incorporate merchandising into the story (the uniformity of the film’s logo and the park’s logo, the “incidentally” filmed gift-shop selection). Jurassic Park is a self-assured Hollywood product that gives you your money’s worth by providing superior entertainment that works in every respect. What fascinates me the most is that its effectiveness, which only a few directors have come close to matching, comes across as simply a matter of course. 85%
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After nearly a quarter of a century since I last saw Jurassic Park on video, I am all the more amazed at how terribly well the film works even when nostalgia is taken out of the equation, especially on the big screen with 250 other people enthusiastically reacting to it. Spielberg crafted a sophisticated yet minimally ostentatious meta-film by approaching the narrative about an amusement park as the blockbuster movie equivalent of an amusement park – from the initial promise and fascination through disappointment and cringe to the genuine wonder and physically intense roller coaster. He takes us not only to the marked visitor paths and souvenir shop, but also to the technical facilities and inside the enclosures, where a pure yet dangerous adventure awaits. He takes a similarly self-reflective approach to special effects and the revolution then underway during the production of this film, when computer-generated images were displacing animatronic puppets and optical trickery (but without the necessity of throwing his ingenuity in people’s faces as something that they should notice and appreciate). Because of that, the first Jurassic Park also has a perfect dramaturgical structure that carefully shapes viewers’ expectations and lays the groundwork for individual money shots, whose brilliance consists primarily in their framing by means of the surrounding shots, thanks to which (not only in comparison with today’s usage) the film manages to get by with a surprisingly modest number of computer-generated/enhanced shots.
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“Life, uh... finds a way”. I've loved dinosaurs and everything related to them since I was a kid – from encyclopedias, to museums, to feature films and documentaries – and Spielberg's Jurassic Park is at the top of the list for me in terms of feature films about these prehistoric lizards. I've seen it several times now, and even though it's been a whopping thirty years since its premiere, it still manages to mesmerise me to the hilt. The film breathtakingly manages to breathe life into the long-extinct creatures that once dominated the land, sea and airspace, bringing them closer to the audience in a supremely authentic way. In addition to the stunning work with animatronics and the incredible visual effects, the makers "spared no expense" on the sounds of the dinosaurs, which feel truly believable (even if it is essentially a reconstruction). The scenes with the escape from the T-Rex and from the kitchen with the velociraptors still take my breath away. But Jurassic Park wouldn't be what it is if it weren't for the casting, with Jeff Goldblum and the young Joseph Mazzello entertaining me the most. Last but not least, I can't forget the wonderful musical score by John Williams, which wraps-up the unique audiovisual experience that Jurassic Park was, is, and will be - "We spared no expense."
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Jurassic Park - two hours of SOMETHING that probably changed my life. A perfect film in every respect. No matter what anyone says, the special effects are still unrivalled today. I don't know how it's possible, but when I look at a giant Brachiosaurus, I feel like it's alive. The T-Rex or the raptors in the kitchen are equally creepy. Jurassic Park got me into movies - I've loved the silver screen ever since. It also taught me to appreciate film music and gave me a reason to adore John Williams. That Spielberg's direction is unparalleled probably does not need to be mentioned, as well as the performances of all the actors. Basically, this is a movie miracle. You know it by heart, but you always like to watch it again.___P.S. Crichton's book is better, but in this case I don't think the book-adaptation comparison is appropriate. It should be perceived as Crichton and Spielberg looking at the same thing, but through their own eyes.
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The older I get, the more Jurassic Park matures from an adventurous attraction for the whole family into an honorable classic that might never get old. The first brachiosaurus, the first T-Rex roar, the first electric shock. And the first film where I can't say a word about the special effects as I gaze upon the dinosaurs. The fact that this relentless ride comes from Steven Spielberg's workshop is a plot twist of its own.
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