A Stroll Through My DVD Library...Film 3

Jurassic Park

There are spoilers contained in this review.

I watched this on Blu and was just mesmerized by it. It is gorgeously transferred and the sound is crisp and frightening. I don't know if I have been as excited to see a movie as I was with Jurassic Park. As a child I was fascinated by dinosaurs and dreamed of digging up bones as a paleontologist and becoming famous with that rare find. The older I got the more I realized that it takes a special person to do such a menial job. I collected books about dinosaurs and watched every show I could that related to the subject. I was a big fan of The Land Before Time Series, and watched the classic One Million Years BC (and yes, Raquel Welch was part of the reason) as well as the current Ice Age series. But none of those have held up over the years. Yes, I still enjoy the cheesy One Million Years BC (and still enjoy Raquel) and the occasional viewing of an Ice Age film, but once I beheld Spielberg's film there was no comparison.

As I watched through the film again there were several things that stood out to me that hadn't before. These things are the meat of this stroll through Jurassic Park.

1. The CGI that once blew me out of the water now looks pretty outdated. The T-Rex scenes are still mind blowing and the Velociraptors are just as scary as ever, but the opening sequence when they first behold the offerings of the island are mediocre compared to today's offerings. I didn't want to admit that but there is no way around it. Seeing that it came out in 1993, it is still impressive. But compared to Michael Bay's Transformers and Avatar as well as the workings of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Andy Serkis' work in the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the CGI just doesn't hold up. It's not distracting enough to where I wanted to turn the movie off, it's just one of those things that shows the age of the film.

2. Jurassic Park is one of my favorite films of all time. Based on the book by Michael Crichton (one of my favorite authors of all time), for some reason those glaring differences between the book and the film were more present this time around. Again, it wasn't anything that took away from the film and they aren't going to be apparent to the average person watching the movie. I'm a die hard, and so those films based on Crichton's books are under severe scrutiny when I watch them. I'm not going to point any of them out as most don't care. I'm just surprised at how often I noticed.

3. The film is magical. Yes, magical. There isn't a part of the film that needs to change. Even with those things mentioned above, I don't ever see it leaving my favorites list. The dinosaurs, the cast, the cinematography and script make for an exciting experience. I've watched the film probably 50 times through and each is a journey that I enjoy taking. My favorite part of the film is still when the lawyer gets eaten by the T-Rex. Flat out hilarious. Okay, its not my FAVORITE part, but it ranks up there. Watching it on Blu is even better. The HD with optimized sound gives it the full treatment it deserves. I received the trilogy on Blu for Christmas and am glad I did. Easily the best version of the film to date.

4. I watch a lot of movies and not many can hold a candle to Jurassic Park. I know its one of those polarizing films that people either love or hate, but as a 33 year old man that is still fascinated by dinosaurs, it's a rare gem. It's a film that I can put on at anytime and watch regardless of my mood or mindset. It can be playing on TV and I'll stop whatever I'm doing and watch it. I love it. It's one I wish I could experience on IMAX and be blown away by it! 

5. It means a lot to me as well because the movie made me dive into the book, which fed my love for reading. I remember the look on my parents face when they asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said The Lost World by Michael Crichton. I thought they were gonna pass out. Dinosaurs and action go hand in hand for this geek, and I treasure the film just as much now as I did in 1993. Sadly, I can't say the same for the next two films. I remember the second film somewhat, but the third film remains hazy. I remember a few things about the second film from the book, but I can't remember if I enjoyed the film version. Jeff Goldblum leads the cast, and I find him a strange character in the film, so this should be an interesting revisit. I doubt I did like it at the time as I didn't own it before Christmas, but it and the third film were included in the set so I'll enjoy them as well and see where I land.

That's what this experience is all about though, revisiting films that I own but haven't viewed in a while. It's resurfacing all the emotions that go with the movie viewing experiences. Memories that burst forth from a scene that makes me jump, or smile or yell at the TV. Watching Jurassic Park brought a lot of those back and I remain an avid fan of Spielberg's work. Superb movie viewing experiences are what keep me coming back for more, and I plan on hanging in with Jurassic Park more often!