For my generation, “Jurassic Park” was the movie of our elementary school lives. The 1993 film was in theaters for longer than a year, it revolutionized the action movie genre, it showcased what filmmakers can do with practical effects instead of a lot of CGI, and it’s still one of Steven Spielberg’s greatest directing masterpieces. It’s impossible to watch “Jurassic Park” and not like it; you are a soulless monster if that is the case. Obviously, “Jurassic Park” has it all: Foolish billionaires! No-nonsense science types! Jeff Goldblum doing his crazy thing! And, of course, dinosaurs, which haven’t been better featured in a movie since. This winter’s “Walking with Dinosaurs” might finally give “Jurassic Park” a run for its money, but before we get there, spend April 5, 2013, in theaters, seeing “Jurassic Park 3D.”
To be upfront, it’s not like that much of “Jurassic Park 3D” is actually in 3-D. The film wasn’t made with that kind of technology in mind, so things that could be adapted to that effect are mainly just trees, backgrounds, and scenery. So like “Titanic 3D” and “Top Gun 3D” before it, “Jurassic Park 3D” has a greater sense of “depth” now, but no dinosaurs launch through the screen or anything like that. Honestly, aren’t they scary enough? You don’t need a raptor snarling in your face to get the point.
And that’s part of what makes this re-release so worthwhile, actually—it demonstrates how effective and flawless “Jurassic Park” really was, and continues to be. Most of the dinosaurs, like that sick stegosaurus, were crafted with practical effects instead of CGI, and they certainly seem, look, and just feel more real. Seeing it on the big screen, you’ll understand why this movie was such a huge blockbuster in its time: It works both on that technical level and a narrative one, with a straightforward villain (Wayne Knight as Dennis Nedry, obviously), and a begrudging hero figure (Sam Neill, of “The Vow” and “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” as Dr. Alan Grant, also obviously), as well as various other tertiary good guys and bad guys (Laura Dern of “Little Fockers” as Dr. Ellie Sattler; Goldblum of “The Switch” as Dr. Ian Malcolm; Ariana Richards as teenager Lex; and Joseph Mazzello of “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” and “The Social Network” as dino-obsessed kid Tim for the former; Martin Ferrero as annoying lawyer Gennaro and perhaps even Richard Attenborough as park creator John Hammond for the latter) solidly serving in an array of supporting roles. There’s a genuine human element to counteract all of the science-can-be-dangerous theorizing, and that balance helps the film move at an enjoyable pace. You’ll never think of these 127 minutes as dragging.
For anyone who doesn’t know, “Jurassic Park” is, of course, adapted from Michael Crichton’s same-named novel about billionaire John Hammond, who has devoted years of his life and countless dollars to quietly cloning dinosaurs and building an amusement park/zoo hybrid near Costa Rica, hoping to attract children from all over the world. Jurassic Park is about to open, but investors want an official review from a lawyer and various scientific experts, so Hammond invites paleontologists Grant and Sadler, mathematician Malcolm, and even his own two grandchildren to prove that the park is safe. But, as Malcolm says, “life finds a way”—and those dinosaurs Hammond had so strenuously crafted from captured DNA, for the purposes of captivity and capitalism, start figuring out ways to get revenge … through snacking on humans, naturally.
We’re 20 years removed from the original release of “Jurassic Park,” and nothing about this movie has aged. The dinosaurs are still awe-inspiring, the performances are still sharp, the dialogue is still full of memorable one-liners (I particularly love Sattler’s sarcastic “We can discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back” to Hammond near the end of the film), and the way the entire film fits into Malcolm’s chaos theory formulation is very clever indeed. No subplots are left undone; no element misses the mark.
“Jurassic Park” is a perfect action movie, and seeing it in 3-D is a small price to pay for a cinematic experience this memorable and flawless. I’ve (seriously) seen “Jurassic Park” more than 100 times on television, but that experience was laughably inadequate when compared with this theatrical experience. You deserve a trip to Isla Nubar, don’t you? Take it.
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