- Jurassic Park (1993) – Directed by Steven Spielberg.
The Collection is a monthly opinion piece, which features a single film, trilogy, or the like that I consider to be one of the best of all-time – a must watch film or franchise. A new entry in The Collection will be highlighted and revealed on the third Monday of every month. This month I’m adding to The Collection with Jurassic Park, arguably the most visually impressive film of the 1990s.
Based on Michael Crichton’s novel of the same name, Jurassic Park follows Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ellie Sattler as they are invited by InGen’s CEO, John Hammond, to witness his new park full of cloned dinosaurs. Hammond desperately wants Grant and Sattler to sign off on the park, so that it can be fully revealed to the public. But all hell breaks loose when the security system is being shut down, and, suddenly, Dr. Grant and Hammond’s grandchildren are being attacked by a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Steven Spielberg is one of the great directors in film today, and he has made a lot of noteworthy and memorable films. And while I’m not sure if Jurassic Park is the most critically acclaimed of his films, it is definitely my favorite. It’s funny, while the original Star Wars-film may have been the first live-action film I ever saw, it don’t really think of my childhood when I think of Star Wars, instead I think of my entire life. Jurassic Park, however, reminds me more of my childhood.
It’s not that the film feels old, or that it doesn’t hold up. There’s just this warm, comfortable, and nice feeling I have when I sit down to watch Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. But, most importantly, I never ever get tired of watching Jurassic Park. I am always shocked when I hear someone hasn’t seen the original Star Wars-trilogy, seeing as that trilogy is so ingrained in current pop culture. But I think I would be even more surprised if I met someone who had never experienced the original Jurassic Park.
None of the sequels, at the time of writing, are as good as the original. But it was never a fair comparison. I am so tired of seeing dinosaur-films that are, essentially, straight-up monster movies. Jurassic Park wasn’t just a monster movie, it was about man’s reach exceeding his grasp. Corporations going too far, men testing limits that they weren’t supposed to test.
If you have the opportunity to watch Jurassic Park for the first time, then I implore you to do so. It is a true experience. Oh, and when you’re done, I’ve got a review waiting for you right here.
The Collection will return on the 21st of March 2016.
-I’m Jeffrey Rex
I'm Jeffrey Rex 