Review of The Real Jurassic Park (1993) by Cinema With C — 01 Dec 2018

Jurassic Park doesn't really need much reviewing by this point, but I saw it at the Royal Albert Hall in London recently with live orchestral accompaniment and fell in love with it all over again.

One of Spielberg's finest, Jurassic Park has all the hallmarks of the filmmaker who made Jaws and grew even more in their expertise by the time he retread ground with dinosaurs.

Spotlights are everywhere in this masterful film full of great camera techniques, memorable characters, great visual and aural storytelling, brilliant set design, and of course...those special effects. There's a reason why I make jokes at more modern movies' special effects saying "X years after Jurassic Park". This was 1993. And it made you believe in dinosaurs. I mean, they did exist, but whatever.

In regards to the orchestra that played, it does make one realise that goddamn, they play the main theme a lot. But it's another John Williams masterpiece, so it's fine. It captures everything good about this movie. The joy, the wonder, the adventure.

That's what every subsequent movie in the series lacks. That wonder. The miracle of dinosaurs. It's an amazing incredible thing. It's not meant to be a horror movie. Or a slasher. It just happens to turn out that way. But that's not the focus.

It's not about that. Jurassic Park is about a man who realises he's ready to start a family. That's the good shit. Not T-Rex and Raptor versus fake dinosaur fights.

Spielberg is the master. And goddamn, there will never be a more joyful reveal than the entire "Welcome to Jurassic Park" sequence.