JURASSIC PARK
A film review by David Milner
Copyright 1993 David Milner
When JURASSIC PARK was released, history was made. Forget that it will probably go on to become the highest grossing film of all time. Some other motion picture will undoubtedly eventually top it. Forget that the special effects far surpass anything that has ever been seen on the screen before. There undoubtedly will be improvements made in the techniques used, and someday, as hard as this may be to imagine now, the film may actually look a little crude. What makes JURASSIC PARK such a unique event is that it fulfills a lifetime of dreams for millions of people as no other motion picture ever has, or probably ever will.
The special effects are indeed spectacular. Just as STAR WARS set a new standard back in 1977, so, too, does JURASSIC PARK. Both the full-sized dinosaur models created by Stan Winston and the dinosaur images generated with computers are extremely convincing. About the only thing that would have improved the special effects is seeing more of them.
The screenplay, however, does leaves something to be desired. There is almost no plot, and this frankly makes the film a little dull. Also, a few of the lines warning about the perils of unbridled scientific research seem forced, leaving the audience wondering, "where did this come from," or "what does this have to do with anything."
When John Hammond, the founder of Jurassic Park, first uses the line, "we spared no expense," he does so almost with the pride of a new father. However, as he repeats it throughout the film, the gradual change in his outlook from boundless optimism to hopeless despair becomes apparent. This is one of the more inspired ideas incorporated into the screenplay.
Despite its suspenseful atmosphere, JURASSIC PARK does have a few very funny moments in it. The tension of the sequence featuring the tyrannosaur chasing after a jeep is broken when the dinosaur is seen in one of the jeep's rear-view mirrors with "objects in the mirror are closer than they appear" printed on it, and there are some great one-liners delivered by Ian Malcolm, the chaos theorist.
The dinosaurs in the film are portrayed much more authentically than those in any other motion picture. Dr. John Horner, a highly regarded paleontologist, served as an advisor on the film, and a great deal of time was spent studying the behavior of living animals closely related to dinosaurs such as frogs and lizards. However, there were still a few liberties taken. Real dilophosaurs, for example, were in fact much larger than those seen in the film, and they did not spit, or have frills around their necks. Also, even though velociraptors were among the most intelligent of the dinosaurs, most paleontologists agree that they were only about as bright as chickens. This makes it extremely unlikely that they would have been able to learn to open doors.
It is fitting that there is a reference to Dr. Robert Bakker made in the film. He, like Dr. Horner, has contributed a great deal to the field of paleontology in the past few years, and his book, THE DINOSAUR HERESIES, is a must for anyone interested in dinosaurs.
As director Steven Spielberg has been quoted as saying, JURASSIC PARK is not a film for young children. It simply is much too violent. Given this, it is difficult to understand why there were elements that could appeal only to them, such as the transformation of Dr. Grant from someone who dislikes children to someone who accepts them, included in the film.
The acting is generally good, but not outstanding. Sir [now Lord] Richard Attenborough does give an outstanding performance as John Hammond, but Sam Neill, who plays Dr. Alan Grant, the paleontologist brought in to help allay the fears of the investors in Jurassic Park, and Laura Dern, who plays Dr. Ellie Sattler, the paleobiologist, both seem a little uneasy in their roles at times. Jeff Goldblum, too, gives a slightly inconsistent performance as Ian Malcolm.
Something that is left unanswered in the film is why a chaos theorist, who would know virtually nothing about dinosaurs, would be asked to give his approval to Jurassic Park. The real answer, of course, is that chaos theory just happened to be a hot topic when JURASSIC PARK was being written, but some explanation for this should have been given in the film.
John Williams' score is very good, but it is not one of his best. The music heard during the film's more dramatic moments is very affecting, but both the slow Jurassic Park theme and the fanfare are a little too simplistic.
The sound effects, for the most part, also are good. However, a few of the roars produced by the tyrannosaur sound a little too much like a car horn, and not enough like a noise a living animal would make.
The new DTS, or Digital Theatre Sound, system tried out for the first time with JURASSIC PARK is very impressive. The increased clarity and dynamic range allowed for by storing the soundtrack not on the film itself, but instead on a separate compact disc, really do add something to the experience of watching a film.
There is no question that a sequel will be produced. The loose ends left in the film show that this was the intention from the start. Audiences undoubtedly will enjoy seeing more of the magnificent special effects that made JURASSIC PARK so successful, but it would be nice if the sequel turned out to be a little better film overall.
JURASSIC PARK
A Universal Pictures Release
Staff:
Producers.......................................Kathleen Kennedy
Gerald R. Molen
Director........................................Steven Spielberg
Special Effects.................................Stan Winston
Dennis Muren
Phil Tippett
Michael Lantieri
Music...........................................John Williams
Screenplay......................................Michael Crichton
David Koepp
Cast:
Sam Neill.......................................Dr. Alan Grant
Laura Dern......................................Dr. Ellie Sattler
Sir Richard Attenborough........................John Hammond
Jeff Goldblum...................................Ian Malcolm
Ariana Richards.................................Alexis
Joseph Mazzello.................................Tim
Wayne Knight....................................Dennis Nedry
Bob Peck........................................Robert Muldoon
David Milner Columbia University inet: dave@blackbox.cc.columbia.edu
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