Jurassic Park (1993)
Almost forgot the old Universal logo. :) Wasn't bad. Nostalgic now.
Gotta love Costa Rica too, and wherever that island was, if any of this actually was filmed in Costa Rica!
The movie's pleasant, you could say. Charming people. Real interactions. Real scenery too.
Was expecting a little overly dramatic dinosaur sequences after the opening one here, but they actually kept it real after that, and spared no expense on anything in regard to those majestic creatures of old. Props are amazing. There are a few moments where you wonder if the eyes really move as they naturally would, the raptors in particular (feature of the film) come off a little clumsy, but for the most part... wow.
The sick Triceratops early on was maybe the most realistic part, and I feel like I might have enjoyed this movie just as much if they just interacted with the dinos, never mind their escaping. The human and herbivore bonding moments are some of the best moments here.
But when they strike fear they do manage that pretty well too. With the mud welling into the car, the slow climb over the fence, the arm in the power plant... I appreciate the detail. It all keeps you on your seat, though sometimes it seems the T. rex responds oddly little to actual movement too, and weren't Velociraptors supposed to be hella smart? Like maybe they could've combed the individual kitchen isles from one side to the next?
The oven caught me by surprise too, though. Gotta love when a movie actually manages to do that!
Overall it feels like this movie's stood the test of time impressively well, with a backstory that feels a bit more thorough than it was in the remake, and it's got Samuel Jackson no less! After watching Deep Blue Sea I'm struck by the familiarity between these two. The storm too. Even if that just played a minor part in the plot progression here the latter almost seemed like a Jurassic Park in itself, but with sharks, and they even managed to get in one of the original cast members.
But never mind that other movie now. This one's still great. The lure of the prehistoric's still there. The park rich and vibrant. They spared no expense. The detail's what sets it aside. The merch. The jeeps. The cake. The everything, of which of course the dinos are no minor part.
They really did things thoroughly. Even set it up for a potential sequel without even having to resort to the usual after credt mumbo jumbo (the bottle, you know).
Gotta revisit the classics sometimes, and make sure some are still great.
rated 5/5: friggin awesome