2. Jurassic Park (1993)
This may be the one film that I will never grow tired of. No matter how many hundreds of times I've seen it,
Jurassic Park is
the film that I can't turn away from whenever it comes on.
To me, everything about it is perfect.
Within the timeline of cinematic innovations, the film was a total breakthrough. Originally, Steven Spielberg had intended to make the film using life-size puppets for the dinosaurs (i.e. classic King Kong). However, upon encountering a few computer graphic-wizards and witnessing the recent strides that had come in VFX, Spielberg was immediately sold on using computer imagery for the film. To creature the dinosaurs he composited the VFX into a perfect blend with massive practical effects to create the creatures on-screen. For a film that is already over twenty-five years old, it amazes me every time to see how well
Jurassic Park's effects still hold up. The realness of the famous T-Rex scene, when she escapes her pen and terrorizes the jeeps, is one of my all-time favourite movie sequences. And, even today, it is hard to distinguish any clue that what you are seeing is not a real-life, hundred foot, carnivorous dinosaur. (The way the T-Rex's pupil dilates as the flashlight shines across her eye still gives me goosebumps.)
It is a testament to the skill of Spielberg that he was able to make such a complete film directly before and during the filming of the very tonally different,
Schindler's List. Both films were amazingly released in 1993. Every element of
Jurassic Park simply works. The effects (as mentioned), the cinematography soaring in and around the lush jungles of Costa Rica, John William's instantly-recognizable score (Doo doo doo doodoo... you know the one), the tight and thrilling script co-written by original author, Michael Crichton, and David Koepp, and, of course, the fantastic ensemble cast.
This film would not be what it is without its memorable performances by Richard Attenborough, Sam Neill, Laura Dern and, of course, everyone's favourite, Jeff Goldblum. Add to that, supporting roles by Wayne Knight, BD Wong, Bob Peck and Samuel L. Jackson (!) and you've got yourself a stellar group of actors and actresses.
By the time of JP, Spielberg had already made a few films starring incredible and incredibly real creatures -
Jaws and
ET. However, those films were about creatures entering the world of humans. In
Jurassic Park, on the other hand, Spielberg changes the formula by dropping humans into the world of the creatures. To do so is a much greater and more difficult feat and one that is harder to convince us, the audience, by. But, early on in the film, when you see the iconic park's jeep rolling over the fields and watch as Alan takes Ellie's head and turn it upwards to gaze at something towering above them, only to see the mammoth Brachiosaurus towering above, you know, right away, you are sold.
You have just entered into the world of real, living dinosaurs.
You are now walking among these extinct creatures.
You have just entered Jurassic Park.
Hold onto your butts!
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