The first Jurassic Park movie turns 30 years old this year. This sci-fi action movie is loved by many and is still as popular as it was when it came out. It’s a favorite among dinosaur lovers, but even manages to get everyone’s attention. According to imdb.com, Jurassic Park has earned 44 awards, including three Oscars for Best Sound, Best Sound Effects and Best Visual Effects.
In the movie, Dr. Hammond (Richard Attenborough) is a scientist who discovered how to create dinosaurs. He invites paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), along with mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), to see his work-in-progress dinosaur theme park. After the visitors arrive, they are given a tour and shown how the dinosaurs are made. Joining them are Hammond’s grandchildren: Lex (Ariana Richards) and Tim (Joseph Mazzello). While they are in the middle of the park, the security systems malfunction, and everyone ends up scattered on the island with dinosaurs on the loose.
Between exhilarating dinosaur action and the pursuit of justice, the film easily captures the audience’s attention throughout the story. Another fun feature of this movie is that the director, Steven Spielberg, and his writers made the film nearly separate from Michael Crichton’s book Jurassic Park, which features the same characters but follows a slightly different plot. For its time, the movie had great visuals and effects. According to screenrant.com, computer graphics in film were still in their infancy in the early 1990s.
One of the most captivating elements of this movie is its use of visuals. Life-like puppets were used, even on the bigger dinosaur, to make digital effects less neccessary. In fact, throughout the movie, only 14-15 minutes show computer graphic dinosaurs. While the movie takes place in Central America, Hawaii was the primary filming location, adding to the rainforest-like setting.
Jurassic Park has mostly positive reviews. According to rottentomatoes.com, Jurassic Park earned itself a 91% on the Tomatometer. IMdB.com highly rated this movie as well, with an 8.2/10. In 1994, it earned three Oscars and a BAFTA award. The film earned $401.8 million at the box office and grossed over $1.1 billion, making 31 on the list of highest lifetime gross movies.
Overall, this movie seamlessly combines serious questions about ethics and morality while providing an action-packed, family-friendly plot. The only disappointment is its lack of connection to the book. The film deserves a 4 out of 5, especially for being less cheesy than other dinosaur films.