DINO-BUDDIES ASSEMBLE! 25 Years of Jurassic Park!

Now that we have a 5th installment in the long-lasting, Steven Spielberg produced franchise (and a number 2 in the second round of this franchise known as Jurassic World) coming out, entitled Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, let’s look back 65 million ye… I mean 25 years ago to the original that started it all:

WELCOME TO JURASSIC PARK!

25 years ago, Spielberg wowed us with the first realistic-looking dinosaurs in the 1993 film, Jurassic Park. It not only changed dinosaur movies forever… It also changed filmmaking, especially visual effects forever. Having seen test footage of both stop-motion animated dinosaurs and the new CGI dino-buddies, Spielberg was amazed what the new tech could do and how it brought these creatures to life but, it was a huge risk. A risk Industrial Light and Magic, the VFX company behind the dino’s, and Spielberg, were willing to take. No one really knew if they could pull it off, especially the people MAKING these things look real.

Do you remember the wonderment, excitement and awe when you first saw that Brachiosaurus in the film? The looks of Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum as they gazed upon some magical thing we hadn’t seen JUST yet? The moment you saw the first digital creature that looked so real, you were shocked at what you were seeing? I remember it like it was yesterday and I still get chills thinking about it. To this day, like that first time I saw it, I get teared up. Shivers crawl down my spine when it is topped off with John Hammond (Sir Richard Attenborough) saying “Welcome to Jurassic Park. It’s a moment in cinema history I can never forget. It changed me and it changed the movie making game.

Do you remember that first moment you saw that T-rex coming out of its enclosure? The excitement you felt? The adrenaline kicking in? Its head as it follows Sam Neill’s flare then, charges him? My heart raced. I was there. Popcorn cinema at its finest.

The raptors in the kitchen… Do you remember the terror you felt as they barked in communication with one another, stalking the horrified children, as they clacked their claws? Chills. Heart pounding chills.

Spielberg and ILM did it! And they did it well.

People LOVE this movie and there’s a lot to love. It’s a great movie.

I’m sure I don’t have to go into big details about the film, what its about, who’s in it, etc. I’m sure, you, the reader has seen it or one of its sequels at LEAST once. In my opinion, it’s one of the best, one of the most fun and, one of the most exciting films ever made. It’s Spielberg in top form. It’s movie making in top form. Steven and his team knocked it out of the park on so many levels. It stands the test of time. It holds up.

The sequels were a little lack luster but, I still think they were fun… It’s dinosaurs terroizing and eating people. What more do you want? Which is why I don’t get all the haters out there that cry and bitch about the follow up movies… especially the last one, Jurassic World. Sure, the kids were a bit whiny and sort of unnecessary but, there are kids in ALL of them. It’s part of the WHOLE plan. Put kids IN IT. Kids wanna SEE it. It’s about making lots of money. Did I enjoy the shit out of tourists being eaten and terrorized? Fuck. Yes. I. Did. I can’t wait for the one coming out soon. J.A. Bayona is a great director and I’m sure it will be a fantastic film (I recently wrote about his film, “A Monster Calls”) but, I hold the original very close to my heart and artistic side…

How could it get any better..?

Oh yeah, add some Goldblum.