Classic Cinema

Considering its release in 1993, it may be a little pre-emptive to call Jurassic Park a classic film, but after almost twenty years of being referenced and spoofed countless times in hundreds of other films and television shows, I’m going to call it. From Spaced’s take on Muldoon’s “clever girl…” line to the iconic water-ripple shots reproduced innumerable times, this film aStarring Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum as the only people to ever make paleontonlogists and mathematicians look badass, this film stormed box offices to become the most financially successful film of its time. And it’s easy to see why. Even after so many years that have seen huge leaps in CGI technology, Jurassic Park remains timeless, with shots that are still as visually impressive now as they were at its release. As a testament to Spielberg’s refusal to cut corners, the painstakingly constructed animatronic dinosaurs used for close-ups have not aged at all.

It is typical Spielberg in every aspect, with a rousing John Williams score and a character arc that sees the gruff Dr. Alan Grant (Neill) learning to open his heart and take responsibility for the kids left in his care – thereby satisfying Spielberg’s incessant daddy issues. In between the sweeping shots of Costa Rica and the highly convincing Scientific Facts that allow the recreation of dinosaurs to be possible, Jurassic Park is a triumph of action and suspense. There are few scenes more utterly nail-biting than the ‘Velociraptors In The Kitchen’ scene, which builds to one of the finest, most impressive finales in Spielberg’s career, and rounds off a spectacular cinematic milestone of a film.