Franchise after franchise, Hollywood has now become an exhausting “theme park” of overused CGI and over-the-top action sequences. But before all this, there was a time when we had movies that presented good narratives and just the right amount CGI to back it up. Among such movies, Jurassic Park deserves special recognition for setting up the landscape for all the visual effects we have today.
Released over 25 years ago, Jurassic Park is still worthy of being mentioned as a milestone in the history of world cinema. The movie became the highest-grossing film of all time when it debuted in 1993. The iconic blockbuster from Steven Spielberg is a seamless blend of practical effects, animatronics, and CGI. It is this effective method of film making that makes this work of art truly unique and transcend across time.
But is it all just that?! What makes this movie so memorable?! No movie has ever made such an effect on audiences the way Jurassic Park has. Not even its squeals and the squeal-franchise (Jurassic World series) after that.
So, we have decided to take a deep dive to find some of the reasons why everyone will always love watching Jurassic Park.
1. Fills You With Nostalgia
Just to clear the confusion. We’re not talking about the ’90s vibe. We are talking more specifically about how this movie seems to get incorporated with our memories each time we see it. By this time everyone has already seen this movie a billion times. But, the real magic is how this movie lies so close to the memories we made while watching it each time. Yes! Movies like Harry Potter and Toy Story does leave us with some lasting impressions. But, none will ever give that warm fuzzy feeling inside like this one.
2. Effects Still Hold Up
Enough with the emotional side. Now let’s talk about the technical bits. We all know how clumsy and outdated the visual effects from the ’90s can be. Computer-generated graphics was still at its infant stage. But, that didn’t stop movie-makers from experimenting with it whenever possible. But, only a few of them had the foresight to present it for the future. Director Steven Spielberg was one such visionary. Even after decades from its making, Jurrasic Park still holds up in terms of effects. Skillfully mixing CGI and animatronic puppets, the film looks far more technologically-advanced and realistic than any recent blockbusters.
3. Strong Female Characters
Long before Hollywood studios were eager to inject feminist ideologies into their movies, Jurassic Park had better realized, strong female characters. There were no damsels in distress, but only characters like Dr. Ellie Satler kicking ass and teenager Lex Murphy saving the day, by herself, by getting the park’s security system back online. Ironically, the franchise failed to follow on these strong representations in its later movies. (Yes! We are definitely talking about the high heels in Jurassic World.)
4. Not All Blockbusters Suck
We currently live in an era where Hollywood movies are just two-hour, CGI-filled explosion factories that eschew the actual narrative in favor of spectacles. Though studios are doing this to maximize their profits overseas, we believe that good content always sells and all you need is just the right amount of CGI to support it (if necessary). Good cinema used to be about good narratives and Jurassic Park is the perfect pick to prove it. The movie has numerous spectacles. But none are incoherent, noise-filled or fast-moving metal-smashing garbage. This keeps the movie more realistic and conjures a graceful suspension of disbelief.
5. Spielberg And Williams At Their Best
Director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams have a perfect track record of making the best happen whenever they team up. The iconic theme songs from Jaws, E.T and Indiana Jones are exceptional outcomes of this partnership. Yet, no one will argue that their work for Jurassic Park is the best of them all. It is pure harmony between Spielberg’s frames and Williams music that help deliver a few of the biggest movie thrills of all time. Williams, we love you for the Star Wars theme. But, this one is magic.
6. Dinosaurs!
The good ones should be saved for the last right?! Jurassic World won’t be complete without its soul, the dinosaurs. From mesmerizing us with its spectacular beauty to terrifying us to the edge of our seats, the dinosaurs are the one true element in the movie that we will never grow tired of.
It’s fair to say that no movie ever made has given as great movie spectacles like raptors stalking the kids in a kitchen or the T-Rex chases a Jeep and being “closer than he appears” in the side mirror. And for that, we will keep watching this movie wonder again and again.
