• Director: Steven Spielberg
• With: Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, B.D. Wong, Sir Richard Attenborough, Samuel L. Jackson, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, Wayne Knight
• Music by: John Williams
• Duration: 2h6
• Based upon the novel by Michael Crichton
• Studio: Universal Studios
• Rating: 10/10

Synopsis:

John Hammond–the visionary billionaire entrepreneur and founder of the bio-engineering company InGen—calls in three experts to witness the wonders of the first-ever dinosaur preserve and put the investors’ minds at ease. But there, on the isolated island of Isla Nublar, the hand-picked visitors’ wide-eyed excitement will soon turn into pure horror when a devastating malfunction releases the caged primaeval reptiles. As a result, the ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex, the ultimate apex predator, is on the loose, hungry for fresh meat. Can the intruders confront the living relics and survive the scaly terrors of Jurassic Park?

Review:

Anyone who knows me knows this is my all-time favourite movie and it’s the one I watch every year again, often followed by the entire series. And now that Jurassic Park turns 30 years old, I just had to rewatch it! (And yes I will watch the other five movies as well now as well!)

Michael Crichton wrote the story of a billionaire turning an island into a theme park with animals humans never crossed because they were extinct. Hammond, the billionaire, used knowledge others wrote and theorised about and made it his own discovery when he managed to clone dinosaurs! And now he wants to show them to the world but some accidents on the island instilled fear in the investors so to have the island endorsed they need scientists to spend a weekend on the island and see if all is done as should be: security, safety…

But as always there’s a human factor and throw that in a mix of unpredictable animals unknown to man apart from books and you get a disastrous ending!

The book became a success and Spielberg immediately bought the rights to turn it into a success movie, never before seen in those days! This movie was truly revolutionary! And thirty years later it still is!

I remember when I first watched this in the cinema as a fourteen year old, already a huge movie buff, I just sat eyes wide open watching these creatures truly come to life, hear them roar, watch them wreak havoc and see a battle between man and animal that’s truly epic!

In those 30 years I have seen this movie at least once a year and I can copy almost all of the dialogue from the movie. (Don’t watch this movie with me if you don’t like someone quoting a scene before it’s even been in the movie 🙈)

And then there’s the music by the master himself, John Williams! That soundtrack is on almost once every week and I can whistle every tune…

This movie brings so much joy to my life and I will cherish it forever! It truly is my all-time favourite movie!

Welcome to Jurassic Park!

John Hammond

This was the movie that introduced a bunch of actors I hadn’t heard of or only slightly knew:

Laura Dern who is thé perfect Ellie Sadler!

Sam Neill who is the only one who could have played Alan Grant!

Goldblum, who I only knew from the Fly, was the perfect Ian Malcolm!

Sir Richard Attenborough couldn’t have been replaced as John Hammond!

And Wayne Knight as Nedry… come on, he’s funny and witty and devious! He was perfect!

This movie was also the one that introduced Samuel L. Jackson to me! I had never heard of him… only such a pity he couldn’t ‘arm’ himself as Mister Arnold.

The story and characters deviated a lot from its book counterparts but I think Spielberg did a great job telling the story of cloning without making it too scientific and have the movie a part storytelling and a part action! And some scenes from the first book finally made it in the second movie… (that movie was completely different from the second book and that wás a pity though… more on that later in my review for that movie!)

I reread both novels in 2022 (look for my reviews on my blog!)

If anyone asks me: what is your comfort movie/music: well Jurassic Park is IT!

I can’t wait to revisit the other movies now as well! Stay tuned!