Jurassic Park
Of all the countless science fiction films made throughout cinema history, very few have been able to mix a relevant ethical message with great acting and cutting edge special effects. Steven Spielberg’s prehistoric epic ‘Jurassic Park’ does just that. The overall message of the film is the responsible use of science and technology, and the warning against taking our own scientific power too far. ‘Jurassic Park’ is one of our culture’s most memorable films, mainly due to superb acting by Sam Neill and Jeff Goldbloom, the phenomenal story, and Stan Winston’s dinosaur effects, which would come to define how people think about and visualize dinosaurs.
The acting is incredibly good for science fiction. This is a genre that usually doesn’t rely on acting, but rather story and visual eye-candy, to sell itself. Jurassic Park, however, was something more. Sam Neill plays Dr. Alan Grant, one of the leading paleontologists in the world. He and his girlfriend, paleobotanist Dr. Elliot Saddler, go to the private island of an eccentric millionaire to take a private tour of his new theme park, Jurassic Park. Sam Neill does an amazing job portraying the quick-thinking, strong-willed Dr. Grant. A recurring theme is that Grant starts out the movie with a dislike for children. As the film goes on, he has several scenes with two children, whom he grows to be very fond of. At first, he is very annoyed with them, and his treatment of the children is both hilarious and cynical. With every scene, the viewer is able to see the evolution of their relationship, and the evolution of Dr. Grant’s character. The events on the island (called Isla Sorna) affect how every character views his or her own life, and Neill does a fantastic job of portraying Dr. Grant’s character development.
Jeff Goldbloom plays Dr. Ian Malcolm, a theoretical scientist who’s believe in the Chaos theory prompts him to doubt from the beginning the efforts of Jurassic Park. Goldbloom brings a lot of charisma and attitude to the character, and makes Dr. Malcolm one of the most memorable parts of the film. He is throughout the film the extreme voice of reason, arguing that the resurrection of dinosaur species is a perversion of nature and natural selection. He questions the morals of the scientist, claiming that they are ‘playing God’ by trying to create and control a species that was chosen for extinction millions of years ago. Malcolm’s ideas provide foreshadowing throughout the film, as well as provoking the viewer, and causing him or her to question the science.
The plot itself is one of the best parts of this film. Based on the bestselling novel by Michael Crichton, it is one of the greatest novel-to-film adaptations of our time. The message of the film is clear: science is an all-powerful tool, and it is up to us to use logic and responsibility when handling it. Sure, the power to bring back an extinct species is amazing, but is it ethical? Who gives us the right to create life? How are two species (human and dinosaur) that haven’t existed together for almost 64 million years possibly going to interact? And what are we going to do once we lose control of the dinosaurs? These are all questions the film asks it’s viewers, and the answers it gives are quite frightening.
The film quickly goes from scientific inquiry to sheer terror. The park loses power, and the dinosaurs break free from their containment pins, starting a bloody killing spree all across the island. One memorable scene is the thirty foot tall Tyrannosaurus Rex breaking out of its fence and absolutely annihilating a Jeep full of children. In this scene, the sum of all of Dr. Malcolm’s fears comes true, and he himself is badly injured. The scene lasts for a full ten minutes, and leaves the viewer in suspense the entire time. Never before has the audience been faced with this kind of terror- a gigantic beast, once only read of in textbooks, putting all of its energy into devouring you whole. Only watching the film will fully explain the terror of the Tyrannosaurus.
Stan Winston did the creature effects for the movie, and his work was very highly received by critics. The dinosaurs are scary, reptilian, and above all, disturbingly realistic. True, we don’t actually know what a dinosaur looked like, but we’ve all seen a lizard, and the twenty foot lizards from Jurassic Park are pulled off well. The Tyrannosaurus, in particular is a phenomenal sight to behold, and is one of the first times in cinema that computer animation has been used as effectively as it was. Steven Spielberg originally didn’t want to use computer animation, because its possibilities were relatively unknown at the time. After seeing a few test animations, he realized that his effects team had struck gold, and the box office proved it.
Jurassic Park is one of those films that everyone should see at least once. For me, the film is a mixture of childhood wonder and movie-buff respect, a true adventure in cinema. It is a horror film, an action film, and an adventure film all at the same time, and the message is very clear. Michael Crichton, the author of the novel, was always famous for his use of science as a plot theme, but Jurassic Park is his most famous, and for good reason. It is one of the most memorable legends of our time, and will stand as a warning against irresponsible use of technology for generations to come.
