Jurassic Park (1993)

Last month Jurassic Park was re-released in US theaters in a special 20th anniversary "3D" release. I went to go see it, curious about how the added 3D effects would turn out. I also wanted to give the film a second look; it had been 20 years since I've seen it. The 3D turned out to be OK; there were a few spots where the effects looked especially cool, including the scene where Sam Neill and the kids are running in the field with the ostrich-looking dinosaurs.

I liked all the philosophical discussions that the scientists have with the park's creator and visionary, Richard Attenborough. Also I was impressed with the entire cast. Everyone was great, including "Newman" from Seinfeld, who is really the main villain in the picture, not the dinosaurs. Also it's funny how that Barbasol can's design hasn't changed any in 20 years.

OK. Let's talk about the technology in this.

The CGI dinosaurs still look good, even though CGI has improved tremendously in the last 20 years. I still can't get over how realistic that CGI tiger looks from The Life of Pi.  And that T-Rex is still as scary as hell. But I couldn't help but notice a few "puppet" dinos, including the one that hatches out of the egg early on. No doubt it would be done in CGI today.

There are a few outdated computers, naturally, but I don't hold it against the film. I also noticed a few "floppy disks" sitting by Newman's computer, which are totally obsolete. It's funny how these little things usually go unnoticed at the time.

Notably absent from the film are any cell phones. I know this is a sore subject to bring up with any movie made before 2000, but I can't help but noticing these things.  No one has one! I suppose if more of the characters had one and could communicate with each other more often, it would certainly change the outcome of events of the film. Sigh!

This movie has grown on me, with it's many iconic and memorable scenes.  I love the part when the dinosaurs make their way into the kitchen of the dining area, and then the museum lobby. It's so cool to see the banner that reads "When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth" drop over the T-Rex in the lobby of the museum, and when you see the shadows of the dinosaurs on the illustrated ones on the wall. So neat.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, it is a great heart-pounding thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and makes you think about how the characters mess with nature.

'There were 2 sequels, both inferior to the original. I tried to watch Jurassic Park 2 on DVD and it was so terrible that I couldn't get through the entire thing. Park 3 was not very good either.