#194: Jurassic Park

Release Date: June 11th, 1993

Format: Streaming (Netflix)

Written by: Michael Crichton and David Koepp

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

4 Stars

Jurassic Park has a case for being the quintessential Hollywood blockbuster, and another case for being the crown jewel in Steven Spielberg’s filmography. That’s a bold claim, I’m aware, but doesn’t Jurassic Park seem to be the distillation of all of the best qualities of Spielberg, the filmmaker? To be a manifestation of what Hollywood filmmaking aspires to be?

Here Spielberg crafts the ultimate in escapist cinema - right up there with The Wizard of Oz - that incorporates his signature auteurist trademarks, such as visual storytelling that is airtight, central characters that are relatable (and multigenerational), supporting characters that are colorful, special effects that are state of the art, and of course, that soaring John Williams score.

It was the visual storytelling that stood out the most to me in this most recent viewing. Movies have certainly gotten bigger and more expensive since 1993, but Spielberg’s craft, the care in which he takes to communicate story through images, well, that’s tough for studios to just budget for.

Go re-watch that scene where Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler are driven into the park for the first time. They suspect it’s just a nature reserve that serves to edify the public about dinosaurs, or something like that; the park’s benefactor, John Hammond, has been understandably coy concerning the details.

But then, the Jeeps stop in the middle of a field and Spielberg moves his camera closer to capture the wonder of not a living dinosaur, but of Dr. Grant seeing a living dinosaur. There it is, the embodiment of Dr. Grant’s lifelong passion, and Spielberg gives him the privilege of seeing it first. Then we see Dr. Sattler’s astounded reaction, before both doctors exit their Jeep. This is when Spielberg gently pulls his camera back to finally reveal what they’ve been marveling at, a Brachiosaurus the size of a skyscraper. 

The shot still gives me goosebumps, some 30 years and a dozen viewings since its release. 

It’s Spielberg at his best. For brief moments, through the sheer illusion of moving images and sound and music, he can take you to a different world as vividly as any director in the history of cinema.