Jurassic Park (1993)

Bringing the prehistoric back to life, Jurassic Park arrives with tremors of the Earth and a bone-chilling roar. Despite all the assurances of paleontology, it was Jurassic Park that truly convinced audiences that dinosaurs were not only real but that "they are out in force today".

The film is an incredible technical achievement, from its pioneering use of CGI to its towering and breathtaking animatronics. The tactile nature of the practical effects creates a grounding effect felt all throughout the film. One example comes when our group comes upon a sick triceratops, achieved practically, featuring close-up shots of its face and pebbly skin. The sound design is top-notch, blending animal and human sources alike to achieve the thundering roar of the tyrannosaurus rex and the screeching wail of the velociraptors. The sound effects are so well engineered that they managed to convince the average moviegoer they know what a dinosaur sounds like.

The world of Jurassic Park is well defined, physically and conceptually. The towering fences give a false sense of security, one reinforced by every piece of technology on the island. The tropical surroundings telegraph the wildness of the island, implying that InGen has not successfully tamed it. Most importantly, the scientific voodoo behind the resurrection of the dinosaurs is compelling and convincing, making audience members ask “why haven’t we done that?”. The film also maintains a respectful but realistic relationship with its source material, both holding close and straying from the original narrative as it suits the film. Michael Crichton's ability to weave popular fiction with cutting-edge science is on display in the film every bit as much as it was in the source material.

Jurassic Park delivers on every promise on offer: fun, frights, and adventure. Extinction? "Life, uh, finds a way."