Jurassic Park (Film): Critique 2/2

So many positives!

 

*****SPOILERS*****

 

Intelligent Decisions
 
There were many instances of visuals packed with meaning.

        During his encounter with the Dilophosaurus, Dennis lets go of the tin he was using to smuggle the dinosaur embryos. The tin is covered by mud, mimicking the process of how dinosaur fossils form: animals covered by sediment.

        Hammond’s walking stick is topped with a mosquito-contained lump of amber. The first successfully-retrieved dinosaur DNA came from inside a mosquito trapped in amber. So Hammond walks around, supported by his discover physically, whilst his discover has made him rich so his discovery is supporting him financially, too.

        At Grant’s dig site, there is a complete raptor fossil. Not only does it look good, but its curve is reminiscent of the famous, complete archaeopteryx fossil: one of the most famous dinosaur fossils ever. Also, Grant talks about raptor-bird similarities, and archaeopteryx shows the evolution of dinosaurs into birds, so the raptor fossil looking like the dino-bird fossil ties in all the details nicely.

        One computer screen is projecting the four letters representing the four bases of DNA over the raptor. Considering the raptor was made by genetic modification, a job that requires the four DNA bases, having the raptor covered by these letters now was genius.
 
There were other clever moments, too.
        Sattler says to Hammond, (paraphrase) “You don’t know about the animals or plants so how can you expect to control it?” If you can’t control dinosaurs, they aren’t safe. Not long after this, they lose control and the people definitely are not safe from the dinosaurs. 

      The way the tour describes DNA makes it easy and accessible, even for children. To manage accessibility of science with accuracy of science concurrently is a fantastic achievement.

        We see the impact tremors in the water inside the t-rex footprints. As it happened before with the water in the cup, the audience knows that the t-rex is coming.

       The t-rex saves everyone from the raptors. It’s entertaining how the first dinosaur to cause everyone trouble is the one that saved them from the new trouble.
        As the raptors walk, their big claws click on the floor in a deliberate pattern. The other claws clack when they hit the floor. But the shot is of their feet, meaning the audience can patch the difference between deliberate-pattern and walking-clacks even when not looking at the raptors.
 
 
Fright-factor
 
The film kept on showing how terrifying the raptors were.

        The bushes shake as the raptors, unseen, eat the hefty bull. Then the harness is pulled free from the raptor cage completely destroyed. Not only does this show that the raptors are fierce enough to inspire fear, but the fact that we don’t see them but do see the evidence of their power adds fear of the unknown.
        When the game warden Muldoon is in the bushes, the camera is low on the ground. The bottom third of the screen is taken up by fronds of leaves. The raptor jumps on Muldoon and they land behind the leaves. The leaves shake as the hunter has become the hunted. So the audience knows a death has happened without showing us either murder or corpse.
 
Whilst not a horror movie, there were nonetheless moments of jeopardy.

        The t-rex’s snout pops the sunroof into the car. Tim and Lex hold the sunroof up with their hands and legs as some sort of protection against the t-rex.
        Grant and Lex are hanging from a cable over a ledge. The t-rex then pushes their car over the edge.
 
 
Perfect Visuals
 
There were many good visuals.
      The pillars in the cafeteria are amazing. Partially revealed fossil are on display, as if they’ve be excavated from the pillars themselves. This is one of my favourite visuals from the whole film.
        The skin of the brachiosaur was so well animated. Not only with the wrinkles but how each step would shake the skin. This skin detail was amazing.
        Sattler rebooted the power whilst Tim is still on an electric fence. Unfortunate timing for him; great timing for the audience.
      A dinosaur skeleton hangs from the ceiling. Everyone is on this as the raptor lands, breaking the fossil apart. The chaos of everything spinning and wobbling was hectic and great to watch. Then Tim falls to the ground and a ribcage falls over the top of him, just like how he fell out of the car before the car lands over him.
        The Dilophosaurus chirps and trills like a bird. Appropriate, considering the dino-bird relation. Also, its crest and frill are pretty, both in regards to their pattern, texture and general outline.
 
The animatronics were great.
        The animatronic of the baby raptor hatching was amazing. This was coupled with the lovely detail of the raptor pressing into Hammond’s skin as he stroked her.
        The ill triceratops was another animatronic marvel. Its chest moved as it breathed. Its tongue, head and eyes moved in a way that clearly indicated pain and illness. So many accurate details went into that.
 
 
Perfect Shots
 
The introduction, where many people are moving a velociraptor cage, was full of many good shots.
        Before anything happened, the fronds of leaves move. It’s only after this that we see a dinosaur. For the rest of the film, rustling leaves indicate that a dinosaur is coming.
        At one point, the perspective is from within the cage looking out. Not only is this the viewpoint of the velociraptor but with the darkness, the shouting, and being surrounded by others, it perfectly shows how trapped and afraid the dinosaur was.
        The raptor gets hold of a guy. Muldoon encircles his arms around this guy and we slowly see the guy slipping away. It ends on a slomo for the fingers slipping out of Muldoon’s grip.
 
There were many good actions sequences.
        My favourite action sequences involved Sattler coming and going from the switches (to reboot the system). Sattler swings from a branch with both arms then lands in a puddle, with the camera for this last bit concentrating on her boots. Also, Sattler slams the gate because she’s in such a hurry to open it. When she runs away, she drags a foot along beside her whilst her radio is swinging free from her waist. So good.
        The kids using the reflections on the kitchen cupboard doors to trick the raptors was so clever. Plus she has a crying face whilst pretending to struggle closing the door means she’s luring the raptor into a trap. (Which is interesting, considering the raptors lured Muldoon into the trap that led to ‘Clever girl’.) Lex gets called a nerd and she successfully hacks a system that the adults earlier couldn’t, so we know she’s clever enough to have come up with this plan.
 
 
Emotional Moments
 
The kids were a good addition to the film.
        I love how the kids bicker like normal siblings, even if they aren’t in a normal situation. It injects an element of realism into the film.
        Grant imitating the brachiosaurus’ songs, followed by these dinosaurs’ heads popping up above the trees, was a lovely detail. The wonder is the kids’ eyes was great.
       When in the tree, Grant cuddles the kids as they sleep. This would be a really sweet image in any circumstance. But considering Grant isn’t fond of children, for him now to be affectionate with them is touching.
 
As they fly away at the end of the film, Hammond looks mournfully at the amber-encased mosquito in his walking stick.

     You can see the regret and guilt he feels for his part in this. You can see the disappointment and embarrassment that his idea didn’t work out. You can see him fear for the future (his reputation and finances are most likely in ruins).
        The camera only shows Hammond looking into the amber for a few seconds at most, so to express that much emotion in so little time? Fantastic.
 
 
Iconic Moments
 
So many iconic scenes.
        The water shaking in the cup as the t-rex steps is so iconic.
        The computer saying, “Ah, ah, ah, try the magic word.”
     Muldoon calling a raptor, “Clever girl” for her hunting techniques was another iconic scene. It’s definitely one of the most-used Jurassic Park references I’ve heard in real life. When he says, “Clever girl,” he whispers it calmly. Managing to sound impressed as well, without ruining the quiet and still moment was mightily impressive.
 
Let’s talk about the music.
     The mighty theme song is fantastic. Most films have theme music that isn’t memorable so it’s great that this one is. It still turns heads today!
     The music that plays on the helicopter ride home is soft and tinkling. Then it’s recognisably the Jurassic Park theme song. To change a piece of music so radically yet still making recognisably the same was so spectacularly talented.
 
 
 
Conclusion
 
All-in-all, this is still a film which I adore. It’s full to the brim of intelligence and humour. Yes, there are issues, but nothing impacts the overall quality and reception of the film. (Perhaps my nostalgia helps with this, too.) This is testament to the film’s many good qualities.