I am lucky (and old) enough to remember when the movie adaptation of Jurassic Park premiered. Leading up to the release in the summer of 1993, there was a cultural buzz that doesn’t exist in our modern, oversaturated 24-7 digital lifestyle. It wasn’t social media blasts or “influencers” generating this buzz. It was good old fashioned word of mouth. Between friends and neighbors and parents, it felt like everyone was talking about the new dinosaur movie. And this IRL conversation was fueled by one impossible promise: Spielberg had brought dinosaurs back to life.
The groundbreaking special effects that this movie employed were legendary before anyone even stepped foot in a movie theater. Even if the movie had sucked, it still would’ve been a blockbuster simply because you couldn’t avoid the buzz, the awe, the “who HAVE to see the T-Rex” hype.
But the movie didn’t suck. The script was layered. The sets were lush and realistic right down to the Jurassic Park lunchboxes in the giftshop and the custom-painted Jeeps that many a fan attempted to replicate on their own vehicles. All of this attention to detail made the impossible concept of an amusement park that brings dinosaurs back to life feel real. Above all that though the cast elevated this movie to blockbuster status.
They're witty, funny, and walked around with theme backpacks strapped to them as they ran for their lives. People showed up to Jurassic Park because of the dino buzz, but they bought tickets a second and third time because of the themes. Theme is the true blockbuster element in Jurassic Park.
We see Ellie debating “sexism in survival situations” and Malcolm preaching the cautionary tale of man vs. nature. He famously says, "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.".
And this is it. This is the blockbuster theme (one of many in this movie) everyone in every theater across the globe can relate to. Universal themes shine from every character like the blinking warning lights on the electric fences in the park. People will say they love this movie because they remember that first moment when the T-Rex busts out of her enclosure in the middle of a rainstorm to wreak havoc and gnash on some lawyer-on-the-toilet grindage, but it’s not just the special effects that keep us re-watching this movie every time it’s on TV.
Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp were savvy enough to make these thematic touchpoints vehicles for character development and comedic relief. We’re being taught so many lessons in this movie that we quote deep moments like “life finds a way” with a laugh instead of a reverential nod. This movie is so palatable yet so intellectually stimulating that it might as well be kale and broccoli covered in cheese whiz.
The success of Michael Crichton’s novel prior to the movie release can’t be ignored either. Millions of copies sold years before any dilophosaurus made Newman from Seinfeld the ultimate example of nature’s power over mankind. (Dude, deserved it though, right?)
The success of Jurassic Park is the sum of its parts. The blockbuster novel. The blockbuster director. The blockbuster special effects. The blockbuster cast. And the blockbuster themes. Add all that together and you have one hell of a blockbuster that will surely last longer than the dinosaurs.
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I have rewatched Jurassic Park so many times since a child, and every time I watch it, there's something new to take in. Every scene is imperative to the story and provides context not just for the plot, but the interpersonal relationships between the characters. Spielberg doesn't necessarily have a magnum opus, but if he did, I would think this is it.
ReplyDeleteZoe, I agree that every scene is necessary & they all hinge on each other like a Rube Goldberg machine. The typical movie has so many threads that don't always weave together; some are just there for entertainment. But everything intertwines in Jurassic Park. That brilliant woven storytelling is why we still re-watch it to this day & why this movie is a blockbuster for the ages.
DeleteI want to just add that Jurassic Park also manages to tie up the entire story in a neat, complete bow, but not in a in-your-face sort of way. It's subtle. There's not a bunch of dangling questions left over...yet, there's room for a sequel (the Barbasol can in the mud, for example), if one was warranted. But if this was a standalone, it would be just as satisfying. And, well, Dinosaurs make everything better. ;)
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