Those Summer Nights: Jurassic Park (1993)

Ahhhhh, Jurassic Park. The definitive summer blockbuster of my childhood, and still #12 on the all-time domestic chart (and #8 on the all-time worldwide chart), despite inflation. At the time of its release in 1993, it was the #3 film of all time behind Star Wars and E.T., and had the biggest worldwide box office of all time. Needless to say, it was an EVENT. Even my little 9-year-old self knew it was a really big deal. And I loved it so much that I subsequently became addicted to Jurassic Park trading cards and even read the 399-page novel (still perhaps the longest novel I've ever read... small print, too).

As I recall, I saw it the night before the last day of 4th grade (I was turning 10 in the June of that summer, so it had to be 4th grade). Whether this was the opening night/weekend, I don't recall. But it had to have been very early in the film's run, cause it was still white-hot, with all the kids at school talking about it, but only a few having seen it. I remember feeling very cool for having seen it before school let out.

They may seem pretty standard now, but the effects at that time were groundbreaking. In fact, they're still better than a lot of the straight-up CGI crap you see now. I remember seeing lots of featurettes on the creation of the dinosaurs, but now I can't remember how they did it. The CGI revolution was of course just starting, with another giant leap the following year with Forrest Gump. But what was great is that I think the dinos were part real live model and part computer, which is what made them seem so real. Wow, it's obvious that I'm more actor than visual F/X guy, isn't it? Oh well.

But the acting was really good, too! Surprise! This was back in the day when the actual quality of a blockbuster-wannabe was directly proportional to its box office. This film actually had a good story (straining credibility at times, sure, but still good) and solid actors in all the key roles. Sam Neill made a good male lead, as he usually does, and had a great year between this and The Piano. And though it's on record that the role of Sam's love interest, Dr. Ellie Sattler, was originally offered to Juliette Binoche (can you imagine?), it ultimately went to the immensely capable Laura Dern. She may be oscar-nominated for Rambling Rose, critically lauded for Citizen Ruth, and frequently toyed with by David Lynch, but Jurassic Park will always be the film for which she's most widely known. The well-rounded supporting cast featured oscar-winning director Richard Attenborough, the always cool Jeff Goldblum, and two very charming kids, among others, and together, the ensemble was quite formidable.

And all those classic moments! This film was genuinely thrilling and terrifying, and chock full of scenes I'll never forget. Sure there was the occasional low-brow misstep, like when the lawyer is eaten while sitting on the toilet, but there's also the T-Rex-mauls-the-car sequence, the electric fence, the disembodied arm, and that final thrilling scene where the T-Rex saves everyone from the raptors. Brilliance. Why are there no more blockbusters like this? I guess there's the occasional Spider-Man 2, but those are few and far between. The closest we usually get to Jurassic Park now is this Night in the Museum shit, or (god forbid) Jurassic Park 4.

Can they PLEASE stop making all these sequels/ripoffs? Whoever's responsible is just spitting on the memory of one of the great populist entertainments of our time. And one of the highlights of my childhood.

In summation: Jurassic Park rules.