TMS Retro Review: 30 Years of Jurassic Park

(Universal Pictures)

Thirty years since Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park set groundbreaking ticket and merchandising sales, became a cultural phenomenon, and the initial film has not lost any popularity. We’ve theorized and dissected the formula on how to craft the perfect blockbuster over the years. In my mind, it really is the best example of ‘lightning in a bottle,’ especially if the blockbuster inspired a whole franchise, such as Jurassic Park/World. The first hit is a brilliant success, while the sequels not so much. It’s very hard for lightning to strike twice. That is, unless you’re Steven Spielberg and can miraculously have direct aim whenever you like, i.e. Jaws (1975), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Minority Report (2002) and of course, Jurassic Park.

The 2013 3D edition of the dinosaur epic is currently back in limited theaters to celebrate three decades of cinema magic. We get one of our fave action/adventure trios—Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum)—the mastermind behind the park, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) and his two grandkids, Lex and Timmy Murphy (Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello) on the secluded island where dinosaurs exist. We see all the stunning effects, exciting action sequences, the tight direction, John Williams’ sweeping score and the well-executed cast of characters the way they were intended: on the big screen. No matter how many times you watch Park, it’s always as exhilarating as the last time.

(Murray Close / Universal Pictures)

But why do we keep returning to Jurassic Park all these years later? Even with two Park sequels and three World spin-offs, most fans still prefer the 1993 movie. It’s been said many times before, but what makes Spielberg different from the Michael Bays and Zach Snyders of the action film genre is that he cares about the people on screen as much as the camera. People have accused Spielberg of being shmaltzy over time, but I personally would rather watch a blockbuster with some sentimentality than with a bunch of wooden characters with barely any heart. Likeability makes a big difference and that’s one reason Spielberg’s legacy lives on. As for the 3D effects on the current version of Jurassic Park in theaters, this isn’t really my preferred format, but the cut is edited well enough that it doesn’t affect the quality of the movie. If you love the theater experience, or classic films, or Spielberg’s films, catch it at the nearest theater while you can.