Category: Very good

Messages and Meaning

Jurassic Park is a film about a dreamer who, intoxicated by the splendor of nature, brings dinosaurs back to life in the present day. And this has consequences.

Jurassic Park explores man’s relationship with nature and how far he should go in his attempts to control it. The film successfully presents the power of nature as something beautiful and amazing, but also wild and unrestrained. The forces of nature and human will can achieve anything when they work together, but when they stand against each other, destruction and chaos ensue.

The dialogue is exceptionally good, and it is a great compliment to it that no scene with a dinosaur manages to overshadow it. The characters skillfully analyze whether just because we can achieve a miracle, it necessarily means we should do so. On the one hand, there is the person who wants to achieve more and more, and on the other, the person who has to choose what to achieve and think about the consequences. Jurassic Park manages to build on the question “can we” and take it to “man can do anything, but should he,” which is a far more exciting case. To all this is skillfully added just the right dose of humor to entertain at the right moments.

The viewer is given the opportunity to reflect on everything from public interests in conflict with personal dreams to the essence of nature and even the principles by which the universe works.

And although it is completely candid in revealing human shortcomings and the dangers that nature hides, the film categorically expresses its position that, as in nature, there is beauty in humans that transcends everything else.

The idea of Jurassic Park is contained in John’s story about his small flea circus. About his desire this time to give the world something real. And that is exactly what the film gives its viewers.

Plot

The plot has an excellent structure. And the key factor for its success is that it does not rely on dinosaurs to carry it on their backs. The story takes us at the right pace from the excavation of dinosaur bones to the amazement of the living creature. We have the opportunity to perceive events exactly as the characters perceive them. To ask ourselves the same questions and be overcome by similar emotions. Every detail, from the philosophical ideas to what we learn about the species of dinosaurs and the park itself in the first half of the film, has its answer in the second half. Jurassic Park gives us the feeling that we are there ourselves. It is a complete experience in which we have the opportunity to get to know the characters and become attached to them, to touch the grandeur and horror of the wonders of nature, and to make our own choices.

A team of young scientists must give an expert assessment of a dinosaur park, but things go wrong and they have to save their lives. Obvious at first glance, but masterfully executed. Each of them finds themselves in situations that motivate them to surpass themselves. In the end, we can fly away in a helicopter with the wonderful feeling of a complete and productive story.

Characters

The characters have their own personalities and manage to achieve the key factor for this type of film to be successful – they make you care about them.

John Hammond – A wonderful, smiling grandfather who loves animals and wants to give the world a dinosaur paradise. What more could a person want? John is proof that dreams have no age limit and that letting your pure heart guide your mind can be wonderful.

Alan Grant – A surprisingly successful portrayal of a grumpy, conservative scientist. Alan manages to grow and overcome his dislike of children, and his deep emotional connection to dinosaurs makes him more profound than expected.

Ian Malcolm – Ian is the oddball with a different point of view. He is charming and slightly crazy, which makes him a pleasant contrast to Alan and contributes to the quality communication between the characters.

Ellie Sattler – Ellie is the attractive female scientist. She is confident, assertive, and courageous, and her character successfully focuses on her abilities and personality, rather than just her interactions with the men who like her.

Tim and Lex – Children are often annoying in such stories, but Tim and Lex manage to be pleasant characters who have their moments of heroism and development.

Velociraptors – Raptors are the best characters in the Jurassic Park universe. The film successfully reveals their high intelligence and ferocious nature, evoking a mixture of admiration and horror in the viewer. And the fear comes not only from their impressive physical qualities, but also from the abilities of their minds.

Important details

• The scene in which we see a dinosaur for the first time is fantastically constructed, and the emotion explodes at just the right moment.

• When Alan waves his fingernail in front of the annoying boy to demonstrate how he will kill the velociraptor, we learn about both the raptors and Alan at the same time, which is a very good move.

• The film strives for scientific plausibility. They could have just said, “Well, a genius did it,” without going into detail, but instead we get a whole scientific theory, and it’s nice to see such attention to detail.

• When the T-rex destroys the car, we can see in practice the superiority of ancient nature over modern technology.

• The ripples in the water as the tyrannosaurus approaches are an iconic detail that will always be the trademark of the film.

• The scene in the kitchen with the velociraptors and the children is pure directorial genius. Every detail in the setting is chosen to perfection. The arrangement of the space, how the objects interact with each other and the high tension, the opportunity to see the children’s hands on the floor parallel to the deadly claws of the raptors, the trick with the reflection. Perfect from start to finish.

• The scene in which Alan and Ellie block the door against the velociraptor’s attacks is practically absurd, considering that Tim just stands there, but the overacting in it is so charming that the everyday shortcomings turn into advantages.

• Laura Dern’s screams are some of the best in cinema history.