An Adventure, 3 Decades Since The Making - Happy 30th Anniversary to Jurassic Park

 Remember three decades ago, when a film that was apparently 65 million years in the making came out? Remember when we got one of the rarest chances to see live dinosaurs (well, CGI ones)? And back when blockbusters had awesome storytelling aspects? It gives me great pleasure to celebrate the thirty years since one of my favourite movies hit the screens. That movie is Jurassic Park.

I have great fond memories of Jurassic Park. The film was released when I was three - this was an age which is too early for me to think back to that time. But I remember this one Christmas when I was six, Jurassic Park was shown on BBC1, and my parents recorded it onto a VHS tape. It's no wonder I still picture the continuity that was shown before. Since the viewing, my admiration has remained to this day. I also had the video game on Sega and have now seen all five of the film's sequels that followed.

Now where to start with Jurassic Park? Not only was it directed by one of my favourite film directors. Not only was the score composed by one of my favourite musicians. But Jurassic Park has quite a simple premise and a reasonably small cast. We're introduced to Doctors Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler who dig and observe fossils and receive an invitation to a sneak preview by John Hammond who has built a theme park populated by prehistoric creatures. Joining them are mathematician, Ian Malcolm, and John's grandchildren, Lex & Tim. At first, Alan, Ellie, and Ian are impressed when they see the dinosaurs but have doubts about the interaction between them and the humans as they dig deeper. Later, thanks to power failures and John's irresponsible computer programmer, Dennis Nedry, the tour group become stranded and must survive the dinosaur attacks while making their way to safety.

Jurassic Park's a lot better than I remember it. As a kid, one would usually watch it for the dinosaur attacks. But in between, there's talk about nature and the harm that business can sometimes do. We see InGen, the company, running the titular park like a tourist attraction; hence the cars taking the visitors around the paddocks, and a little bit like a zoo - take the scenes where they feed a bull to a herd of velociraptors. We also have the cast debating that even though such an attraction will easily make a profit, certain dangers are pointing out in regards to resurrecting animals that have been extinct for a long time - much of it explained by Ian;

The way Ian has put it - "you patented it and packaged it and slapped it in a plastic lunchbox, and now, you're selling it", has been ahead of its time, I feel. Understandably, social media users have stated that the same could be said for many of the current political issues, i.e. Brexit and what Donald Trump did when he was the president of the United States. During an earlier scene, Ian points out that "life finds a way" - a fact that's remained relevant since the years of evolution. I also love the fear Alan senses when Dr. Wu says that a newly born dinosaur is a velociraptor - implying the carelessness of John's schemes further, considering that not only have dinosaurs been resurrected, but that even includes carnivores.

Sound marks an essential part of filmmaking, which is what one of the three Academy Awards Jurassic Park won relates to - and rightly so. Firstly, I love how they created the sounds for each species. For instance, the way the T.Rex growls - the sound indicates a mix that includes the sounds made by a crocodile and an elephant. The other creatures had other animal sounds mixed which I find equally impressive.

In a very clever way, the sound also seems to contribute awesomely to the plot going forwards. One particular scene I'm fond of is when Lex and Tim are being pursued by the raptors in the kitchen, attempting to be as quiet as possible, to minimal success;

During that very moment when Tim hides under the serving spoons only for a spoon to fall off, the sound of it hitting the ground leads to the shot of the velociraptors turning their heads - we, therefore, know about their hearing senses and that they know something or somebody is in the kitchen. It justifies how essentially the sound contributes to the story and drives it forward. The same is said when Lex distracts the dinosaurs by tapping a spoon on the floor to save her brother from being attacked.

Speaking of sound, John Williams' score to me is memorable and awesome! Considering that he won an academy award for his contribution to Steven Spielberg's other movies; Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, and Schindler's List, all of which I feel were well deserving, it surprises me that Jurassic Park's not had a single nomination. I get that Schindler's List was released the same year, and only one film can win an Oscar for each category, but no nomination for Jurassic Park? Considering that I've watched the film multiple times, I can recognise most pieces of the score even without watching the segment that goes with it. This includes the jolly yet epic adventurous part of the theme tune used when Alan, Ellie, Ian, John, and Donald Gennaro are travelling to the island via the helicopter, the beautiful string melody when the cast enters the park afterwards, the gentler bit of the theme when they see a brachiosaurus for the first time, the dramatic minor melody playing during the storm and the build-up before the T.Rex's first appearance and the brief fast-paced gem when Ellie races to the power station. I have fond memories of the playlist used when I attended some local firework displays for Guy Fawkes Night - the theme tune to Jurassic Park was included, along with E.T. and Star Wars.

Even before Computer Generated Imagery became extensively used, the CGI used for the dinosaurs remains very impressive. Steven must've thought really hard about how such creatures would've looked and moved. I'd say that considering that the special effects crew's efforts were ahead of their time, the film deserved that Academy Award for the category.

If I'd been a member of the American Film Institute, I would've personally placed Jurassic Park on the list; AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs. Jurassic Park is not exactly The Three Stooges, but come on. Even during my childhood, some scenes were hard not to laugh at. For example, remember this scene?;

And this;

And this;

And this (from 1:49 to 2:14);

And this; 

And this, I'm most fond of;

See what I mean? Even for a not-so-comedy, I'd still rank it up there with Airplane, the Laurel & Hardy movies, and others as one of the funniest movies ever. The humour is more of a minor thing, but it has always kept me engaged. I understand some readers may be thinking; "those scenes aren't funny. They're scary." After all, we're talking about scenes with dinosaurs attacking other animals and humans. But as I've matured, I've gotten more used to seeing moments that are considered scary. So much so that I usually tend to smile more than I shake nowadays.

Many people have grown up with the movie, some of who forget that it was originally a novel written by Michael Crichton. I read it for the first time a few years ago when I borrowed it from my university's library. That too, I call an incredible masterpiece. It has the same premise but a few differences. For instance, I sometimes wish they'd included the raft scene in the film. Though, I'd be asking for too much. Mind you, it was included in the game, for one of my favourite levels. The fact that Tim and Lex's ages are exchanged, I'm personally indifferent to it. I like the film's portrayal of Alan & Ellie's relationship more than the book, mainly due to their chemistry. As for John Hammond's character, I often knew he was never exactly Jeff Tracy. I will say that I like the film's portrayal of him best. In the novel, I never minded, but he seems to represent the typical example of an evil capitalist, not giving much of a damn about his visitors and whether they'll suffer the fate of the park's residents, not even his grandchildren. In the film, I found him much more believable, sort of like Walt Disney in a sense; enthusiastic, rather loopy, and he shows some genuine love for his grandchildren (note when he hugs them on their first appearance and then asks Muldoon to find them when they're stranded). Despite that, he does let the business side of things go to his head and doesn't always think things through, hence his and Ian's discussions. Also, did I mention when Ellie emotionally reminds him that Alan, Lex & Tim are in danger? But despite that, I'd recommend reading the novel. It's one of my favourites at the moment. The last thing I should point out is Michael's splendid use of the text - I must admit, I did feel dumb when I read through the DNA codes he included.

Of course, the popularity of Jurassic Park has led to sequels. I particularly recall the time we saw The Lost World: Jurassic Park in cinemas. Some of the merchandise we had were some sort of cards that represented the film, each with a character, including the dinosaurs, pictured on them. I can't be too certain, but they might have come with crisp packets. As stated above, I have seen all six films from the Jurassic Park franchise. Even though I've enjoyed watching all of them and showing admiration for the technological aspects and the animal fights, Jurassic Park 1 will always be my favourite. I'm sure it comes as no surprise to anybody reading this. My reasons relate to the storytelling aspects, how simple the filmmakers kept it, and the fact that I've seen it the most times. I say this from a writer/filmmaker's point of view.

So here's to 3 Decades Since the Making. I realise that I've said a lot, but it's really exciting to know that a long-time favourite film of mine is being celebrated. Anyway, may I wish Jurassic Park a happy anniversary. Viva the impact which I hope the film shall bring on for a million generations to come!