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Jurassic Park (1993)

Basic plot: Science has discovered a way to bring dinosaurs back from extinction. Building a theme park/zoo is clearly the next step.

Story: Fantastic.

It’s no exaggeration to say this is one of my favorite movies of all time – Top 50 at LEAST. I watch it no less than once per year (last year I actually saw a re-screening in theaters for my 21st birthday), and decided Monster MAYhem was as good of an excuse as any to pull it off the shelf.

The story is based on the book by Michael Crichton, which also happens to be my #1 favorite book ever. Now, the only similarities the two really share are the explanation of how to bring back dinosaurs, the idea of creating a theme park based on said rejuvenated dinosaurs, and a few character names (strictly names, mind you, the characters themselves are mostly entirely different). But those few details are still enough for the movie to be one of the best monster movies ever made.

Monster Quality: The best of the best.

Jurassic Park came out in 1993, and these dinosaurs STILL look spectacular. CGI was just starting to bloom in the early 90’s, so Steven Spielberg was taking advantage when necessary, but not to the extent that he completely abandoned animatronics. No other movie has nailed my childhood vision of what living, breathing dinosaurs should look and act like so perfectly. These are the definitive versions of everything from the T-Rex to Velociraptors and Brachiosaurus.

Monster Quantity: Perfect.

Since Spielberg is a masterful story teller, he doesn’t just jump straight into showing the dinosaurs – despite the fact that he obviously has plenty to show. The movie teases a bit for the first hour, setting up the story and explaining everything properly to make it as believable as necessary. Then BAM. Dinosaurs everywhere. It’s awesome.

Cast: Great.

Sam Neill and Laura Dern are completely believable as the dino-loving archeologists that come pre-loaded with all the necessary information about velociraptors’ brilliance and T-Rex’s inability to see without motion. They’re scientists and they obviously know things, but they aren’t afraid to take action either. Jeff Goldblum is excellent comic relief, Richard Attenborrough is glowingly optimistic as the millionaire old man financing the park, the lawyer is as hateable as a lawyer character should be, and the kids, surprisingly, are not hateable at all.

Film-Making: Genius.

If you know me, I’m sure you’re well aware of the fact that I love Steven Spielberg and this movie is flowing with examples of his genius that prove why. From the way he teases the audience for the first hour to the infamous circles in the cup of water to the spitter-dino POV shots to the T-Rex in the rear-view mirror, the guy can weave a story like no other. The cinematography, the story, the acting, and the special effects flow together better than most other monster movies could even hope to capture in a few scenes.

I think the only monster movie I hold above Jurassic Park is Jaws, but that may not be terribly fair when you consider that Jaws is my favorite movie of all time.