For kids who grew up in the 90's, Jurassic Park hovers in a state of perpetual flawlessness; for those youngsters who spend the Sundays of their youth immersed in Steven Spielberg's bold and visionary dinosaur adventure, it's impossible for them to see Jurassic Park as anything other than perfect. Truth is, whilst Jurassic Park is without a doubt an essential blockbuster, it's also a fairly flawed one - at least, when approached as a Spielberg movie, anyway. The plot occasionally feels heavy-handed, the structure of the movie is questionable, and most of the characters - saved for Jeff Goldbum's Ian Malcolm - are a little bland. And yet... its power cannot be silenced. Excuse us, then, for detailing what's wrong with Jurassic Park before detailing what's so right about it. But that's kind of the point - none of it matters because Spielberg's movie is so entertaining, so innovative, and so remarkable in other ways that the downsides are completely overshadowed by the relentless thrill-ride that follows. Essentially a theme park ride masquerading as a movie, Jurassic Park explores what happens when human beings mess with nature, rendering the consequences with special effects that still impress today. For Spielberg the technician, this is arguably his masterpiece. Is anybody bored of Jurassic Park yet? Thought not.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
