1. The T-Rex Attack - Jurassic Park (1993)
This list topper is a double whammy of theme park brilliance. Not only is it set in an incredibly advanced amusement park, but Jurassic Park is the embodiment of a film being a roller coaster ride; exactly what Steven Spielberg wanted. It may seem like Im breaking my own self-set rule by citing the greatness of the whole film, but bear with me; there is one scene, set in the grounds of the park's main ride, that is pure brilliance. The amusements in Jurassic Park themselves are actually pretty poor. The tour of the lab feels incredibly distant thanks to a dated cartoon introduction and the over the top seating restraints. And the big jeep ride, which to creator Hammond is the Parks big attraction, is an anti-climax; the wild nature of the dinosaurs (tying well into the films citing of chaos theory) means all the passengers see is a lot of foliage and a distant, injured triceratops. Despite the innate coolness of dinosaurs, the park can only fail to deliver. All the dinosaur action that the film (and its revolutionary special effects) became famous for occur only after things dont go according to plan. A bit of attempted corporate espionage leaves our heroes stuck in the open with nothing to protect them from what lies behind the fences. The T-Rex scene is a premier example of how Spielberg can rack up the pressure; a tour de force of tension. This is the first dangerous dinosaur we've actually seen and its the worst of them all, placing us in a sense of absolute panic how the hell will Grant and co get away? Theme parks going wrong has been used plenty of times (most gratingly in the opening of Final Destination 3), but this scene is one of the best, giving the characters a focused antagonist and us, the audience, a clear view of the action. But what makes the scene truly great is the iconography; the T-Rex staring through the jeep window to and the rippling water as it approaches. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5Co3A3fLBo