I love re-discovering films from my childhood and seeing how they sustain over time and stack up to how I viewed them when I was much younger. While some are even better now that I can understand all of the subtle jokes and nuances of the characters aimed at making my parents laugh and going right over my little head (Heavyweights, Angels in the Outfield, Little Giants), others have lost the magic becoming nothing more than silly noises and juvenile humor (Good Burger, Space Jam, Super Mario Bros.). So, how does Jurassic Park hold up after twenty years of CGI and technological advancements and Avatars? Well, it's still pretty damn impressive. While I will admit that I did not go see it in theaters or in 3D (I seriously cannot justify paying $18 dollars to see a movie I've already seen dozens of times) I did give it a re-watch on blu-ray. I was worried that it wasn't going to be as great as it was seen through innocent child's eyes. I was worried that the dinosaurs were going to look fake and robotic and all kinda Jaws-y. I was worried that it wasn't going to be one of my favorite movies again.
Here's the best part, not only was it everything that I remember, it exceeded my expectations. Yes. There was so much I forgot about the film! It's not just about dinosaurs! There's people in it. And Jeff Goldblum! How could I forget about Jeff Goldblum! (Seriously, where did Goldblum go? He was like the pinnacle comic relief badass in 90s sci-fi/adventure movies. Need I remind everyone of Independence Day?) Newman from Seinfeld is in it! And Samuel L. Jackson says, "Hold on to your butts!" But wait! There's more! The dinosaurs look fucking real. It's almost mind-boggling how it's been twenty years of computers, CGI, video games, fake shit looking like real shit and yet, the dinosaurs look as real as they did in 1993. One thing I'll admit to anyone is I am adamantly against CGI. I would have to say that 80 percent of the time when computer animation is used, it's lazy, unrealistic, and worsens whatever story it's supposed to be improving (I'm looking at you Van Helsing, Hulk). 15 percent of the time its used for such small detail that no one really notices. But, 5 percent can really impress. I do understand that without CGI, movies like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter wouldn't exist, and if they did they'd probably be shit. Some of the best CGI I've seen in recent memory is Peter Jackson's King Kong. When time and effort is put into a very expensive and arduously long process of CGI, then I'll bite. But, when it's thrown together quickly and effortlessly in order to mass produce another stale, mindless summer popcorn flick, that's when I lose my faith in science and humanity. That isn't to say that good CGI is timeless either... I guarantee you twenty years from now King Kong looks like a video game. We're not going to remember Transformers or probably to a lesser extent even The Avengers twenty years from now. We're going to remember The Dark Knight or Pan's Labyrinth or Jurassic Park, films that took practical means to special effects and robotics to a whole new level.
It also helps that Stan Winston was a technical genius (rest in peace). Without this man we wouldn't have the T-Rex, we wouldn't have Alien, which you still have to admit looking back looks real as shit. Michael Chrichton was a master of his craft as well (rest in peace). And Steven Spielberg (still alive) was still willing to direct something adventurous and magical and not pandering Oscar bait. This is why I've always said and will continue to say that 90s movies TRUMP movies today. Jurassic Park kills Transformers. Austin Powers murders Scary Movie. Dumb and Dumber will always be funnier than Superbad (I'm sorry). And The Rock, Face/Off, Con Air, The Long Kiss Goodnight are better than any action movie made post 1999. Something about the 90s, directors and writers knew how to tell a story. If Jurassic Park were made today, chances are it would be a Michael Bay project or, perhaps, even a JJ Abrams produced vehicle, but I'm certain it wouldn't be about the story. It would be about destruction and mayhem. It would try to cram in as much special effects as bugetarily possible. It would be about the dinosaurs and how many can fit into one moving picture. Fun fact: in the two hours and seven minute running time, there are dinosaurs in exactly fifteen minutes of the film. Why? Oh, because it's not just dino-porn? There still needs to be a story (I'm looking at you The Lost World)? Not a half-dressed Megan Fox running next to a half-straight Shia LeBouf around an all-shitty Transformers set? Shocked. And awed.
I touched on it briefly, but this cast is stellar. And it's sad because most of the cast has faded into entertainment obscurity. Where is Sam Neill? What is he doing and why has Dr. Grant been excommunicated from film? Laura Dern? Bit parts in The Master and Little Fockers? Jeff fucking Goldblum?? Has this man seriously been relegated to the bullpen of sitcomedy? Back in the day, though, this was the all-star team. Only has The Avengers been able to put together a diverse group of (mostly) competent actors for a (almost) solid film. Big budget movies still rock the cineplex. People come out in droves for the newest three hundred million dollar film even though it doesn't really tend to expand the brain hardly at all. But, back in the day, movies were like Jurassic Park which is the perfect cocktail of smart, educational, and exciting. Now, I'm not saying that you should rush out and spend your hard-earned
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