Jurassic Park

Jurassic World is coming to theaters this today (June 12). Before I watch it, I decided to take another look at the original and see why it holds up so well…

There are thousands of reasons why Jurassic Park holds up so well over 20 years after its initial release in 1993: Steven Spielberg’s ability to evoke a sense of wonder; John Williams’ score; ILM’s restrained use of computer-generated effects; the fun dialogue (“clever girl”); and, of course, seeing realistic-looking dinosaurs on screen. Other reviewers have analyzed this movie to extinction, so I don’t want to waste time rehashing the obvious. That said, I do want to raise a few points about how the film was adapted from Michael Crichton’s novel Jurassic Park.

“Ready Player One” directed by Steven Spielberg!

Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, which I reviewed several months ago, is being made into a film. The novel is an extremely fun tribute to 1980s pop culture. Thus, it’s fitting that, according to Deadline, Steven Spielberg is set to direct. Spielberg of course was the driving force behind so many 80s classics, directing E.T. and Indiana Jones, and producing Back to the Future II, The Goonies, and Gremlins, among many others. Cline actually references several of those movies in Ready Player One, so it’ll be interesting to see to what extent Spielberg uses this film adaptation to reflect back on his own work.