Jurassic Park

This is one of the movie milestones of my childhood. This gave me the initial impulse (as a kid) to start looking at movies in greater detail. Spielberg’s adaptation of Crichton’s novel “Jurassic Park" appeared from out of the blue at a time when dinosaurs were my whole life. Back then this was in short "mind-blending" for me ;) . First the digital effects and second the excellent directing and great acting performances make Jurassic Park a breathtaking watch, even thirteen years later. Mainly Sam Neill put on a perfect performance. Then of course the Tyrannosaurus and not to forget Sam Jackson and his “Mr Arnold". And there’s one more name to mention. John Williams. (07/16/2006)

I will never forget the roughly 300 m long queue (no exaggeration) for tickets in České Budějovice that stretched from the cinema along the main avenue. Nor will I forget the pictures of dinosaurs from the bulletin specially printed for the viewers of Spielberg's juggernaut, which further piqued curiosity and increased the desire to see this "technical marvel". In a way, it was a social event and everyone wanted to be there. There’s certainly one thing that cannot be denied about Jurassic Park, about which the legendary puppet animatronics director Stan Winston affectionately said that it "put him out of a job", and an unmissable entry into the history of cinema. It wasn’t the first film to feature a CGI character (the primacy is held by the animated window mosaic of the knight from Levinson's Young Sherlock Holmes), but it was the first to dare to depict the movements of a living being in a completely realistic way, and it succeeded beyond measure. But when you scrape away the skin of groundbreaking visual effects and the initial amazement, what remains in my eyes is a completely mediocre adventure story that, unlike other Spielberg cachet like E.T. or Indiana Jones, which never get old, doesn't entertain with such ease. I felt disappointment even at the time of the premiere, compounded by high expectations and a terribly muddled dubbing. Unfortunately, Jurassic Park didn't become my favourite and that hasn't changed even with repeated viewings after many years. (10/23/2007)

A flawless example of integrating CGI into the narrative. Thanks to the fact that dinosaurs also appear as attractions in the fictional world and the characters perceive them as such, they film still has a palpable “wow” effect to this day (exemplary in this respect is the scene in which the main characters first see the dinosaurs in all their glory). At the same time, it is an excellent (or reprehensible, depending on how much you despise capitalism) example of how to incorporate merchandising into the story (the uniformity of the film’s logo and the park’s logo, the “incidentally” filmed gift-shop selection). Jurassic Park is a self-assured Hollywood product that gives you your money’s worth by providing superior entertainment that works in every respect. What fascinates me the most is that its effectiveness, which only a few directors have come close to matching, comes across as simply a matter of course. 85% (03/15/2014)

The great trick revolution, or how silicon found happiness. Spielberg's creation set a new standard and opened up entirely new horizons for commercial cinema by massively involving computer effects into acted film. Unfortunately, it was forgotten that, in addition to tricks, Jurassic Park offered only cheap Crichton broth. The lizards have aged, the tricks are old, and we're left with this nicely gnawed skeleton of an adventure film that's relatively good, but not any more than that... (01/30/2004)

The older I get, the more Jurassic Park matures from an adventurous attraction for the whole family into an honorable classic that may never age. The first brachiosaurus, the first T-Rex roar, the first electric shock. And the first film where I can't say a word about the tricks when looking at the dinosaurs. The fact that this relentless ride comes from Steven Spielberg's workshop is a point in itself. (11/27/2011)