JURASSIC PARK (1993) ** Better than average car chase flick. Except that instead of cars it has dinosaurs chasing people, but it has that same kind of tediousness. Smarter than usual premise, historic special effects budget, good special effects, what could have gone wrong? It is impossible to convince me that you can't find more convincing lead performers than Sam Neill and Laura Dern in any bar in America. Steven Spielberg's creativity has to be open to question; this one has the same foamy white chocolate waffle stench that's generally permeated his films since E.T. Jeff Goldblum is somewhat better, but what could Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt have done with the role of sexy black-leather chaos theorist? Ariana Richards delivers her lines with more conviction than most of the adults, going so far as to leave one wondering whether she is indeed a vegetarian. And there's plenty of time to wonder such things: Michael Crighton just doesn't have enough ideas to maintain the Indiana Jones pace they're shooting for...at some point it isn't surprising to see a dinosaur jump out from somewhere they shouldn't be. This film would have been more effective had they shot it in one-third of the time while focusing on the dinosaurs and omitting the actors. Instead the handlers are so sure of their product, and that it is a product, and especially the promotion team and budget, that they leave the most obvious threat of a sequel since Star Wars. I would suggest that if they must do so then at least spice the proceedings with space vampires who drink too much.
back to Brilliant Observations on 1776 Films home
go back home, or send me email
no more reviews! I want to buy your novel!