Jurassic Park

Now here is something interesting: On a list of the '100 Greatest Scary Movies,' Steven Spielberg’s 1993 science-fiction blockbuster Jurassic Park shows up at number 95. No doubt it is a suspenseful movie, altogether thrilling even, but never would I go so far as to call it a 'scary movie'. But regardless, it was on the list and so I watched it for the first time in what was probably a decade.
Right off the bat I would like to say that this film still looks absolutely awesome. Remember the first time you saw it? Remember how breathtakingly real it all looked? Well, it still does. The first scene in which we are introduced to the dinosaurs, that amazing shot of the Brachiosaurus feeding on the tall trees, still brought within me a swelling of emotion. My whole childhood I had dreamed of seeing a dinosaur and the first time I witnessed that moment, I almost cried with joy. Keep in mind that I was thirteen when this movie was originally released and yes, I realize that dinosaurs no longer exist, but this movie really transported me to someplace realistically fantastical, if that adjective can even describe that noun. Technology may have made leaps and bounds since then, but it is rare in this day and age when you can see computer technology used to expertly and so tastefully.

As a result, it is very difficult to catch where the computer generated creatures of ILM cease and the gargantuan mechanic models of Stan Winston begin. And that is where its power lays. Stan Winston said that he and his crew did not create scary dinosaurs, they simply created realistic dinosaurs, which are, coincidentally, pretty scary.

One scene that really sticks out in such regard is the initial Tyrannosaurus Rex attack. What Spielberg did was without a doubt the most perfectly tempered use of the creature, painting it as more curious than anything else at first. And even so, being the subject of such a large creature's curiosity would be terrifying beyond belief. With every nudge and every call that the dinosaur makes, you get the impression, at least at first, that it simply has no idea what it has encountered and is trying to figure out if it is a threat; posturing and screaming. But as a human being, all we see is a large creature capable of crushing us without so much more than a thought. It is so clever a way to shoot it, and so much more suspenseful than seeing the T Rex simply charging in a full force; our characters would not stand a chance, all they have are their wits, which are somewhat frantic.
But arguably the best, most suspenseful, most thrilling scene in the film is the 'Kitchen Scene. As we all know, monsters and killer are far more frightening when they are smart. In Jurassic Park, none were smarter than the Velociraptors. It is very reminiscent of the 'Face-Hugger Scene' from Aliens when Newt and Ripley are trapped in the laboratory; the dread comes from the sense of claustrophobia, of being trapped in close quarters with something chasing you. It is a marvelous scene that is shot with just the right amount of confusion. It keeps us off guard and we are put in the shoes of the two children, not entirely knowing where the attack is going to come from.

This movie has stood up over time and it is hard for me to imagine that it came out over 15 years ago. Still, I would not go so far as to call it a scary movie, though I am partially glad it was on this list, otherwise it may have been a long time still before I revisited it.