Jurassic Park

                                            

        Does getting an up close and personal experience with extinct animals combined with the terrifying thrill of running for your life sound like your dream vacation?  If so, then welcome to Jurassic Park, a magical world where dinosaurs eat, breath, and live in a scientific experiment gone wrong.  Steven Spielberg returns to direct another masterpiece focused on the hypothetical scenario in which an entrepreneur and a team of scientists create the first ever amusement park where dinosaurs are the main attraction.  The film begins when a pair of scientists, along with Jeff Goldblum, are invited to the island in an attempt to lure them to join the Jurassic Park team.  Immediately after their arrival they are whisked into electric guided SUVs for a tour of the island.  Though they are amazed with what they are seeing, the scientists seriously questions the ethics of bringing something back from the dead.  Soon enough, the planned tour goes horribly wrong as a massive storm hits the island, disabling all of the safety precautions set in place.  As the dinosaurs quickly escape from their enclosures, the dinosaur experts must use all of their knowledge and know how to keep themselves, as well as the owner’s grandchildren, alive. 

       Spielberg’s style as a director is one of a kind.  Though Jurassic Park was made almost twenty years after Jaws, the similarities are quite obvious.  Spielberg uses tight camera work as well as precise timing to create a story that has the audience on the edge of their seats.  By keeping the focus of the camera tightly on the characters, Spielberg brings the audience into the world of Jurassic Park.  As in Jaws, the camera only shows what the tormented guests see, creating a tense tone not allowing the audience to see what’s coming next.  It is as if the audience themselves are experiencing Jurassic Park, not knowing if they will survive this horrific ordeal.  Spielberg has a tendency to start a film off slow, luring the viewer into a false sense of security, before launching a full out attack on the senses before the audience even knows what hits them.  This is a tactic that he once again uses in Jurassic Park, successfully creating the tension necessary.  In collaboration with the cinematography, the musical theme of Jurassic Park adds to the experience.  Though the same mystical tone is repeated throughout the film, by slowing it down and speeding it up Spielberg is able to create tension and hold attention. 

       By the time Jurassic Park was made Spielberg had become a master of his craft.  Jurassic Park is another excellent example of the genius he posses, and is probably my favorite of his movies.  He expertly directs the camera and our focus to exactly what he needs us to see.  His style and attention to detail constrict our thoughts to a one-track mind, which he then scolds us for it by throwing a curve ball we didn’t see coming.  I believe that through expert cinematography and sound-scoring Spielberg once again demonstrates why he’s one of the best at what he does.