 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** Tagline: The most phenomenal discovery of our time... becomes the greatest adventure of all time. Experience one of the biggest films in motion picture history with director Steven Spielberg's ultimate thrill ride, Jurassic Park. Featuring Academy Award winning visual effects and groundbreaking filmmaking that has been hailed as "a triumph of special effects artistry" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times), this epic film is sheer movie-making magic that was 65 million years in the making. Jurassic Park takes you to an amazing theme park on a remote island where dinosaurs once again roam the earth and five people must battle to survive among the prehistoric predators. Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough, discover the breathtaking adventure you will want to experience again and again. Storyline: Huge advancements in scientific technology have been able to create an island full of living dinosaurs. John Hammond has invited four individuals, plus his two grandchildren to join him at Jurassic Park. But will everything go to plan? Especially when one of the parks own workers attempt to steal the dinosaurs embryos, and have to shut down all the electricity in the process. It's now a race for survival with everyone located all over the island. Written by Film_Fan Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown on October 12, 2011 (more on the 3D version follows) -- Those of you between the ages of, say, 20 and 30 probably have little if any memory of a pre-CGI universe (literally and figuratively) in the world of film, and therefore may perhaps be surprised at the excitement and anticipation that early word of Jurassic Park engendered. No one even really understood what computer generated imagery might mean within the confines of a special effects extravaganza, but everyone seemed to understand intuitively that a new age had begun for film. Certainly everyone involved in the production of the film understood that Jurassic Park was establishing an entire new modus operandi for special effects crew, and the model builders and other practical effects technicians who were informed during pre-production that the film was going largely digital in terms of visual effects are on record as stating that they quickly realized that they had become the dinosaurs of their particular niche in show business. (It's no big secret that Spielberg and co-screenwriter David Koepp actually worked in some real life dialogue about these craftsmen becoming "extinct" into the early dialogue of the film, when the various characters are touring the museum that the Richard Attenborough character has developed). The fact is the long journey of cinema is littered with technical innovations that didn't just end up in the dustbin of history, but which never truly elevated any given film which may have utilized these innovation to anything above run of the mill status. And that is where Jurassic Park may have really made an impact, for the film was hugely exciting, filled with rip-roaring adventure, fantastic set pieces and some unusually well developed characters (of the human variety) that worked in tandem with the then state of the art special effects to create a one of a kind entertainment spectacular. Jurassic Park is not about dinosaurs, at least according to Steven Spielberg. That may come as something of a surprise to most readers, but Spielberg avers the film is really about paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), his inability to commit to his girlfriend, fellow paleontologist Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and Grant's sudden "immersion therapy" in parenting when he's forced to shepherd two children, Tim (Joseph Mazzello) and Lex (Ariana Richards) through a series of prehistoric obstacles when the "amusement park" created by the kids' grandfather, billionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) has a major malfunction and its inhabitants, dinosaurs reconstituted from DNA found in amber, run amok. And that's really what makes Jurassic Park the rip-roaring adventure it is: the human element, as opposed to the various long-toothed and improbably short-armed beasts which torment the poor people scattering like, well, birds before prey. (One of Grant's major theses in the film is that dinosaurs eventually evolved into birds). Spielberg is at his best throughout this film, eschewing the overly sentimental approach which sometimes mars even his strongest efforts, and instead delivering one incredibly visceral set piece after another. While the film's special effects got most of the notice when Jurassic Park was initially released, seen now from a few decades' vantage point, it's actually the interplay between the human characters that delivers the bulk of the film's suspense and undeniably riveting energy. Wandering, almost stumbling Columbo-like, in between Grant and Sattler is chaos theory proponent Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), whose attentions to Ellie aren't appreciated or very well tolerated by Grant. But when a tropical storm hits the island where Jurassic Park has been set up, all hell literally breaks loose, the characters are thrown asunder, most of them left to fend for themselves, and that's when Spielberg unleashes one fanstastic sequence after another. Yes, the film occasionally cashes in on cheap thrills (dinosaur heads suddenly erupting from unexpected places and the like), but what is so remarkable about Spielberg's approach here is how almost proto-Hitchcockian he is in crafting real, honest to goodness suspense segments where the audience knows what the danger is, but about which the on screen personnel people may not be completely aware— yet. There are occasional missteps in Jurassic Park, and they mostly have to do with the two children, who are alternately sympathetic and then hideously annoying. Richards' Lex is especially egregious in this regard, a girl who on the one hand is a quivering idiot incapable of turning off a dangerous flashlight, the next moment a quivering idiot incapable of stopping screaming, and then, completely improbably, the heroine saving the day when her knowledge of UNIX (now, that's comedy!) gets the park's computer system up and running after a power outage. By the time the film crashes into one last dinosaur versus humans battle, there is probably more than one audience member secretly hoping that a big dinosaur jaw will encircle Lex and finally put an end to her incessant caterwauling. These are small concerns, though, in an otherwise completely engrossing film experience. Speilberg, original author Michael Crichton and co-scenarist David Koepp do a fantastic job which doesn't concentrate on the scientific aspect to the point of turning off the public at large, but which still invests the film with a very real "well, this could indeed happen" sort of feeling. The performances are uniformly top notch, and there are a handful of standout sequences in Jurassic Park which belong in any All Time Greatest Hits moments in any assessment of the adventure genre. Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, April 16, 2013 -- Jurassic Park 3D is about to be overshadowed by yet another debate surrounding a Universal video presentation. So, for forum regulars: keep it civil, gentlemen. That said, let's begin at the beginning. The latest release of Jurassic Park features a new transfer; one created specifically for the movie's recent 3D conversion using a new fully restored, color-corrected 4K master of the film's original 35mm negative, all approved by director Steven Spielberg. The 3D release also boasts a new DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, which delivers a slightly fuller, more dynamic sonic experience courtesy of original sound designer Gary Rydstrom. However, the new master, new transfer and new lossless audio mix are only offered on the 3-disc set's 3D disc, which is, unfortunately for some, 3D-locked. To view the new AV presentation in 3D or 2D, a 3D display and 3D Blu-ray player (or a 3D-ready computer with a 3D Blu-ray drive) are required. The second disc in the set can be viewed on 2D home theaters, but its AV presentation is identical to its 2011 counterpart. For the purposes of this review, I'll be focusing on the new 3D presentation, the differences between the 2013 and 2011 versions, and the 3D presentation's new 7.1 lossless audio remix. Jurassic Park's new master may be 4K but, sadly, Universal's subsequent MVC-encoded transfer doesn't show the benefits of a 4K source. Noise reduction and other less savory techniques have clearly been employed at some point in the production chain, either at the restoration stage or, as is much, much more likely, during the film's 3D conversion, long after the original 35mm elements were properly preserved for future high definition releases. (Fingers crossed.) Grain graces the image, or rather what's left of it. For the most part, the film's grain field has all but been wiped away, and along with it a fair amount of fine detail, cursing the image with a bit of that telltale "mushy" appearance that always ruffles purists' feathers. It comes as something of a disappointment too. A shock even, if I'm being honest. It's more than possible in this day and age to reduce noise and retain the subtlest details. (Warner tends to make it look like child's play, preserving the filmic nature of a remastered or restored source while tweaking various aspects of the image.) Here, closeups exhibit mild to moderate fine detail, but nothing that in any way suggests the use of a 4K source. Midrange and wide shots are even more problematic. Slight smearing and a prevailing smudginess is apparent throughout, and very few scenes can be described as crisp, much less well-resolved. That said, it's not nearly as distracting in motion as some will no doubt claim. The 2011 transfer is dramatically sharper, yes, but primarily because artificial sharpening and edge enhancement have been applied so liberally and, to be blunt, needlessly. On one hand, the 2011 encode is arguably more striking, with razor-sharp edges, pinpoint textures and more forgiving delineation. All valid reasons to appreciate the previous release. On the other hand, the post-sharpening subjects the 2011 encode to problems all its own. Grain is present, but occasionally undermined and undone by glaring video noise; edge halos and ringing are frequent offenders; and, in some regards (namely color and contrast), the transfer is less representative of Spielberg's intentions and the film's original theatrical presentation. So yes, the 2013 transfer suffers a loss in detail. That shouldn't be up for debate. However, what it gains will certainly appeal to many a cinephile. Specifically, it's been granted a notably warmer, more fittingly temperate color palette, as well as more lifelike fleshtones, richer blacks and more cinematic contrast leveling, which leads to darker, more evocative and more suspenseful sequences. Some will call the "new" color timing everything from muddy to murky, and that's fair. It is muddier and murkier than its 2011 brother in arms. Even so, the 2013 transfer exchanges the blue-tinted science fiction sheen of the 2011 presentation for earthier, more natural jungle island hues, bringing it more in line with the tone Spielberg struck in 1993. The lagging detail is even less of a noticeable problem in 3D. For a conversion, the film's 3D is quite impressive, even though some scenes -- the Gallimimus stampede springs to mind -- have a bit of the staggered plane, pop-up storybook look that briefly yanks me out of an otherwise enveloping 3D presentation. Depth is reasonably convincing, dimensionality is nicely realized and a number of foreground elements have a wonderful pop that's neither underwhelming nor gimmicky. There also aren't any major 3D anomalies. Aliasing isn't at play, crosstalk-prone shots and background elements are few and far between, and the encode is largely free of artifacting, banding and other unsightly nuisances. Some ringing still makes its way into the image (especially when hot, white skies frame an actor or dinosaur), but nothing as considerable as that which spoils entire scenes in the 2011 presentation. All told, some will prefer the new 2013 transfer, especially those who enjoy its more faithful and cinematic qualities. Others, though, will prefer the 2011 transfer, as it provides a more obvious (but more superficial) high definition upgrade. Neither camp will be right, neither camp will be wrong, as both presentations are far from ideal. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, a third release will appear on the horizon. One born from the restored, Spielberg-approved 4K master that hasn't been subjected to rampant artificial sharpening or detail-quashing noise reduction; a truly faithful, unmistakably filmic presentation (available to all in 3D and 2D) that delivers the best of both worlds, minus the separate imperfections, shortcomings and technical limitations that hinder each transfer, for one reason or another, from being declared the definitive version of Jurassic Park.
So we come at last to the question: does Jurassic Park 3D belong in my collection? If you don't have a 3D display and 3D player, the answer is simple. No, the primary disc is 3D-locked, meaning the new restoration and transfer, new 7.1 lossless remix and new HD featurette will only be accessible to those with the proper equipment. If you do have all the 3D fixin's, the answer is a bit tougher. The new video presentation resolves many of the issues that afflicted the 2011 transfer, but brings with it several additional problems, obvious noise reduction chief among them. The main draw turns out to be something of a toss-up; some will prefer the 2011 transfer, some will prefer the 2013 transfer. You'll have to see both for yourself to make whatever decision is best for you. Thankfully, the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 remix isn't subject to any disappointment. It's as monstrous as its 2011 counterpart, and has a few welcome tricks up its sleeve. All in all, whether or not you purchase Jurassic Park 3D comes down to a few too many subjective judgment calls. Perhaps the next time Universal releases the film on Blu-ray we'll be able to at long last call it the definitive version. Commendable as it is in many ways, this still isn't it. Cast Notes: Sam Neill (Dr. Alan Grant), Laura Dern (Dr. Ellie Sattler), Jeff Goldblum (Dr. Ian Malcolm), Richard Attenborough (John Hammond), Bob Peck (Robert Muldoon), Martin Ferrero (Donald Gennaro), Joseph Mazzello (Tim Murphy), Ariana Richards (Lex Murphy), Samuel L. Jackson (Ray Arnold), BD Wong (Henry Wu [as B. D. Wong]), Wayne Knight (Dennis Nedry), Gerald R. Molen (Gerry Harding [as Jerry Molen]), Miguel Sandoval (Juanito Rostagno), Cameron Thor (Lewis Dodgson), Christopher John Fields (Volunteer #1). IMDb Rating (02/11/17): 8.1/10 from 647,319 users Top 250: #209
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