reposted from Into The Third Dimension
The Review
20 years ago I got to go see one of the most incredible movies I had ever seen on my birthday. That movie was Jurassic Park. I, like millions of others, was blown away by the gigantic dinosaurs that came to life. That first shot of the B eating from the tall trees was breathtaking. I was 11 years old and I couldn't get enough of this movie. I saw it at least three times in the theater and numerous times on VHS. My sixth grade class actually had a competition going to determine which one of us could watch it the most. I'm not exactly sure if I should be proud of this or not... but I won. I can't remember how many times it was but I know for a good stretch there I watched it at least once a day after school.
20 years after that first viewing... I still love this movie. I got to see the 3D re-release on a gigantic XD screen and it was spectacular. I hadn't seen the movie in years and was relieved to that everything held up. The story was still tight and thrilling. The digital effects for the day were still eye catching and beautiful, and it was still a grand time at the movies. And now you can enjoy the 3D thrills on your home screen.
Our story centers around a group of scientists with two little kids in tow that are assembled to sign off on a state-of-the-art theme park that features cloned dinosaurs as the main attraction. Of course, nothing can go right in this scenario. After the devious actions of a disgruntled employee, the dinos break loose threatening the people left to man the park and the visiting scientists as well. Some of the most suspenseful sequences director Stephen Spielberg ever put to film are on display here. From the first audible thumping of the giant T-Rex attack, to the raptors in the kitchen, each moment builds and builds to a thrilling and exciting conclusion that still gets me 20 years later!
Sure there are plot conveniences - for some reason the entire staff of the park leaves on the weekends whittling down the human factor to just a few - the girl knows computers so naturally she can operate all of the park's systems - why doesn't the great white hunter have his gun ready before he hunts the raptors? - but aside from all that needling, it's still a great ride that can be enjoyed again and again. All this movie does is get me excited for what will hopefully be a good sequel in Jurassic Park 4 due Summer 2015
The 3rd Dimension
Now that you have this beast at home, how does it look? Considering You're scaling a big theater movie down to an average 50 inch screen, not that bad actually. Obviously with a movie of this spectacle, the bigger the screen the better. One advantage the 3D version has over its 2D counterpart is that it boasts a new remaster that's sharper and clearer. If you turn off the 3D effect on your TV you'll see the differences right away. The 3D pops where it should, colors aren't hindered by the darkened glasses and the thrills and excitement still come to life in all the best ways. Like Titanic 3D, this one suffers only when there are foreground objects occupying the outer edges giving a slight ghosting effect, but otherwise this 3D Blu-ray is top shelf home entertainment. When the cars first go through the big theme double doors, to the T-Rex attack, to the raptor chase, this film makes the 3D worth it. Bested only by the 3D conversion of Titanic; Jurassic Park 3D is a fantastic showcase of how classic movies converted to 3D can still be effective and maybe even a little more fun!
The Extras Dimension
When you get a 3D Blu-ray, a 2D Blu-ray, a DVD, and a Digital Copy - it's hard to complain about any of the extras available. Pretty much every extra feature ever produced for this film is available, from the making of the animatronic dinosaurs, to the creation of the CGI effects, to Phil Tippett's original animatics for the Raptor Attack in the kitchen! New on the docket is a short feature about the 3D conversion process. If I have a gripe about the extras is that this one isn't long enough. It's a fascinating process to convert a film of this vintage to 3D and I would love to know more.
The End Result
This one is an easy recommend to anyone with a 3D screen. Even if you don't have a 3D TV yet, this is still one to own. It actually makes me wish they'd take the 2D only disc set off the market to reduce confusion - this is the set to own! The 3D effects work great. The film is still a wild ride of fun 20 years later, and with home theater TV screens getting bigger all the time, this is an easy purchase. The price fluctuates quite a bit, however. I found mine for under $25, but right now - as of this writing - it's sitting up at $35. If you can't wait to own this one to put your 3DTV set through the motions, then that $35 is a small sum. Take it home and pop it in today. You and your family will love every moment of it!
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