Jurassic Park is a 1993 film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the novel by Michael Crichton. The story tells of paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) who were invited on an all-expense-paid preview visit to Jurassic Park, a zoo-like amusement park set up by eccentric billionaire and InGen CEO John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) on the island of Isla Nublar (120 miles off Costa Rica). There they view genetically recreated dinosaurs, but soon sabotage causes the trip to turn into a terrifying escape.
At time of release it grossed $919,700,000 worldwide, the highest ever at the time, and the eighth-highest worldwide box office take for a feature film as of 2006. It also helped introduce CGI to the public. The film is followed by The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park III (2001), and a possible Jurassic Park IV in 2008.
Plot
A scientific breakthrough of cloned dinosaurs turns into havoc as the theme park of real dinosaurs, Jurassic Park, shuts down. Now, Dinosaurs and people are running wild, trying ever so hard to avoid each other. This action adventure movie, probably the greatest to ever exist, stars Alan Grant, who wants to save the survivors, but the odds aren't on his side, more on the T-Rex and Velociraptors, as they hunt the tourists.
Cast
- Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant, a leading paleontologist and the main protagonist.
- Laura Dern as Dr. Ellie Sattler, a paleobotanist and graduate student of Grant's.
- Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm, a mathematician and chaos theorist.
- Richard Attenborough as John Hammond, billionaire, CEO of InGen and curator of Jurassic Park.
- Ariana Richards as Lex Murphy, Hammond's granddaughter. Forms bond with Grant over course of story.
- Joseph Mazzello as Tim Murphy, Lex's younger brother. Dino fan. Also forms bond with Grant.
- Wayne Knight as Dennis Nedry, The disgruntled architect of Jurassic Park's computer systems. Actually BioSyn spy. He is the secondary antagonist.
- Bob Peck as Robert Muldoon, the park's game warden.
- Martin Ferrero as Donald Gennaro, a lawyer who represents Hammond's concerned investors.
- Samuel L. Jackson as Ray Arnold, the park's chief engineer.
- B. D. Wong as Dr. Henry Wu, the park's chief geneticist.
- Cameron Thor as Lewis Dodgson, the head of InGen's rival corporation Biosyn.
- Greg Burson as the voice of Mr. DNA
- The Big One a cruel and sadistic raptor and also the main antagonist of the film.
Production
The movie was filmed on the Hawaiian islands of Maui, Oahu and Kauai in September 1992. On September 11, while filming, the eye of Hurricane Iniki passed directly over Kauai. The movie opened June 11, 1993.
Largely credited for the movie's success were its special effects. Through the use of CGI and conventional mechanical effects, the dinosaurs in the film appeared incredibly lifelike, due to the experience Industrial Light and Magic had on previous effects films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Music
The Jurassic Park score was composed by John Williams.
Original Ending
Originally, the movie was to end with the T. rex skeleton (in the Visitor Center) falling, crushing a raptor in the fossil jaws before it could attack Grant, Tim, Lex, and Ellie. Another raptor would then be crushed in the supports for the cherry picker that the group was standing on as it lowered. Hammond arrives and is able to kill the last raptor with a shotgun.
Later when the original ending was seen as too simplistic a resolution, the skeleton was replaced with a living T. rex that attacks the raptors, saving the group.