Twenty years ago Steven Spielberg stunned the world with his epic Jurassic Park. I remember being a four years old, obsessed with dinosaurs, and going to the movie house to see Jurassic Park for the first time. My parents had previewed the film and deemed it appropriate for my age (although there were scenes where I had to close my eyes, one in particular with a lawyer on a toilet before the T-Rex). I saw Jurassic Park so many times as child that I can only recollect five viewings in detail. Suffice to say, Spielberg's masterpiece captivated me and like most young boys I mastered the sounds of the Velociraptors and T-Rex.
Now twenty years later, Jurassic Park is back on the big screen. This time in 3D. I must confess I was rather cynical about seeing my favorite film in 3D. I've only seen one other movie in 3D and I wasn't impressed. My eyes couldn't track the action and everything was blurred. This was not the case for Jurassic Park 3D. Right away from the opening scene you are swept into the world we all discovered twenty years ago, only this time you feel like you can reach out and touch it! The characters, backgrounds, equipment, and dinosaurs look hi-def and crystal clear! The 3D allows you to see subtle details that were obscured in 1993, such as the textures of the clothing, instruments in the Lab, and the foliage.
I will break the entire experience into three segments that really blew me away. The first is the opening scene, when Robert Muldoon and the Jurassic Park personale are transporting a Velociraptor to the Raptor Compound. This iconic scene before 3D was terrifying and opened the film in a epic way. Now with the 3D technology you feel like your actually there! Jurassic Park personale walk past you, you feel that you are actually walking up to the Compound and are going to assist the workers in moving this carnivore. Guns, hats, and electro-shock rifle swing over your head as you reach the Raptor crate. The danger is doubled when Jeffrey raises the gate. This scene was so crystal clear and you felt like everything was within reach, including the crate with the raptor itself! This is exactly what fans have been waiting for! A chance to actually feel like you are on Isla Nublar, with the biologically-engineered-theme-park-monsters!
The second notable experience in 3D is the T-Rex Paddock scene. Everyone remembers that Nedry sabotages the security systems and Alan Grant along with Ian Malcom, Lex, Tim, and Gennero get stranded at the T-Rex Paddock. The scene is most spectacular after the Rex ravages the land cruiser and Alan rescues Tim in the tree. The beams of the cruiser's lights look like they come out into the theater and illuminate your seat. The suspending Grant and Lex swing above you and narrowly escape being crushed. Then Alan and Tim descend the tree and the branches stick out in your face, beckoning you to grab them and follow the dinosaur expert and the little boy to safety. The entire scene seems more real and is beautifully rendered in DLP/hi definition showing every detail.
Finally, the third most epic 3D scene is the Raptors in the Kitchen. Not only does the entire scene look beautifully re-mastered, but the kitchen tables and utensils seem within reach! You feel as if you've entered that enclosed space with Lex and Tim. Then the Velociraptors enter and for the first time in the entire movie they look like they could leap out of the screen and devour you in your seat! What is really stunning is when the raptors chase the children and you are given the perspective of the raptor's underside and legs with those massive fore claws. This gives you the perspective that you are a raptor!
The whole film is beautiful. Foliage pops out and makes you believe you could walk out onto the scenery and watch with awe as the Apatosaurus (Yes I know they are called Brontosaurus or Brachiosaurus in the film) eats from the tree-tops. Every scene utilizes the 3D and makes you feel like you are right there with the characters. As for the dinosaurs, most of the time they appear three-dimensional; but really only pop out of the screen in the Baby Raptor Scene, the Gallimimus Stampede, Velociraptors in the Kitchen, and in Visitor Center Climax. The T-Rex is stunning in his triumph over the raptors, roaring as the banner "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" falls. That is the one scene when the Rex really appears to be coming out of the screen.
Seeing Jurassic Park in 3D is a must for any fan. It is an opportunity to revisit the nostalgia, but at the same time it feels different. The beautiful 3D makes you focus on things you didn't on DVD or in theaters in 1993. It's the same movie, but a whole new experience.
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