“I was _obsessed_ with dinosaurs when I was little. Obsessed. I used to say I wanted to be a paleontologist when I grew up. That was likely the biggest word I knew as a second grader, but I knew what it meant.
I was in third grade when Jurassic Park came out. I had to BEG my parents to let me see it since I was ordinarily deemed too young for PG-13 movies. They understood these were special circumstances, so they agreed to take me. Although, there were a couple scenes where they’d cover my eyes or make me look away. I’m sure I could have handled it though.
I still love this movie. Sure, maybe some of our understanding of dinosaurs has changed in the past twenty years, but it’s otherwise aged pretty well. Solid argument for animatronics over animation. And the performances are still classic. Jeff Goldblum leading the pack along with Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough, Wayne Knight, and Samuel L Jackson (which would have been a throwaway role for anyone other than Samuel L). Crichton’s original book is phenomenal. I can’t believe it took me until high school to finally read it, but it was absolutely worth it.
I can still anticipate some of the most memorable lines. “”Hold onto your butts”” “”Life finds a way”” “”Yeah, John, but if the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don’t eat the tourists”” “”It’s a UNIX system. I know this!””
Oh man, the suspense in this movie is incredible. Fabulous score from John Williams underlying all the slow burns and fast races. Please tell me I’m not the only one who gets scared when their jello starts shaking.”