By Matt Patches
From rabid movie buffs to casual cinema-goers, the original Jurassic Park has solidified itself as one of the few movies everyone has seen and everyone adores. When Steven Spielberg's grand dino spectacle hit theaters in 1993, it quickly ingrained itself in the pop culture conscious, nabbing one superlative or another: "The movie that reminds me of being a kid;" "The scariest movie ever;" "The movie I can watch over and over and over again." Really, Jurassic Park is more than a movie—it's the definition of popcorn cinema.
With all the memories tied to Jurassic Park and the two sequels it spawned, the idea of transferring the fantastical trilogy over to the crisp, hyper-real medium of Blu-ray is a simultaneously exciting and terrifying prospect. That first film so monumental, even the slightest bit of mistreatment would stand out (and if you're like me, you have a little invested in The Lost World too). Blu-ray is capable of revealing an effects-driven film's tiniest flaws, and who wants to see those?
Thankfully, chaos has been avoided, the water droplet has defyingly slipped down the same side of cinematic fate's hand. The new, genetically engineered Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy retains the (dino) DNA that made the film an original classic—not since I experienced the movie in theaters has that memorable scene, in which Hammond reveals his reptilian creations to Allan and Ellie for the first time, felt so fresh and exhilarating. The Blu-ray's picture quality was clear, it was like being back in the theater. This was Jurassic Park. (sorry countless TNT Jurassic Park marathons, the place where I imagine most learned to love JP).
The new pack includes all three films, fully restored to their original eye-popping glory. There's not enough to be said about the original, whose successful integration of animatronic dino puppetry and ground-breaking special effects continues to trump most modern blockbusters. Even on Blu, the dinosaurs fall seamlessly into Spielberg's on-location sets–wondrous is the only way to describe it. Before rewatching the Blu, I've never really noticed the dramatic shift The Lost World takes in comparison to the first movie. With a new photographer (Janusz Kaminski) and Speilberg's overt giddiness to finally make a monster movie, the sequel is a dark departure, both in story and physical look. On a big HD TV, it's a heck of a lot more creepy and fun than I remember. Jurassic Park 3 is a notorious lame duck, but aside from the goofball setup, is another fun run-in with oversized lizards. Oddly, the effects in 3 look substantially cruddier than its predecessors. Blu wasn't as friendly to the 2001 film, which looks cheaper in the format.
The extras are mostly hold-overs from the Trilogy DVD set released in 2005, save for a fantastic six-part short doc series on the making of the movies entitled "Return to Jurassic Park." Featuring interviews with Spielberg, the cast and the crew, these "making of" films are a real treat for fans, offering a glimpse of the legendary director working his magic on set and a behind-the-scenes look at the difficulties the creative team faced bringing each JP to life. One of the more fascinating revelations is that Jurassic Park was originally intended as a stop-motion/live-action film a la King Kong, but when CG masterminds showed their work to Spielberg, he decided to drop the old fashioned filmmaking technique in favor of the computer-driven future. Many of the animators compare themselves to the dinosaurs—their medium was on the brink of extinction. A tragic moment, but one that Speilberg wasn't happy to see either (how he salvaged them will bring a tear to your eye).
I don't know if there's ever been a movie franchise where, while viewing the films, found myself completely lost inside the world and story, but upon completion, had a zillion "how did they do that!?!?" questions. The Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy box set speaks directly to that experience. The Blu-ray transfers live up to their original quality, while the supplements will leave you equally inspired. If you don't think Jurassic Park can continue to surprise you, well, remember they said that the Jurassic Park dinosaurs could never mate, and look how that turned out.
Life, and Blu-ray, uh...finds a way.