Films and Videos (1)

                    Jurassic Park - The Film
                  Directed by Steven Spielberg
              Approximate running time - 120 mins

                    Reviewed by James Judge

I thought I'd review this film as most people will want to see it
and it IS the block-buster of the year.  I'm not going to go into
how each actor played their part or how they performed (Richard
Attenborough's Scottish accent was a bit dodgy in places tho').
No, I'm just going to say what I thought about the film and
whether it was worth it or not, oh, and how it related to the
book.

After reading the book I was intent on seeing the film, especially
after hearing how exciting, scary and totally brilliant it was
from many people. I believed them and so got into the frame of
mind that there would be nought wrong with it, there I was wrong.

True the film is a PG and it has got to be a bit simple to be a
'family' film but I feel that the film strayed too far from the
book. It wasn't the odd scene chopped out or added, most of the
story was re-written! Sure, they started in more or less the same
places (with a few bits taken away in the film) and finished in a
helicopter but between those two points, well, they are different
things all together.

Two of the most interesting parts of the books (for me) were when
the visitors to Jurassic Park were told how the scientists created
the dinosaurs from DNA etc.  in the book this was covered in depth
but the film gleaned across this with a cartoon, explaining just
the basics. OK, I'll give 'em that, kids are meant to be watching
it but still, it could have been a bit more detailed for the more
aware viewers.

The other part was where the kids and an archaeologist were
attacked on the guided tour by a T-Rex, just after the power was
stopped. The book covered their almost epic journey through the
park, being attacked by both T-Rexs, Pterodactyls (or the
Jurassic equivalent) and other such things, taking a harrowing
journey down a river and finally arriving at the visitor centre to
find it under attack by the most dreaded dinos, the velociraptor.

In the film it is covered by a quick snooze in a tree, a meeting
with a few computer generated dinos (friendly) and a climb over a
fence. They then get back to the centre, fight off a few raptors
and escape in a helicopter, very exciting stuff.... for the people
who hadn't read the book.

The book also gripped you by the guts and wouldn't let go until
you put down the book, after the park was blown up by the local
military. The film didn't have this affect.

Not being easily scared, I was not of the multitudes in the cinema
who started screaming and shaking around in their chairs when
raptors and T-Rexs made an appearance and neither were the two
people I was with (mainly because one of them had their eyes
closed!). If you are of a nervous disposition you will be scared,
momentarily, when the raptors pop through walls or from floors
but, otherwise, you'll just be sitting there watching a film, not
being taken for a ride, like most good films should be.

The special FX in the film were top notch, even the mechanical
dinos were flawless close up, and the computer graphics were
extremely well done (they were made by the same people who did the
FX for Death Becomes Her who have people in the team who worked in
Terminator 2, Indiana Jones and other FX master-pieces).

Taking everything into account the film was good, all of it, but
it could have been made much better.  If it was aimed for a 15
certificate and followed the storyline (making the film longer but
far more enjoyable) I would have rated it above any film I've
every seen. As it is it barely makes it into my top ten.

@~Any more contributions for this new film and video slot will be
@~very welcome - Sue