Why So Blu?

Jurassic Park 3D (Movie Review)

I was sitting with a pretty, young lady some 21 years ago,  waiting to watch Indecent Proposal, when a preview came on for Jurassic Park.  I can still see the raptor’s eye peering into the kitchen window just before it fogged from the dinosaurs breath.  My date grabbed my arm tight and said, “we are definitely coming to see this.”  Twenty years later, she’s long gone but the movie is still going strong.  This time, it’s in 3D!

I’ve never been a huge fan of the 3D movie.   I will take a great story over special effects any day.  When I was asked to review the 3D version of Jurassic Park, I admittedly was a bit reluctant.  Would they add new scenes solely to take advantage of the 3D concept?  Would they ruin a great film with cheesy effects?

The film opens with a cool new Universal logo in 3D and an updated 3D version of the Jurassic Park title card.  Other than that, the rest of the movie remained true to the original.  It took a minute to get truly comfortable with the added depth and layering but from that point on, I loved it.   The 3D version makes you feel as if you are there seeing everything first hand.  I knew this would be a winner when the Montana scenes began.  They did an excellent job in adding depth into the archeological dig site.  The conversion remained strong throughout the movie.

Though no “pop out” moments were added, the 3D effects really add an extra bit of excitement to moments such as the car falling through the trees,  the T-Rex chasing the jeeps, and the raptor leaping at Lex as she dangles through a hole in the ceiling.

It is hard to believe that Jurassic Park will celebrate its 20th anniversary this summer.  The 3D release was an innovative way to attract folks like me who loved it the first time and probably owned it at home, to come back to the theater.  What a great way, however, to introduce the movie to a new generation.  I may even venture out to catch it on IMAX.

The one question that still lingers for me is why does Jeff Goldblum’s character disappear in the second half?  His wise cracking, chaos theory spouting, Dr. Ian Malcolm was such a larger than life character, it seemed like a waste to relegate him to spending 45 minutes just sitting on a table with his shirt open.

All in all, my new date and I gave it a two thumbs up.  Rest in peace Mr. Ebert.