On June 11, 1993, Steven Spielberg’s epic dinosaur adventure was released in theaters, and a new era of the blockbuster movie was born.
30 years ago today, Steven Spielberg made film history. Again. He had already created the first modern summer blockbuster with “The Shark” in 1975, and offered the world’s audience a long series of wonderful matinee adventures and ground-breaking sci-fi films since then. But when “Jurassic Park” had its American theatrical premiere on June 11, 1993, it was clear that Hollywood would never be the same again.
Spielberg had gotten his hands on Michael Crichton’s novel about an amusement park where dinosaurs came to life with the help of DNA research. He also understood that it would take movie magic the likes of which the world had never seen before to make the dream come true on the big screen. Fortunately, CGI and computer effects had begun to offer filmmakers exciting opportunities, and Spielberg was quick to take advantage of the new technology – and take it to the next level.
Combined with Stan Winston’s practical effects, a long line of prehistoric monsters were brought to life on the big screen, and the world’s curiosity about dinosaurs reached new heights.
Those of us who grew up with “Jurassic Park” may be biased on the matter, but surely it is a perfect popcorn movie? Spielberg is a master at tickling the childish sense of adventure in all of us while creating suspense and nail-biting action scenes. The revolutionary effects were of course rewarded with an Oscar, and the cinema revenue of 1.1 billion dollars makes the film the most successful of the director’s career. An obvious milestone in film history – in short.
Just in time for the 30th anniversary, several of the “Jurassic Park” stars have came together for a video celebrating the iconic film and thanking all the fans. Here we see Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and – perhaps even more fun to watch – the children Tim and Lex as adults, i.e. Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards. Beautifully nostalgic! Watch the clip below:
When did you see “Jurassic Park” for the first time? Will there be a rewatch tonight?
