Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Thought I'd start a small discussion on one of the most successful, and fascinating, movie franchises of all time.

Jurassic Park: This is officially one of the most brilliant movies ever made, as far as I'm concerned. I can remember watching it at 10 years old with my dad in the cinema, and it just sucked me in from the first moment. There is something about the atmosphere of the movie, it's so brilliantly executed. Those enormous beasts coupled with hauntingly beautiful music and a brilliant cast and acting, made this movie an amazing experience from beginning to end.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park: This was a very good follow-up from Spielberg. With a much darker atmosphere than its predecessor, The Lost World fascinates from the first moment and is bigger and badder in terms of viscious dinosaur attacks and impressive special effects, but lacks some of the charm and pure beauty of the first movie. Still a very good sequal, though.

Jurassic Park III: Fast-paced, impressive and awe-inspiring in terms of special effects, Jurassic Park III never slows down once it gets started. Some very memorable scenes, but the movie suffers from lack of plot. Some of the scenes and special effects half-way make up for it. Decent sequal.

I love the first two, but the third one is pretty awful.  And contrary to what you said, I think the effects in the third one are really crap and amateur looking when compared to pretty much any other effects movie in the last 20 years (including the original two movies).

I can see where you're coming from, because when first seeing the movie, my impression was that some of the dinosaurs (especially the raptors the t-rex battle as well as the herbivore scenes) looked much more computer-animated than in the first two movies. So if that's what you mean by amateur looking, then I can agree to a certain extent. But scenes like the spinosaurus in the water at night and the birdcage scene are visually so impressive that I don't give much thought to computer animation.

That, and when the plane crashes and is attacked by the spinosaurus... that whole sequence wouldn't look out of place in an episode of Power Rangers.  Other than that, I think they made a mistake in writing an original story, because they'd run out of Michael Crichton books to adapt into movies... the whole thing seemed more like a cash-in than a sequel.
None of the can take away from the sheer awesomeness of the first two movies, though.  The original was the first movie I ever saw at the cinema, and is probably one of the movies that made me such a huge fan of movies.  The casting was pretty much perfect, and one thing that Joe Johnston didn't get right, but Steven Spielberg excels at is creating very iconic moments in his movies that people still remember years after seeing them.  Who can forget the ripples in the water every time the T. Rex is nearby?

I liked them as a kid when they came out, but I'll always pass when they are on now

love these films. own the Boxset.

an important part of growing up in the 1990s for me.

One of the scariest things for me, as a child. Was when my dad would put the first movie on downstairs with the surround system on full blast. The T-rex sounded shit scary.

It came second, to the scene in Terminator 2, when the robot steps on the skull at the start from out of the silence.

Ok, what's everyone's favorite dinosaur attack scene from these movies? It's damn hard to choose, but the most visually impressive and scary will probably have to be the frightening scene in the lake at night in JP3. That scene leaves a permanent mark on you. The raptor kitchen scene in Jurassic Park comes close.

Speaking of which, what is your favorite raptor scene? ;D

I'll name them in chronological order:

1. Raptor attacks Ellie in the power building in JP1.
2. Raptors attack kids in kitchen in JP1 (plus ending)
3. Raptors attack hunters in the high grass in JP2.
4. Raptors attack Malcolm and family in village in JP2.
5. Raptors attack Grant & co. in village in JP3.
6. Raptors attack Grant & co. in forest in JP3.
7. Raptors surprise Grant & co. at the shore in JP3.

It's hard to choose, but number 2, 4 and 5 are just spectacular. 8)

T-rex takes on the two jeeps with the kids in it- JP1
Fat guy gets failed by cute but then fucked up evil sprayer - JP1
Kids in the kitchen...with raptors - JP1
Raptors in the fields chasing people down - JP2
Its creepy when the flying dino walks out of the mist onto the bridge - JP3

oh and one of the funniest scenes on earth is when Dr Grant is dreaming in JP3 and the talking raptor head is there. Now THATS a trip

Oh yeah, the pteradon scene is haunting and chilling. I love the atmosphere it sets. Brilliant scene. That scene alone and the spinosaurus in the lake saved the movie.

That's the one I pick as the best attack. That would be the scariest.

JP 1 and 2 are the best ones...3 is ok but not so great.

None for me will capture the spirit of the first, the third one, I really missed Goldblum

I like how the raptors thoughtfully changed appearence in the 3rd movie from the first two to match the latest real world scientific thought on what raptors looked like.

To me that a) completely ruins continuity, and b) was a bit pointless, considering they completely ignored what velociraptors really looked like to begin with (they were about the size of a turkey and had feathers.... hardly the 9 foot tall monsters from the movies).

I read they are making a new jurassic park movie (IV) with Sam Neill included.

I thought The Lost World was boring as hell.

I can watch Pt 1 any day, any time and never tire of it.

Amazing atmosphere, good acting and great effects, even so all lacks a bit depht, horror and metafores imo.