Jurassic Park: Just as Awesome as You Remember

When the opportunity to see Jurassic Park in 3D IMAX presents itself you do not say “no.” I loved the movie as a kid, but since I was around seven when it came out, I never got to see it in the theatre. Which is why I ended up at the Indiana State Museum at 7:00pm on one of the most beautiful days of the year so far, heading into a movie.

This was actually the first movie I’ve seen in 3D. The idea of 3D didn’t hold much of an appeal, and the ticket price was definitely a detractor. So I just never bothered. But, once again, this was Jurassic Park. So I coughed up the $16 a ticket price to go see a twenty year old movie.

The first thing that struck me, was how instantly the nostalgia trip started to hit. That giddy/anxious feeling when you’re trying to catch a glimpse of the raptor in its crate. Still knowing the entire speech about how the raptor will kill you. Realizing T-Rex isn’t so bad, its the much smaller dinosaurs like dilophosaurus and velociraptor that you have to watch out for.

When you finally do see the dinosaurs, I was pleasantly surprised to see they didn’t seem corny or fake or played out. They still looked amazing. Don’t get me wrong there were parts that were very 90s. Smoking in the office. Jolt cola. That educational film that reminded me of every film in school. But overall, the movie doesn’t feel dated.

The second thing that struck me about Jurassic Park, was that damn that movie is deep. When I saw it as a kid, I didn’t understand the “life finds a way” concept. Or the implications of playing God. When I was a kid my reaction was “DINOSAURS!” As an adult, I want to know what happens with the hatched dinosaurs, and what they did with the island. I never saw the second or third movies, and from what I understand they weren’t very good. I might have to go buy the books and read them.

Was seeing the movie in 3D worth it? I’m still kind of torn. There were points where my eyes got a bit blurry. There were definitely some butt shots I don’t think they would have done if they intended it to be 3D. But it was cool to see the dinosaurs in 3D. The iconic chase scene was awesome, and so was seeing dilophosaur spit. I wouldn’t rush to see it again in that format though.

f you can get the chance to go see Jurassic Park during its re-release, I really encourage you to. Especially if you’re like me and haven’t seen it since childhood. And Hollywood, can we please make more movies like this? Where scientists are cool and win because of their knowledge of the field? Movies that will make every child fascinated with the natural world? Please?