Rate "Jurassic Park"!

[Josh500 1,615]

OK.

Score: 5 stars

Movie: 4.5 stars

The score is one of JW very, very best (although not his best, period). The action music is second to none, IMO, and there is a wealth of themes here...

I prefer the "Theme from Jurassic Park."

[Henry B 50]

Score: 3.5 / Film: 3.

[MSM 126]

Best score and best movie ever.

[Josh500 1,615]

Best score and best movie ever.

They are great, but best movie ever?? Aren't you exaggerating a little?

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

Score 5, movie 3. Which shows that all the dazzling effects, the presence of dinos (and also the presence of the score) still manage to improve a poor movie at least a bit.

[Josh500 1,615]

Score 5, movie 3. Which shows that all the dazzling effects, the presence of dinos (and also the presence of the score) still manage to improve a poor movie at least a bit.

Just because it's not outstandingly mesmerizingly great and wonderful (like E.T. and Jaws) doesn't mean it's poor!

The movie is still great.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I agree with Marian, although the score does very little for me. 2.5 for both.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Give the polls a rest, man!

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

1st option for all three polls.

[Diego 21]

4.5 for the score, 4 for the film.

[Datameister 2,044]

Meh, what the heck. 5 and 5. Call me a fanboy, whatever. I have a real soft spot for both the score and the film. As for the last question...I went with door #2, although I really like both themes nearly equally.

[Trent B 337]

For both film and score I voted 4.5 stars and I prefer "The Island Theme" over the actual Jurassic Park theme.

[A24 4,339]

Both Spielberg and Williams disappointed me with their efforts. The film doesn't rise above children level and I find the main theme of Williams to be downright weak.

Alex

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Did you feel like that in 1993 Alex? Or are you joining in on this new fad of finding Spielberg overrated?

[A24 4,339]

Did you feel like that in 1993 Alex?

Yes, when I saw it in 1993, this was my reaction:

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I was staggered and amazed of what I was seeing before me, and hearing.

Of course I was 16.

I liked Schildlers List too, but these days people have started to bash even that film.

[John Crichton 4]

The score: 4. Along with PoA, the most consistenly overrated around here IMO.

The movie: 4. I'm not sure how well its aged, and I was never blown away by it anyway. I actually got really sick of all the hype around it.

Give me the island fanfare over the main theme any day.

[A24 4,339]

I was staggered and amazed of what I was seeing before me, and hearing.

Of course I was 16.

That's because you were raised with films like The Goonies, Steef. You had no good cultural education because the entertainment industry did not take you and others of your generation seriously. When I was young, there was no such thing as marketing so I basically saw everything what growups were watching.

Alex

[MrScratch 294]

3, 3, and Main Theme. I like both themes, but I gave it to the main theme because I can play it on the piano.

[publicist 4,643]

That's because you were raised with films like The Goonies, Steef. You had no good cultural education because the entertainment industry did not take you and others of your generation seriously. When I was young, there was no such thing as marketing so I basically saw everything what growups were watching.

Alex

I don't know, Alex. I was 16, too, when i saw 'JP' and still i found it underwhelming and rather harebrained - and i was raised with 'The Goonies' and stark russian war movies as polar opposites of my filmic education and i guess Mr. Cosman, being a european, also had a more diverse filmic background than your usual multiplex mall rat.

[A24 4,339]

I don't know, Alex. I was 16, too, when i saw 'JP' and still i found it underwhelming and rather harebrained - and i was raised with 'The Goonies' and stark russian war movies as polar opposites of my filmic education and i guess Mr. Cosman, being a european, also had a more diverse filmic background than your usual multiplex mall rat.

That's why he learned to appreciate 2001: A Space Odyssey .

Alex

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

That's because you were raised with films like The Goonies, Steef. You had no good cultural education because the entertainment industry did not take you and others of your generation seriously. When I was young, there was no such thing as marketing so I basically saw everything what growups were watching.

Alex

Incorrect.

I did not see Goonies, Back To The Future, Gremlins, Star Wars, Batman etc..etc... untill I was well in my teenage years.

[indy4 155]

Score: 4

Film: 5

Island Theme

[MSM 126]

The one who voted 1 star for the score should banned from this board.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

The ones who voted 5 stars for the score should be banned from this board.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I grew up with JP and I know it beginning to end. But I recently watched it and I had to laugh at how incompetent nearly everyone in this film is. The most interesting character is Malcolm because he comes off as so weird and insane, yet he's the only person on the island with any sense. Even the game hunter falls for the easiest trick in the book when faced with the raptors. Was this the first film to use a computer virus as a major plot device?

[MSM 126]

The ones who voted 5 stars for the score should be banned from this board.

Why? Noticed this is a JWFan board?

[Josh500 1,615]

I saw the movie in the theaters when I was 12, and believe me, I was stunned and mesmerized. This was the most spectacular thing I had ever seen...

And I thank Steven Spielberg (and John Williams) for that experience. Now that I come to think of it, this was the first Spielberg movie I've seen in the cinema.

I think you can't have that powerful an experience anymore once you're grown up... at least, not in the movie theater.

I didn't realize the "Island Theme" was so much more popular than the JP theme! For me, the theme from Jurassic Park is connected with the first sight of the brachiosaurus... a magical, stunning, overwhelming moment. The island theme can't quite touch it....

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

I saw the movie in the theaters when I was 12, and believe me, I was stunned and mesmerized. This was the most spectacular thing I had ever seen...

I was 14, and also stunned, but at the same time somewhat annoyed about how many ideas from the book were simplified or simply dropped. Over the years, the flaws haven't exactly become less apparent.

[Josh500 1,615]

I saw the movie in the theaters when I was 12, and believe me, I was stunned and mesmerized. This was the most spectacular thing I had ever seen...

I was 14, and also stunned, but at the same time somewhat annoyed about how many ideas from the book were simplified or simply dropped. Over the years, the flaws haven't exactly become less apparent.

Weren't you a pretty geeky 14 year old?

When I was watching the movie, I was on the island myself... and at times, I was scared to death. Jumped up from my seat a couple of times. Honest to God, my heart was pounding an hour after the movie was over!

[Datameister 2,044]

I thought the film actually improved on the book in some ways. Certainly not all ways. But some.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

Weren't you a pretty geeky 14 year old?

Probably. Why?

When I was watching the movie, I was on the island myself... and at times, I was scared to death. Jumped up from my seat a couple of times.

A good description of the book.

[indy4 155]

It's been awhile since I read the book, but I remember liking them both equally, but for vastly different reasons.

[John Crichton 4]

I read the book in high school a few years after the movie came out and enjoyed it much more.

[Ollie 1,059]

4.5 for both film and score.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

The ones who voted 5 stars for the score should be banned from this board.

Why? Noticed this is a JWFan board?

And it's a board which is (usually) respectful of other people's opinions, no matter what people rate scores. The idea of kicking someone out of the clubhouse because you don't agree with their opinions is a bit much.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I have stated my opinions about the film versus the novel, and I have no inclination to recapitulate them here, but as for the ratings...

I give the score a 4.5, but it never had that life-changing impact on me that it seemed to have had on so many others.

The film gets a 4 from me. Seeing as I was not alive for the film's release, I would have to wait until I was four to watch the film, and I was obsessed with it when I finally had. I owned all of the action figures, I had a Jurassic Park lunchbox and backpack, and I often fantasized about being a paleontologist.

So one could say the film holds sentimental value for me.

[scallenger 483]

Score: 5

Movie: 5

Favorite Theme: Island Theme

This movie and score is my most personal. It is the movie that got me into movies and the score that got me into scores. So there is no way I could personally rate either one lower than the highest rating. I admit that there are better made movies and scores (by Williams and others) that have a better overall quality, but both are so etched into my childhood and my "purpose" that they will always be number 1.

I still think the movie is one of the best action/adventure movies, especially of the 90s. I never quite get why so many people bash the actors in the movie. Sure there are some cheesy moments with them, but I don't think the characters are that thin. Especially when you look at action films of today... eesh! And regardless of the acting, the movie still holds some truly classic scenes that are unforgettable, such as the helicopter's journey to the island (music helped with that), the raptors in the kitchen, and of course, the T-Rex attack on the tour cars.

As for the score... it is simply wonderful to listen to, but with some reservations, mostly due to the CD's organization and setup. I have always, ALWAYS hated non-chronological CDs, and this one is no exception. I also wish there was more from the score on the CD, like one my favorite cues, the T-Rex Jeep Chase! But the real crime is the very, very unnecessary copy and paste job they did for the End Credits. Why did they do make a short edited version when they included the actual end credits (titled Welcome to Jurassic Park) already! They could have used that unnecessary space for some other music from the film, or even nothing would have been better.

It's just interesting, however, to point out that so many people love the music from Jurassic Park, even those who don't generally listen to movie scores. It's two grand sweeping themes have captivated many. But luckily for film score fans there are other themes and motiffs that have also always been a joy to listen to (the sad music for Hammond, the peaceful herbivore music, the haunting and scary carnivore motiff, and even the almost outlandish Dennis Nedry music). And compared to other Williams scores, there is some strange quality to this one. It just sounds... different. I don't know if it is the mixing (which is great, btw!) or what... but the tone and mood of the entire score is very different to me than anything he has done.

So... those are my thoughts.

Oh, also... do check out the book if you can. It is, of course, also my favorite book, and even if you don't believe the story is possible, it is a very entertaining fantasy. Sometimes it does get a little talky on the scientific ideas, but those are what makes the book seem so real sometimes. And besides, before it goes on too long you get into some very exciting sequences that are much more elaborate than in the film, for the most part. And some of them ended up being put in the 3rd film because it would have cost so much to have them, at the time, in the first film.

[A24 4,339]

That's because you were raised with films like The Goonies, Steef. You had no good cultural education because the entertainment industry did not take you and others of your generation seriously. When I was young, there was no such thing as marketing so I basically saw everything what growups were watching.

Incorrect.

I did not see Goonies, Back To The Future, Gremlins, Star Wars, Batman etc..etc... untill I was well in my teenage years.

Well, not The Goonies then but something equivalent.

[paleo 63]

Score: 5

Movie: 5

/quote]

I agree with everything you said (although my favorite missing cue is, as you may know, the "mosquito in amber" music)

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Well, not The Goonies then but something equivalent.

The Herbie Quadralogy?

[publicist 4,643]

Well, not The Goonies then but something equivalent.

The Herbie Quadralogy?

Or 'Asterix'? Or perhaps a trifle 'Carry on...' flicks?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Asterix surely. No Carry On or Benny Hill nonsense.

[A24 4,339]

These are all too harmless to form someone's taste. Could it be Star Wars?

[publicist 4,643]

Asterix surely. No Carry On or Benny Hill nonsense.

I cherish the danish 'Olsen-banden' and west german 'Winnetou' films. Forget 'Jurassic Park' when you have 'Treasure in the Silver Lake' guiding you through childhood.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

How about Jaws?

[publicist 4,643]

These are all too harmless to form someone's taste. Could it be Star Wars?

Alex, in all honesty, when i first saw 'Star Wars', me and all my classmates agreed that all the desert planet stuff was actually fucking boring. We loved 'Bloodsport', though.

[A24 4,339]

Jaws is less childish than The Goonies or Jurassic Park. I'm looking for a movie capable of destroying someone's 'good taste'.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I probably preferred Marked For Death and Harly Davidson & The Marlboro Man over things like Star Wars at that age.

[publicist 4,643]

'Hard to Kill'!

Or at least 'Die Hard'. Certainly not fantasy films with princesses in it.

Wait, 'Spaceballs'...mmmh..