Back in 1993, Director Steven Spielberg brought the highly popular novel
Jurassic Park to the big screen and in doing so, created a box office
smash and a pop culture classic.
The follow up movies were not as successful as the original, but still did
big business and paved the way for the next film in the series which is
currently in production.
Since the last film in the series arrived back in 2001, many fans had
wondered why there has been such a long delay bringing the new film to
audiences, and this has been attributed mainly to Universal wanting to be
respectful following the passing of series creator Michael Crichton and
the desire to do a new film right so it can hopefully launch a new
trilogy.
With the arrival of the new 3D technology, studios are going back to
convert classic films to 3D as we have already had “Titanic”, “Top Gun”,
and “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” be re-released with a shiny new 3D
conversion.
For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil),
a dinosaur expert who is hired by his wealthy underwriter, John Hammond
(Richard Attenborough), to provide his expert endorsement of a new type of
animal preserve in Costa Rica.
Accompanied by fellow scientists Dr. Ellie Satler (Laura Dern), and Chaos
Theory expert Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), the group journey to the group
travel to the lush island and discover that the impossible has happened.
Hammond and his team of scientists have brought dinosaurs back to life by
means of cloning recovered strands of DNA.
It is disclosed that the investors of the attraction dubbed “Jurassic
Park” are nervous about the safety of the park following the death of a
worker at the hands of a dinosaur. It is hoped that the endorsement of the
experts will allay the fears of the investors and allow them to open as
planned and experience the fame and fortune their creations will bring.
Naturally things do not go as planned thanks to a less than honest
employee and a big storm and before long, the creatures are loose and
causing death and destruction wherever they go.
Grant and the fellow guests must use all of their skills to survive in the
chaotic world they have found themselves in.
“Jurassic Park 3D” does not try to include things like new footage,
enhanced CGI, or other gimmicks. Aside from the 3D conversion, it is the
same film that captivated audiences upon it’s initial release and it was
amazing to see it back on the big screen even though we own the series on
DVD and Blu-ray.
The 3D at the start of the film was evident, but it quickly faded for me
as the film went along. I have long been an outspoken critic of
post-converting film into 3D as there is a night and day difference
between films that were shot in 3D and those that were converted in a lab.
Although the conversion process has gotten much better in recent years it
still pales to what a film properly shot in the new 3D technology can
offer.
3D requires not only a specific set of cameras, but different lighting and
angles for best results. A film that is intended for conversion can get a
jump on the process by shooting with a mind towards 3D conversion but a
twenty year old film that was never intended for 3D will have some serious
limitations.
Some in the audience at the conclusion of our screener commented that they
thought there would be more 3D in the film but liked seeing it again on
the big screen. I loved seeing it on an IMAX screen and enjoying the
tremendous visuals of the film as well as the great soundtrack being
played through a top of the line system.
The 3D for me was a disappointment as time went on, I realized that
watching the film via Blu-ray at home on our big screen provided and
enjoyable enough experience.
For die hard fans of the series and those who want younger viewers to
experience the film on the big screen, then this is exactly what you have
been looking for. If you are looking for a significant change to the film,
then you may be disappointed. Which makes the review all that much
tougher as I am not so much writing a review of the film but rather a
review of the film as it is presented in 3D.
3 stars out of 5.
