Its the mid‑1990s. Another video rental from Barry. Jurassic Park was a 1993 movie, but there was that half‑year wait for rental. Then a few weeks before it hit the shelves of the local video shops—basically anyone who wasn’t called Blockbuster.
This film came with hype. It was “the adventure 65 million years in the making.” I remember reading that this film would make you believe that living dinosaurs were real.
This is a movie I’m split on. I know the consensus is that it’s a classic. But I think I saw this film at the wrong time. Perhaps my attention span wasn’t there yet. The first dinosaur doesn’t appear until about 20 minutes into the film.
As an adult I know that this is because the first half of the film sets up the action. At its core it’s a character‑driven film. Today I appreciate this. The film’s narrative on the dangers of messing around with nature couldn’t be more relevant. And the effects still hold up. In so many ways this was ahead of its time.
In the 1990s… it just took too long to get going. It was too “talkie”.
Did this stop us collecting the toys? Nope. It didn’t stop us buying the video game or watching the sequels that followed either. But at the time I found it slow.
A few years later the film came to BBC. It was a big premiere. I remember my grandad telling me they had “watched the dinosaurs last night and wasn’t it slow. It never seemed to get going.”
First impressions die hard. This was a film that I was over‑hyped for but too young to appreciate.
Next time we’re still in 1993. It’s a big family film and Robin Williams is back on our screens. You could argue it’s the biggest film of that year… But Barry is all out! See you on the next one.