Romero: ‘Jurassic Park’ comes back to theaters with entertaining, timeless plot
Two glasses hit the big screen and terrorized our young hearts in 1993’s “Jurassic Park.” Those two cups, placed at the back of the jeep with two lonely kids, suddenly start to shake. And there are lots of ripples.
Ripples can only mean one thing: Something big is coming.
It’s a Tyrannosaurus Rex, hell-bent on terrorizing those two kids. If only they had left the flashlight off.
On April 5, the dino-fest came stomping back into theaters for another generation to enjoy. No, it’s not a sequel. It’s not a prequel. It’s not even a silly Hollywood re-imagining. It’s just regular, old “Jurassic Park,” only this time in 3-D. And it’s welcomed news.
Many current college students grew up in the 1990s, which means you’ve probably witnessed the previously mentioned shaking glass scene about 64 times. You most likely even remember the “Jurassic Park” scene where the character Newman, from “Seinfeld,” gets blinded by that cute-but-vicious dinosaur. You still might fear open spaces after that three-point raptor attack.
Constantly, the entertainment industry’s film re-do’s take the shine away from the masterpieces with which we originally fell in love. This trend makes something that should be timeless replaceable. For example, although we all appreciate Andrew Garfield’s wry spin on Spider-Man from last summer, no one begged for a completely new series.
Thankfully that’s not what we’re dealing with this time.
The only person to have ever mastered the necessary reboot is Christopher Nolan. His Batman trilogy did something Tim Burton’s “Batman Returns,” which came out the year before “Jurassic,” could never do. Nolan’s movie changed the game.
But it’s impossible to do with dinosaurs what Nolan did with the character of Batman. You can’t make them moody, metaphorical and layered. They’re usually gigantic, flightless birds with big teeth and bigger appetites. They don’t really have feelings.
Dr. Malcolm boils down the entire point of the “Jurassic Park” series in the second film, “The Lost World.” “’Oooh! Ahhh!’ That’s how it always starts,” he said. “Then later there’s running and screaming.” It’s a simple premise, but it’s a fun one.
Not every film needs to be complex. Sometimes an audience just wants to watch a bunch of people run from dinosaurs for an hour-and-a-half. You may just want to consider what it would be like to see a T-Rex eat a goat in real life.
It would be completely pointless for Universal Pictures to pay millions of dollars to remake “Jurassic Park.” They’ve already got a classic in the bag, and one that can only be enhanced by 3-D.
But, unfortunately, that senseless move is about to be made.
Apparently, movie executives don’t understand the uncomplicated majesty of the original “Jurassic Park.” Although the 1993 model timelessly captured the wonder — and terror — of coming face to face with hungry dinosaurs, “Jurassic Park 4” will roar into theaters next summer.
At least we’ll get to appreciate the original for a little while.
Ariana Romero is a junior magazine journalism and political science major. Her column appears every week. She can be reached at akromero@syr.edu or followed on Twitter at @ArianaRomero17.
Published on April 6, 2013 at 1:44 am