Jurassic Park: A 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Science Fiction Blockbuster

Jurassic Park is considered one of the most iconic science fiction films of all time, and its 25th anniversary is a perfect time to take a look at how the film came to be. The 1993 film, directed by Steven Spielberg, was a game-changer in the world of cinema, and its impact is still felt today.

The film was originally conceived as a book by Michael Crichton, who also served as an executive producer on the film. The book's success paved the way for the film's development, and Spielberg was initially hesitant about taking on the project but was eventually convinced by Universal Studios.

Spielberg's vision for the film was to create a realistic and immersive world of dinosaurs, but technical issues with the special effects forced him to pivot. Instead of including lots of shots of the dinosaurs, he alluded to their presence by using shadows, camera angles, and sound effects. This added to the suspense of the movie and turned it into an exercise of imagination rather than just a science fiction film.

The film's success was not only due to Spielberg's directing but also to the casting of key actors like Sam Neill as paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, Laura Dern as mathematician Dr. Ellie Sattler, and Jeff Goldblum as chaos theorist Dr. Ian Malcolm. Neill initially turned down the role but later accepted after meeting Spielberg at a party, while Dern and Goldblum were both eager to be a part of the project.

The mechanical dinosaurs used in the film were created by the company known as the "Dinosaur Inc." They were built using a combination of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and practical effects, including animatronics and puppets. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science revealed that one of the T-Rex puppets was 18 feet tall and weighed 1,500 pounds.

One of the most intense scenes in the film is when Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler are attacked by a velociraptor. To create the sense of being attacked, a real velociraptor puppet was used, and the actors were instructed to react as if it were real. The music added to the suspense too, with James Horner's now-famous theme song for Jurassic Park being a signature for the entire movie.

The film was shot mostly in Hawaii, even though it is set in California's fictional Isla Nublar. Several locals had cameos in the film, and Spielberg actually left the set before the last day of shooting, afraid that the crew would throw him into the water.

Jurassic Park is considered one of the first-ever science fiction blockbusters and is one of the highest-grossing films of all time. It won three Oscars for visual effects, sound editing, and original score, though it lost the Best Picture title to Forrest Gump.

In honor of Jurassic Park's 25th anniversary, cue up the Jurassic Park theme song (dun-dun, dun-dun) and take a bite out of these fun facts about the film.