Great Movie Moments 3

No other film is more responsible for my love of movies than Jurassic Park. I paid to see it seven times in theatres, and I'm pretty sure no other film holds that record with me. It blends so many elements into such a fantastic film; drama, comedy, horror, sci-fi, action, mystery, family entertainement. For my money it's one of the most well-rounded movies ever made.

Not to say that it's one of the best. Looking at it now, as an adult, it has it's obvious flaws, and relies on a lot of hackneyed ideas to move the story along. But, as a kid I thought it was perfect. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen, and the fact that I payed seven times with my own money (which was hard to come by as a kid, I sometimes went without school lunch so I could afford to go see it) is a real testament to that.

(Side note, I have seen one movie more times in theatres, but that was as a teen, and I got in free. For those interested, it's Con Air, and it's something like 12 or 13 times. Keeping in mind that I didn't pay...)

Okay, so I'm sure you've all seen JP (and hopefully not its atrocious sequels) enough to know what moment I'm about to pick? Eh, everyone probably think it'll be the T-Rex, but no. I loved the T-Rex, but it's not him. The Raptors? Nope, not them either.

I've alway adored one particular scene that matters little to the overall plot, and after rewatching it recently (it sounds phenomenal in Dolby Digital 5.1 by the way!) I was still taken by it.

Doc Grant and Company are riding in two jeeps, after just having gotten on the island. The jeeps stop as his wife rambles on about a leaf; "this shouldn't be here, it doesn't exist, blah blah" Grant looks up, wearing those sunglasses, and the camera zooms closer and closer as he takes his hat off and stands up. He removes his sunglasses and his face tells it all. He looks like a kid on the best Christmas morning of his life. He reaches his hand down to his wife's head (she's still rambling) and abruptly turns it towards what he sees. She stand and the camera shows us what has caught their attention. A brachiosaur (Sp?) (I think...I might be wrong) They run out of the jeep and when they get closer Doc Grant stutters: "It's...It's a dinosaur."

Coupled with the score (which is one of my favorites ever), and not to forget the brilliant special effects, the moment still amazes me. And I'm only watching it on a 27 inch TV, no high Definition, or Plasma, just an old TV. On the big screen it was unreal.

I don't do it justice, in fact, I probably do it a disservice.

Sure, Ol' Steve has made better films, much better in fact. But I don't think any movie pulled me into film more than this one, and that moment, for me, was the hook, and I bit.

-L