Well, what can one say about 'Jurassic Park', good or bad, that has not already been said? Steven Spielberg's dinosaur magnum opus not only became the highest grossing film ever, but also elevated the technical art of 'special effects' to a whole other level. Whether you loved it or hated it, almost nobody didn't see it.
Now, to match it's theatrical achievments, 'Jurassic Park' became one of the most hotly anticipated video releases ever. The THX approved laser transfer for 'Jurassic Park' is, visually and sonicly, extraordinary. Every technical aspect of the transfer is reference level. Colors are rich and vivid without a trace of smearing or noise. Contrast and brightness are excellent. Sharpness and detail can only be described as perfect, as this reviewer has never seen better. The overall result is an image that, on a large screen, is more reminiscent of, and in some ways superior to, that originally seen in the theater. The transfer is, of course, letterboxed and this reviewer's measurement has the aspect ratio spot on 1.85:1. The framing appears consistantly well balanced.
The sound on this disc, played through a better than average home theater audio system, is simply stunning. 'Jurassic Park' introduced most of the country to high quality digital theater sound in the summer of '93 via the DTS system. Most theaters that installed this system at the time did so expressly for this movie. As good as 'Jurassic Park' sounded then, and it was the best theater sound I had heard to that point, that was merely a taste of what one can expect from a good home system with a (good) subwoofer. Frequency response is incredible. From deep, solid bass to crystal clear highs and every thing in between, this soundtrack is reproduced with a clarity and precision only the laser format is capable of.
The film runs 127 minutes and is spread to 3 sides in CLV. One might assume that MCA did not want to even take a chance on offending the purchasers of the more expensive CAV set by formatting this set with a CAV side three. Whatever the case, the side breaks on this CLV edition are very well placed and obviously chosen on purpose. The disc is copiously chapter encoded with 47 markers. Unfortunately, MCA chose not to include the theatrical trailer.
Whatever technical or artistic flaws one might find with 'Jurassic Park', it is undeniably a joyride of a movie. This reviewer's advice to those about to experience this disc for the first time...grab some popcorn and Milk Duds, turn off the lights, turn up the sound and have a great time.
This review is copyright, and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the author.
