The dinosaurs are long gone, but if you don't act quick, Jurassic Park will be too. The Steven Spielberg flick is just one of many titles that will be leaving Netflix in May, but it's definitely the one you absolutely need to see before it's gone from the streaming service. The '90s classic, which ruled the summer of 1993, is a nostalgic reminder that before the warm months were filled with Iron Mans, Batmans and Captain Americas, there were action-adventures that had normal people taking on the unbelievable. Here, it's paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) heading to a theme park promising real live dinosaurs and getting the scariest ride of their lives.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees a glass of water start to shake and immediately wonders if there's a T-Rex on the loose, right? Jurassic Park is one of those movies that reminds you just how fun movies can be. And with all that's going on in the world, you deserve to have a little fun.
Adding to its greatness, Jurassic Park isn't a movie that takes itself too seriously. That's especially clear once you realize that Samuel L. Jackson doesn't just say the movie's famous line, "Hold on to your butts" once, but twice. It's meant to entertain and keep you at the edge of your seat, as you wonder if Lex and Tim are going to be able to outsmart those velociraptors in the kitchen. It makes the moment where Lex struggles with the sliding door even more heart-pounding.
But, that doesn't mean Spielberg and his crew didn't take the movie seriously. While it's hard not to watch any blockbuster from today or yesterday without judging the special effects, Jurassic Park manages to hold up 25 years later. Chalk this up to the fact that Jurassic Park used full-size animatronics to construct the dinosaurs rather than going full-on CGI. There's a sense of reality to what you're seeing. That T-Rex is actually there sparking fear in the hearts of the actors on set. Dern is really helping that sick triceratops. It's probably why you believe the actors any time they're screaming bloody murder as a dinosaur chases them down. They're actually seeing something real, not just staring at a green screen and pretending.
At the same time, that's not to say there isn't a lot of pretend happening here. A quick Google search reveals that Jurassic Park doesn't always have its science right, even though Spielberg did have paleontologists on set to help as consultants. They were able to help design more realistic-looking dinosaurs, down to the teeth. But, in the end, Spielberg decided to take dramatic license with the movie. Specifically, the director sharpened the T. Rex's teeth to make him look a bit scarier. Can we really blame him for that?
These "mistakes kind" of adds to its charm. Sure, it's hard to believe that whole taking dino DNA out of the mosquito in the amber story (even if John Hammond's PowerPoint is pretty convincing), but it doesn't take you out of the story. It's one of those things you notice when you get older and have rewatched the movie more times than you can count. It's not how you felt the first time you saw it.
Back then, you were totally mesmerized by how amazing the whole movie was. But, the thing about this movie is, no matter how many times you watch it, you can't help but be transported back to that first time. This is a movie that never gets old, even as you do. So, get your final watchings of Jurassic Park in before it leaves Netflix for good — just like the dinosaurs.
