Wow … 30 Years Already?!
Wow … it is hard to believe that it has been 30 years since Jurassic Park ROARED into theaters, changing cinema forever. This groundbreaking film, directed by Steven Spielberg, and based on Michael Crichton’s bestselling book, introduced audiences of all ages to a world where dinosaurs were brought back to life. It was a major success, commercially and critically, and spawned a gigantic franchise that is still being explored to this day.
If you are a fan of Jurassic Park, you probably know some of the amazing facts about this movie. For example, did you know that there are only 15 minutes of dinosaurs in the first film? Or that Jurassic Park broke the record for the highest-grossing movie of all time until Titanic? Or that the island where the park was located, Isla Nublar, was based on a real island off the coast of Costa Rica?
To celebrate this 30th anniversary special, Universal has announced a massive series of events and activities to honor the film and its gigantic impact on Pop Culture. Some of these include a special re-release of the film in 4K, a new documentary, a Smithsonian exhibit, more merchandising, and much much more!
What Is Jurassic Park About?
If you are a fan of science fiction, thrillers, or dinosaurs, you have likely heard of Jurassic Park. It is one of the most popular and influential novels and movie franchises of all time, after all! But, what is it really about? How did it come to be? And what makes it so captivating and relevant even today? Today we will explore the legacy of Jurassic Park. As well as why you should read or watch it if you haven’t already. (no really, you should check it out!)
Jurassic Park is not only a thrilling adventure story but is also a cautionary tale about the dangers of genetic engineering and corporate greed. Crichton was inspired by his background in medicine and science, as well as by his fascination with dinosaurs.
Crichton consulted with experts such as Jack Horner, a renowned paleontologistSomeone who studies Paleontology, who studies fossil remains of past life on earth. More who served as the model for Alan Grant. He wanted to explore the moral and philosophical questions raised by his premise: What are the limits of science? What are the responsibilities of scientists? What are the rights of living creatures? What are the risks of playing God?
Due to its popularity, some directors have even said that all the sequels that were made after were not needed. They could have just made the first movie and been done with it. But of course, as this movie itself even explains, it was taking into consideration what is common in the corporate world: GREED. Universal fell to the very thing that this movie was explaining. How is it that Universal succumbed to the same thing that the movie explains?
30th Anniversary Celebrations & Special Events
Folio Society Announces 30th Anniversary Edition of The Book
The Folio Society is a publisher that specializes in creating beautiful editions of classic and modern literature. They have recently announced a special 30th-anniversary edition of the Jurassic Park book ($60), the bestselling novel by Michael Crichton that inspired the blockbuster movie franchise. As a huge fan of the franchise, I will be saving up for this special edition of the book.
This edition of the book features a stunning cover design by artist Vector That Fox (creative name of Jo Breese), who also made 11 full-color illustrations for the book. These illustrations capture the awe, and terror, of encountering these amazing prehistoric creatures. It also captures the beauty and fra****ty of the island setting. It includes an introduction by Steve Brusatte, another famous author.
If you can afford the price tag, we recommend getting this book. The cost may be a bit high at $60, but if you are a big enough fan of the franchise, it would be a $60 well spent. I would get a copy of it for myself (Kenson), if I wasn’t currently unemployed. Love the original movie, and have an audiobook version that I could play while reading this paper copy.
National History Museum of London Had A Pop-Up Exhibit
If you are a fan of dinosaurs and movies, you might want to visit the Natural History Museum of London. The museum had launched a temporary exhibit (which closed on March 31st) pop-up Jurassic Park shop in its Cranbourne Boutique, where you could find a variety of merchandise and decorations inspired by the iconic film franchise. They still have other dinosaur content as well, though!
This pop-up exhibit was part of their celebration of the 30th anniversary of Jurassic Park. It included life-sized models of Tyrannosaurus RexLinks to Tyrannosaurus Rex blog post. More, “Velociraptor,” and the Brachiosaurus. You could also see models of baby dinosaurs, it was open until the 31st of March, which then shut down. We wish we could personally have attended to get some pictures for you to see, but it was out of our budget.
Jurassic Park – 30th Anniversary Special Merchandise
If you are interested in LEGOs, you may want to check out one of SlashFilm’s latest posts. It explains LEGO’s history, some other sets, but also the Jurassic Park T. Rex
• Full Name: Tyrannosaurus Rex
• Time Period: Cretaceous
• Diet: Meat
More Rampage set that is part of the 30th-anniversary celebration. It has over 3000 pieces and costs a whopping $250 (USD). It includes a posable T. Rex, including jaws and a hidden compartment for its meals.
That is not all, though! Many special releases are coming this year, and we will update this post with other special releases and events relating to the 30th anniversary of this amazing franchise to come this year. We hope to be able to keep you all up-to-date on these releases as we find them!
Concluding Thoughts About Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park is an amazing movie franchise. It could have easily only had the one 1993 movie with a remaster for the 25th or 30th anniversary, but they did end up milking it for as much money as they could make. We would have to agree with a good chunk of the fanbase in saying that they made too many movies. About half of them did not do all that well in comparison to the original film.
Be sure to check out our blog for other Jurassic Park-related posts coming in the future! You may also be interested in our post about ARK: Survival Evolved, a fun game to play with friends! You should also check out our Discord server to hang out with us!
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It’s hard to believe the film is now 31 years old. I didn’t get to watch the film in theaters, I did watch the world premier of the television airing of the film when I was a kid however. It’s my favorite film in the series, heck I even own… Read more »
A couple years ago, they had a celebration with a double feature of JP 93 and Dominion. I was finally able to see the original in the theater. It was such an amazing experience, even VR theaters don’t compare.