JURASSIC PARK

JURASSIC PARK, the much-touted-science fiction thriller about genetically cloned dinosaurs directed by Steven Spielberg and avidly promoted as a family film, turns out to be an excessively violent and frightening film that is bound to scare young children. When Jurassic Park designer John Hammond invites two scientists, his two young grandchildren and a visiting mathematician to take a park tour to certify the safety of his new dinosaur theme park, a violent storm and a greedy computer operator shut down the computers and the electric power and place the people at the mercies of the dinosaurs run amok, who go on a rampage stalking and eating the humans. A resolution is achieved at film’s end, but not without numerous terrifying scenes in the interim.

Although it is definitely not for children under thirteen, the film will enjoy a bonanza this summer between T-shirts, memorabilia and McDonald’s JURASSIC PARK meals. Spielberg’s directing must be commended for the film’s realistic dinosaurs and for the technical wizardry that undoubtedly outdoes anything seen on the screen to date, though the plot and human characters leave much to be desired. However, perhaps like John Hammond, Steven Spielberg has gotten too caught up in the marketing of this creation and forgotten his responsibility to those who see it. It is instructive that Spielberg said that he would not take his children to see JURASSIC PARK.