The wizards at 2D-to-3D conversion house Stereo D, which delivered the 3D version of “Titanic,” have done it again with the much older “Jurassic Park,” now available for further and sometimes enhanced enjoyment on Blu-ray 3D (Universal, $49,98).
“Jurassic Park” was groundbreaking on multiple fronts when it was initially released in theaters 20 years ago in 1993 and later for home video. We all shared the weak-kneed feeling portrayed by Sam Neill’s character when he first saw that massive dinosaur eating leaves from the top of a tree.
“Jurassic” was not only the first major movie to seamlessly blend digital creatures with physical “animatronics” produced by the late Stan Winston, but it was also the first major theatrical release to utilize the 5.1 digital surround sound of the then-new Digital Theater System. It later became the first home video release with DTS on the 1997 laser disc edition.
First produced for the release of the first three “Jurassic” movies on Blu-ray last year, the movie now comes with an improved 7.1 HD version of DTS, as well as the vivid HiDef visual image, all of which is embellished even further with this first 3D version of the movie. Part of that embellishment is due to additional effects elements being added to increase the 3D impact.
Gratefully, the producers have included an 8-minute bonus feature presented in 3D, interviews with director Spielberg, producer Kathleen Kennedy, Stereo D’s William Sherak, and others. Sherak recalls Spielberg saying during the conversion process that it was the first time he had seen the scenes in 3D since he filmed the movie more than two decades ago. Spielberg notes in his interview that some additional shards of shrapnel were added during a dark and rainy explosion scene to enhance the 3D effects.
A second Blu-ray 2D disc is the same one released last year, including an hour of new making-of featurettes blending new interviews with those produced years earlier, all of which are still fascinating, particularly reflections by cast and crew about the hurricane that hit the set in Kauai, Hawai’i during production.
The two-hour-plus movie itself is certainly still compelling, especially with all the new 3D elements exposing far more than we ever noticed before. That begins with the impressive 3D version of the iconic Universal Pictures logo and is visible in nearly every shot of the film. The expertly added dimension adds visual and emotional depth and scope to every frame of the movie but the two stand-out moments come in the scene when the vehicle is dropping limb-by-limb down a tree just above Sam Neill and the earnest young boy, and later near the end in the visitors center when the velociraptor pokes its head from under the plastic tarp — it’s one of the moments that the image appears to push slightly off the screen.
Like his “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” doesn’t have quite the impact or awe that it did initially now that the visual effects are commonplace and we are left with only the story and characters, which feel a little lighter than necessary. Laura Dern’s character and acting suffer the most from the additional focus. Standing out now is her scientist character — the only major woman in the large cast — being saddled with the rather stereotypical female tendency of manipulating her boyfriend to develop an emotional open-mindedness to children.
But that is a quibble compared to the overall pleasure of revisiting this classic with the added value of all the most current technology.
— By Scott Hettrick