Jurassic Park (1993)

Country: USA
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriters: Michael Crichton, David Koepp
Stars: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough, Jeff Goldblum, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Bob Peck

For kids who grew up loving dinosaurs, Jurassic Park tickled fancies like none other. Adapted from a Michael Crichton novel, Steven Spielberg's dinos-are-back adventure benefited greatly from the late visual effects giant Stan Winston's awe-inspiring dinosaur animation, life-sized creations that looked scary as hell and moved with convincing agility.

As in Crichton's book, the prehistoric beasties are given a second life through experimentation with fossilized dino-DNA; designed as an expensive, private island attraction, Jurassic Park quickly becomes the stomping grounds for angry Velociraptors, a hungry T-Rex, and acid-spitting creatures.

The magic of Jurassic Park, like the best of Spielberg's films, lies in its ability to make the fantastical tangible; from the first time we see a brontosaurus munching on leaves, to the vicious Tyrannosaurus Rex's frightening introduction, the dinosaurs more than earn eye-rubbing disbelief. —MB