Customer Reviews

Jurassic Park: The Collection (Jurassic Park / The Lost World) (Widescreen)

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have been a fan of Jurassic Park since before the movie came out and I had read the novel and was literally blown away by how creative and thrilling it was, and when I heard that Spielberg was at the helm of the movie, I had the feeling it was going to raise the bar of special effects to another level entirely--even if it never did capture the true 'essence' of the novel. High marks go to the absolutely stunning effects which literally resurrected extinct animals and made them look 100% REAL. The movie suffers from minor characterization development--but we all know the REAL stars of the film were the dinosaurs themselves. While Spielberg had creative license with the story and totally altered the ending (as well as many other scenes of the novel) I forgave him because it was such an amazing piece of visual filmmaking.

Then we move to the sequel, 'The Lost World'. I found the the novel to be quite entertaining and it actually kept the 'feel' of the original 'Jurassic Park' while keeping the storyline fresh as well--not an easy task. It was a virtual certainty that they would turn it into a movie, but I was really hoping that they would keep true to the novel--but unfortunately it was altered a hundred TIMES MORE than the original 'Jurassic Park' had been. So much so that it became almost a cartoonish joke of the original movie. In fact several of the scenes in 'The Lost World' came from the original 'Jurassic Park' novel (the opening scene and the T-Rex sticking its head through the waterfall). As I watched the movie I kept telling myself that it'll redeem itself here pretty soon...only to be disappointed in the ludicrous ending in San Diego with the T-Rex running amok through city streets. Sure it had potential, but had they actually kept to the original novel, it would have been so much more entertaining and more intelligent. I MUST admit though that the scene with Julianne Moore falling in the trailer onto the glass and trying to climb up before the glass fractures too much really HAS to be one of the most hair-raising moments ever caught on film.

With all that said, the transfer of these films to the DVD format is exceptional--for the most part. The extra deleted scenes are almost worth the purchase price alone, but its a combination of ALL the extra's that make this particular package a great buy. For those of you with a theater viewing system, you will be the folks who benefit the most, because the sound is absolutely amazing--easily one of the best on DVD that I have heard. So to sum it all up quickly: GREAT effects, so-so plot and virtually NO character development (especially in 'The Lost World') but a guilty pleasure all the same.

To the reviewer who said it's "false advertising" and that the DVDs don't have the movie trailers, here's how to find them: on the main menu, select "bonus features". The list of bonus features that comes up doesn't list the trailers, but if you'll look at the bottom of the list, you'll see a red arrow pointing to the right, indicating that there's another list of more features. Click on the arrow, and you'll find the option to view the trailers for all 3 Jurassic Park movies.

Seven years ago, people were amazed by a movie whose stunning effects set a precedent for all future movies. Now, we have yet another chance to experience the magic of "Jurrasic Park," with its release on DVD. Let me tell you now, the transfer is beautiful. The standard universal intro (the one with the globe) is shown this time with the sounds of a jungle in the background to set the mood. The music from the first appearance of dinosaurs sent chills down my spine. The rest of the movie is the same one we know and love, except this time remastered in a 5.1 audio track. The sound is amazingly dynamic, which puts you even further into the action. The extras feature a unique "making of" featurette hosted by James Earl Jones that looks at other movies that inspired Jurassic Park. Other extras include production notes, storyboards, and the trailers from Jurassic Park, the Lost World, and Jurassic Park III. The Lost World utilizes the same amazing sound, but sufferes from a weak storyline. Nevertheless, the set as a whole is well worth the money, and for those of you who loved this movie in theaters, Jurassic Park is a DVD that must be in your collection.

First off, I bought this for the movies and included extras. It is an average purchase for collectors and fans. It is only partially what the studio ads say it is. This "Limited Collectors Edition Box Set" (LCEBS) sounds good, and that's all. Most of the extras that are pictured on the back of these DVD's do not actually appear on your TV. The laserdisc boxed set of Jurassic Park was THX certified, not this DVD set, and no DTS option either. (DTS editions are sold separate from the LCEBS.) Other reviews of this set mention how poor this set is. I would compare this set to a software product, "Not what we promise, but the mininum we can get away with." If you go to the web site, they have some of these "missing extras". For me, all materials in a LCEBS should be included on the DVDs and NO superfluous web links. In ten years, that web site won't even be running, but the DVD will. I hope this is the last boxed set that Universal does this to. I am unable think of better ways to kill interest in premium Universal DVD sets. This one sets a new low in boxed set standards.

It's been 7 months now since this boxset has been released,and still no DTS version?I said i would hold out until there was one,and i'm still waiting.I don't want to buy 2 seperate discs,i want the whole deal.This is the sound standard that Spielberg helped invent(was first used in Jurassic Park),and it's far superior than DD5.1.The sound channels are seperated more effectively,the dialogue is clearer,the overall audio is much more powerful,and the bass is more subtle.I came to this realization by testing both versions at the same volume,and there was an signifigant difference with both films with regards to the audio.Of course the image quality is immaculate,but that should be a given.So once again MR.Spielberg if you can find some spare time in your busy schedule,i ask you to release a boxset with DTS audio,and i'll fork over my semi-hardearned duckets.Thank You,and God Save The Queen.Oh yeah,if you haven't already figured it out,i think both films are great(i lean more towards Lost World),and they are definite purchases.The Raptor screams are still chilling.

The 2-pack of "Jurasic Park" and the sequel "The Lost World" are packaged together for the first time on DVD in this collectors edition. Both films have a one hour "making of" documentary, (though Jurassic's is better), storyboards and trailers. The "Jurassic" DVD has a video taped story conference with Spielberg and the creature creators and visual effects guys, it's pretty interesting. The only real disappointment is the absence of a commentary. Considering the amount of talent behind the scenes, it's strange that someone like Stan Winston or even someone from ILM wasn't approached to do something.

The films themselves are pure popcorn. "Jurassic Park" benefits from being the first film but it also carries a friendlier vibe than the mega dark "The Lost World". I rate "Jurassic Park" a 4STAR film and "The Lost World" a 2STAR film, so I rated the box set on the average.

"Jurassic Park" has the energy and imagination like your first trip to Disneyland, in fact the film's park of the title even resembles Disneyland. The high spirit and adventure is very entertaining, and there is a now famous T-REX debut which is still extremely effective.

"The Lost World" is not as effective, in fact it's a bit of a disappointment. The problem with "The Lost World" is lack of focus on ANY character who is non-CGI. Jeff Goldblum is a strong actor but his Ian Malcolm this time is haggard and even boring when in the first film he was full of zest and great one-liners. However, "TLW" has an excitining final ten minutes that ALMOST save the film, but it's too little too late.

If you are a fan of both of the films then the 2-pack is a wise purchase, however if you prefer "Jurassic" to "Lost World" I would omit the sequel from your purchase.

What can I say that hasn't been said already. Jurassic Park was the benchmark for computer graphics in movies, and can even hold its own with some of today's blockbusters. This dvd collection is presented perfectly. The sound and video are flawless, the added features are excellent, and the movies themselves are classic, although I don't think the second film is as good as the first. This is definetly a can't miss dvd to add to your collection.

The two films in this DVD set are instant Speilberg classics. The first movie: Jurassic Park is a instant classic, the sequel is a more darker moodier film, which is deemed plotless, and ponderous, I think that the special material: The deleted scenes (especially on The Lost World DVD) flesh out The Lost World's plot and give the story more feel, it gives reasons why InGen goes to Isla Sorna in the first place, it also gives Roland and Ajay (the hunters) an establishment in the film, and not introducing them as just popping up on Site B like the film distributed in the theatres made it seem. This is Speilberg's finest set of films since the Indiana Jones Collection and the box office sales explain it. Although I'm not clear on the reflections on Michael Crichton's novels and why they do not appear to follow them is unclear. This is still an extremely entertaining DVD collection, with nail-biting edge of your seat action, and a wonderful flim score by John Williams' (which is also included in the Limited Edition Collector's Edition in a 2CD set). Though, I personally wish that Universal would've also included deleted scenes on the Jurassic Park DVD not just The Lost World's deleted scenes; this is a must for any Jurassic Park Collector or movie guru, I should also add that Jurassic Park won an Oscar for best sound effects (this sounds best when a connection to a Dolby Digital or DTS receiver is made) and special effects. Highly Recommended.

This is the lousiest DVD package ever assembled. Obviously the production company was looking for some serious bucks to help in promoting the Jurassic 3 sequel because this package has very little to offer. No deleted scenes, no commentary, terrible animation menus (or should I say-what animation!) and just an overall "quick, put all this into a DVD package" setup. I would say, we need to see the goods in Jurassic 3 to really get an idea of a really good DVD package. Don't waste your money on all of this. It's senseless! The Jurassic Park 3 trailer is one of the most cheesy and cheap trailers for a movie I have ever seen, next to the Men In Black 2 trailer on the DVD. I wanna see more than just a bunch of fake dinosaurs noises and trees blowing in the wind to get excited about a film. If you really have to see this DVD package, rent it or borrow it from a sucker who paid for this cheesy product. Don't bother with all of this! Save your money and wait for a the trilogy package next Christmas.

Jurassic Park is definately my favorite film of all time, no question about it! You might wonder why, after all it is true Jurassic Park is no Citizen Kane, or Kramer vs. Kramer. The reason Jurassic Park is my favorite film ever is because of the pure amazement you get from watching it. Everytime you watch it you'll get shivers up your spine because it's so incredible! I do agree with others about Jurassic Park's lack of character developement, but you get to know the characters well enough. I disagree with Jurassic Park not having a good plot, perhapes what people mean is that it doesn't have a very complicated plot in terms of events, but the idea itself "what if we could bring dinosaurs back to life and they got free and terrorized humans." is one of the greatest I've ever heard! I've tried many times to come up with a new fresh idea like that, and it's near impossible.

The Lost World on the other hand is less then great. Jurassic Park's sequal is the one that has no real plot and not the least bit of characterization. The sequal relies on special effects alone. The funny thing is the special effects seem to bring the movie even lower down. I got a sense of amazement everytime a dinosaur came on the screen in Jurassic Park, they were so wonderful and intellegent, living breathing beings. You could throw a rock anywhere in the Lost World and hit a dozen dinosaurs, and they'd be stupid enough not to move out of it's way. They're fast and vicious, but no more than movie monsters, no intellegence, no thinking things through, just a lot of mindless violence.

Overall Jurassic Park definately deserves the "5" Lost World gets a "3" but because of it's DVD value in special effects this collection gets a "5" overall. Personaly I'd just buy Jurassic Park by itself though.