I had to do a search on the blog to see if I had ever blogged about this, because I find it hard to believe that, in all these years, I haven’t blogged about my immense love of the Jurassic Park franchise. However, to my surprise, (and delight, so I could write this post), I have not.
Now, I need to clarify, I don’t love dinosaurs. I mean, I don’t hate dinosaurs, but I’m no Ross Geller. (If you don’t get that reference, this might not be the blog for you)
My family doesn’t love dinosaurs either. The monkeys never really had dinosaur action figures or posters or the like. In fact, long-time readers might remember this little failed adventure into the age of the dinosaurs.
What I DO love, though, is Jurassic Park. And Jurassic Park 2. And Jurassic Park 3. And Jurassic World. And Jurassic World 2. And Jurassic World 3, which is coming out soon, but I know I will love. Oh, and the Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous animated series on Netflix. You got kids who like Jurassic Park or World or Dinosaurs? Watch it with them. It’s one of the best animated series I’ve seen.
Before you ask, yes, I read the books. Michael Crichton is one of my favorite authors. Timeline, Prey and Sphere are some of my favorite novels.
I read the novel, Jurassic Park, on the back porch of the house in which I grew up. It’s one of a very few books that I remember every detail about the experience of reading. Back porch, the summer of 1991. It was about 7 months after it had been released and while it had been on my radar, who had time to read in college? I read that book for two days straight. I didn’t hang out with my friends. I barely came in to eat.
I was captivated by the idea of bringing dinosaurs to life. The idea of something being “out of it’s time” is a concept that I’ve always been intrigued by. I’m a huge Dr. Who fan and anything related to time travel, I will watch or read. Jurassic Park is a bit different, though, because no one and nothing is traveling through time, we are just bringing something that no longer exists into our time and, man, does that get my mind racing.
I saw the first Jurassic Park movie the summer it was released. My parents took my college boyfriend and I, (he was visiting from Indiana for a week or two), to see it in the theater. That first moment where they see the dinosaurs in the field made me tear up. I can remember how the theater rumbled with the distant footsteps of the t-rex and how it felt to have that sensation paired with seeing the water in the cup ripple. That distinct sound of the t-rex roar, the first time I heard it…oh man. It remains one of my favorite sounds in cinematic history.
A few years ago, we went to Universal. If you are new to the blog, you can read about that trip here. There was nothing in that park that I didn’t love, but when we walked into Jurassic Park…I can’t even begin to describe how I felt.
I know, I know…it’s a book, it’s a movie…it’s not real life. Calm yourself down, Amy. But that’s why I read books, and that’s why I watch movies. Because I love to get wrapped up in the stories. I love to imagine the “what if” behind it all. And this one is a doozy!
Friends, what if you looked out of your window one day and saw a brontosaurus eating leaves off the trees in your backyard? Or if you were on a walk with your dog and felt the ground shake in advance of a t-rex cutting off your path? We have scientists who have cloned sheep and artificial hearts keeping people alive. Why not this, too?
It’s okay if you aren’t a fan. I’m fan enough for all of us.
This new movie? It’s bringing the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World families together. Dr Grant, Dr Sattler, Dr Dearing, and Grady all together in one movie? AND DR IAN MALCOLM? Come on. How can I resist?
So, why am I sharing this? No reason, really. It’s just been rolling around in my head since I saw the preview for the new movie. And I think we all have some things that we are just super fans of. I have a friend who travels around to watch Dave Matthews in concert whenever she can. Another friend has about 10 copies of each book in the Harry Potter series in all of the different book jackets, in multiple languages. There are David Puddy-like face-painters for their sports teams, and people who cosplay their favorite anime characters, and people who tattoo their entire arm in Marvel characters.
Me? I just wanna hear that t-rex roar.
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