Jurassic Park

1993 saw Spielberg present two very different films, one a light-hearted spectacle the likes of which had previously been unseen, the other a work of mature and unflinching examination of one of humanity’s darkest episodes (Schindler’s List).

The former of these, Jurassic Park, is set on an isolated island converted into a theme park and safari adventure centred around dinosaurs, brought very much back to life by cutting edge DNA research. When the park owner (Richard Attenborough) invites experts including Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum to assess the park in advance of its opening, things almost inevitably begin to go wrong, placing all of their lives in a danger never before faced by humans. With its mixture of ground-breaking digital technology and large-scale animatronics, the film offered such unique thrills as to make it at that time the highest-grossing film ever released.