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In the light of so many negative customer reviews of this set, I decided, before writing this review to do a direct comparison between the DVD version of Jurassic Park vs. the Blu-ray. I made it a point to set my BD player audio compression to wide range and set the volume levels for each version to be approximately at the same level for the spoken dialog to give each version a fair comparison.
I chose four sections to compare:
1. The scene at Sam Neill's dig beginning with the brushing away of sand from a fossil.
2. The helicopter ride into Jurassic Park.
3. The first encounter with the brachiosaurus beginning when the jeeps come to a stop and Sam Neill and Laura Dern first see the creature.
4. The night storm scene with the T-Rex encounter.
All of the above begin at a chapter change of both disc versions, making them quick to locate.
The video: In no instance can the DVD version compare with the Blu-ray.
In scene 1, the sand particles are fully defined in the Blu-ray and are a blur with the DVD. When Sam Neill rises into the frame the landscape is richly defined in the Blu-ray until the camera refocuses onto Neill's face. Later we see the sheen of sweat on Neill's face with the Blu-ray which is not noticeable at all with the DVD. The improvement in facial definition of the people standing behind Neill when he is lecturing them.
In scene 2, the improvement in the definition of the sea water below the helicopter, the facial definition of the passengers, the clear definition of the weave in Sam Neill's hat. Later the foliage clarity as the helicopter (a miniature, I believe) flies through the canyon.
In scene 3, the improved definition of the tree foliage which is a blur with the DVD and outstandingly defined in the Blu-ray. The definition of the details of the creatures they are observing.
In scene 4, the improved details in the night scene, objects really look wet from the rain. The amazing definition of the wet scales of the T-Rex.
The audio: When I first heard the audio of the DVD, I knew that it was shamefully compressed compared with the LD (Laser Disc) issue that I still have. Also missing were the fundamentals in bass sounds which also have been fully restored with the DTS sound track of the Blu-ray.
In scene 1. When the seismic charge in detonated, you can feel it in the floor with the BD. Not there at all with the DVD.
In scene 3. When the brachiosaur rises on its hind legs and howls, it is really loud with the BD, terribly compressed with the DVD.
When it falls back down onto its forelegs, you feel it in your chest. No such thing with the DVD.
In scene 4. The sound of the thunder, the bass elements of the T-Rex growls, the thumps of its footsteps are all very powerful with the BD and missing in the DVD. When the T-Rex howls at the children and they clap their hands over their ears you hear why they are doing it with the Blu-ray.
The DVD doesn't capture this at all.
The above noted audio differences will not be noticeable at all when using standard TV speakers. A decent home audio system is required with the Blu-ray player set to wide range audio (least compression). I recommend monitoring your volume setting carefully at first to safe-guard your speakers.
I can say without reservation that all three of the films in this collection benefit immeasurably with the Blu-ray format in picture and sound.
The films themselves:
Jurassic Park: Of course the film most people will remember because it made the greatest initial impression. It deserves to be remembered because nothing quite like it had been previously accomplished from a technical standpoint. It's an enormously entertaining and absorbing picture with a fine cast and somehow manages to convince you of the possibilities implied, at least for a while.
The Lost World -Jurassic Park: The most disappointing of the three, especially considering that it was directed by Spielberg. It more resembles a "monster movie" in the class of "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" or some such -one highly improbable crisis after another. There are a few CG errors noticeable even in the DVD version. In the stegosaurus scene, the creature's front foot suddenly unrealistically moves horizontally in the pond water without being lifted, which should have been corrected.
Jurassic Park III: An interesting title considering that there is no film titled Jurassic Park II. Still, a greatly entertaining film in the style of a grand adventure. The search for the missing young boy makes the story more compelling. This film also benefits from a fine cast which the second film generally lacks.
I would have preferred the packaging to be similar to the book form used for the "Star Wars" saga in the interest of saving shelf space but I certainly find the collection to be very entertaining and technically very impressive.
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Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster is still the best of the Jurassic trilogy, and the film retains all the amazement and anticipation it had when it was first released.Taken from Michael Crichton's thrilling novel, Jurassic Park is one Spielberg's most expertly-crafted films. The special effects are from FX maestro Stan Winston, who did the special effects for Aliens (1986) and Terminator 2 (1991). The seamless combination of CGI and robotic creatures creates some truly terrifying action setpieces.
Despite what some critics thought when the film was released, I feel that all the principal actors give good performances, especially Sam Neill as Alan Grant and Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm. But admittedly, the dinosaur creations are the main attraction, and Winston's monsters (which won him another Oscar after Terminator 2) are truly frightning. Great entertainment.
The Lost World is an exciting adventure starring Jeff Goldblum, Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore and Pete Postlethwaite. The film picks up four years after the incident at Jurassic Park, where a corporate businessman Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard) plans to take dinosaurs off the second island (Isla Sorna, where dinosaurs have been breeding) and bring them to a theme park in San Diego.
Spielberg knows what the audience wants; the film has more dinosaurs, even better CGI and impressive animatronic dinosaurs from the maestro Stan Winston. The action throughout the film is exciting and while not as astonishing as Jurassic, the effects are first-rate. Although the action is good, the story isn't one of Spielberg's best. That said, the principal cast are fine, especially Goldblum as Malcolm ("Ooh, aah, that's how it always starts, and then later the running and screaming") and Postewaite as Roland Tembo, a game hunter intent on shooting one of the Tyrannosaurs. Silly in parts, it's still an exciting adventure movie, with enough action and light humour to satisfy audiences.
Joe Johnston, taking over the reigns from Spielberg, has created an adventure that starts off quickly and hardly ever lets up. Sam Neill, returning to the role which made him famous in the original, is a stronger presence than in the first Jurassic, and the supporting cast of William H. Macy and Tea Leoni manage not to get lost amidst the barrage of CGI dinosaurs. The special effects are, of course the main stars, with Stan Winston's excellent dinosaurs surpass the ones for the original. And the plot (a bunch of people get stuck on an island with dangerous dinosaurs) provides plenty of great scares (a scene with nasty pterodactyls is the high-point) and fast-paced action to satisfy audiences. Great fun.
The trilogy DVD extras are firstrate, with superb picture and sound for all the discs. The special features are exceptional, with a 50 minute 'making of' of the film. Most interesting, however, is the footage of early pre-production meetings with Spielberg and the FX team discussing how certain shots and effects should be done. Also there are storyboards, production photos and web links.
The extras for The Lost Wolrd are fantastic, with a comprehensive 'making of', deleted scenes, trailers and ton of production info. The highlight on the JP3 Disc is the Commantary from the special effects team of Stan Winston, Michael Lantieri and some of the crew. Also, you get a series of 'making of's and trailers. Best of all is Disc 4 "Beyond Jurassic Park" featuring over two hours of never-before-available bonus material from all three films. Excellent entertainment that is a must-have for Jurassic fans.
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Yeah, I know the title of this review is corny, but you have to admit that this is a pretty nice boxed set. It contains all three films from the "Jurassic Park" film series. The first film stands alone as one of the most impressive and progressive films of its time. It featured the best special effects of its time and each film builds on these effects. Let's break each film down:"Jurassic Park" Five stars
Perhaps the greatest dinosaur film ever made, "Jurassic Park" features brilliant special effects, wonderful acting and a great plotline filled with suspense and horror. With Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough heading up a small cast of characters including Samuel L. Jackson, this film is sure to be a winner in anyone's collection. Briefly, this is the tale of a man who hopes to cash in on genetically bred dinosaurs by creating a sort of theme park that allows the average man to get an up-close-and-personal look at T-Rex, stegosaurus, and those wicked velociraptors. Of course, when a small group arrives to approve the park, things go awry. Highly recommended flick worthy of multiple views.
"The Lost World" Three Stars
The weakest flick in the series. Jeff Goldblum reprises his role from the original flick as he goes to a second island where the dinos from the original film were allowed to grow before being shipped to the park. He's there to help a small group study the dinosaurs in an environment untouched by man. Then a gang of hunters come along in a last ditch effort to save the pocketbooks of the JP stockholders and bring a T-Rex back to San Diego, CA to cash in. Unfortunately, this film was weighed down by eco-terrorism and way too many characters. Though the cast was very good, there just wasn't enough to work with here. Not worthy of many viewings, but it's nice to have in the set.
"Jurassic Park III" Four stars
The best sequel and it saves the saga from the forgettable "Lost World." This film brings back Sam Neill's character who gets conned into going back to the islands and ends up having to save the son of a wealthy and on-the-outs couple(played wittingly by William H. Macy and Tea Leoni). It has a brief but wonderful cameo by Laura Dern and takes a potshot at the purple dino, Barney. This film is the most wide open of the bunch as it ditches the suspense of the original and the morality tale of "Lost World" and goes straight for the action. It's a wonderful popcorn flick that works well for what it is. Definitely worthy of multiple viewings and definitely worth owning.
As a whole, this set is really wonderful to own. You get all three films for less than the price of two of them if you purchased each separately. The packaging is pretty cool since it resembles the opening gates that are so famous from the first film. There are plenty of extras for folks into that kind of stuff and two out of three of these films is worth watching more than once. The original flick is timeless, "JPIII" is a rollercoaster ride, and "The Lost World" is nice to have if you're a completionist. Get this set today if you can't get enough of the dino-action and dino-horror that is the "Jurassic Park Adventure Pack."
Honest reviews on Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy Gift Set (Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
I bought this new release with some concern regarging the negative reviews (by some) of the blu-ray transfer quality. I viewed this on a new panasonic LCD TV and a new panasonic disc player. The quality of the image was not a problem. I'm a very critical viewer who has sensitive eyes and has to turn off the back light function for all viewing during day and evening. This lack of back light can be compensated for by turning up the brightness. That being said, I was impressed with my viewing of disc 1 "Jurassic Park." The image was sharp and clear. I've noticed that scenes in dark, low contrast conditions tend to be less so with Blu-ray, in general. Using the back light function will compensate for this, but I choose not do so to avoid the eyestrain that will result. Jurasic park was better than the other movies I've seen in this regard. In fact it was almost not noticable in comparison to other Blu-ray films I have seen. Overall I was very impressed with the quality of the viewing image. I suspect that those who had problems with the quality may have had a disc player that needed some updating.My only complaint with the film is after a few minutes on pause, the image is lost to a Universal screen logo, and you can't get back into the film by pressing "play." This is a result of the "timeline" bookmark feature that comes up whenever you press the pause button. Just press the green button on the remote and the feature will resume where you left off (whether you originally chose to bookmark the pause or not). If you don't do this you will find yourself in the main menu starting the film from the beginning if you press other buttons trying to get back into the film.
Overall, the image is quite good and anyone who is a fan of this film will enjoy it immensly in this format and will probably not even notice or care about what some of the negative reviewers have chosen to focus (no pun intended) on.
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This is more a review of the box set. My room-mate has the 2disc box set (before JIII came out) and I have the DTS edition of Jurassic Park. The difference between the DTS 5.1 on mine and the Dolby Digital on his is astounding. Remember that Steven Spielberg pioneered DTS (Digital Theatre Sound) and this was the first movie to have it. Do yourself a favour if you have a home theatre system and make sure you buy these movies separately with the DTS track on them. It's unbelievable. And with Spielberg signing on to direct Jurassic Park IV and Michael Crichton possibly writing it I would suggest staying away from box sets for the most part unless, like Godfather, you can be sure another sequel is impossible.EDIT FEB 2011 of course with the trilogy now available on Blu-ray there's really no reason to try and track down this item anymore.
Blu-ray listing Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy (Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
