Nato – Jurassic Park
Ok, I wasn’t actually petrified as I watched Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur masterpiece for the first time, but I considered one character class to be downright frightening: velociraptors. Seriously, was there ever a more perfect on-screen killer creature? Fast, vicious, intimidating, feral, intelligent, agile…you turn back and see this “cleva’ girl” running at you a mile away and you should already be sending up a final prayer. You should also wonder how you traveled back in time, but that’s besides the point.
I absolutely love Jurassic Park and would easily include it on my Top 10 Favorite Films list, and even attribute it to starting my love of film, dating back to that fateful night when my mom wasn’t home and my dad let me join him for a pre-bed viewing. But damn, the velociraptor design Stan Winston imagineered set the bar for mean-spirited dino-assassins.
Now, I could watch Jurassic Park and not be scared during viewings as a child, and don’t regret a thing mind you, but my fears again became prevalent as nightmares. Some of my most terrifying childhood dream sequences involved me being hunted by a pack of velociraptors hell-bent on turning me into dinner, and none of that would be possible without practical effects work that still puts current movies to shame. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get away. Running? Fail. Hiding? Double fail. Fighting? Umm, hello. Doors? Oh yeah, they can open those too. Anyway you cut it, these perfect killing-machines will maul you in cold blood for nothing but survival. Yup, they definitely deserve a shout out on my list.
