FILM REVIEW: Jurassic Park (PG)

Ten years ago, Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster based on the book by Michael Crichton became a box office sensation, using then state-of-the-art special effects to bring dinosaurs back to life.

Jurassic Park and its sequels are being released for the first time on Blu-ray on October 24 and to celebrate, the original film returns to cinemas this weekend.

Eccentric billionaire John Hammond (Sir Richard Attenborough) harnesses DNA from prehistoric amber to re-animate various dinosaur species in a specially constructed reserve on Isla Nublar, located off the coast of Costa Rica. Hammond invites palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and palaeobotanist Dr Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) to tour the island in the company of his grandchildren Tim (Joseph Mazzello) and Lex (Ariana Richards).

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Halfway through the tour, head computer programmer Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) cuts the power so he can escape with priceless dinosaur embryos to sell to Hammond’s rivals.

However, the temporary outage allows the gargantuan beasts including a Tyrannosaurus to run amok.

Game warden Robert Muldoon (Bob Peck) joins forces with head technician Ray Arnold (Samuel L Jackson) to restore calm while Grant, Sattler and the terrified children outrun the hulking predators.

September 23 (UK & Ireland, selected cinemas), 126 mins