What is is about the latest dinosaur sequels that makes them less intimidating than the 1993 original Jurassic Park - 3D?
Where both the early and late sequels have failed, the original succeeded in many ways; animatronics and CGI is perfectly blended and spot on pacing along with a a fantastic score, to name a few.
Most people who see the new films — specifically Jurassic Park 4 - Jurassic World and Jurassic Park Fallen Kingdom — simply do not get the impression that the dinosaurs are huge, without knowing why that is. Some point to the excessive use of CGI where, despite having a 20 year leap in technology, it simply is not good enough for these types of adventures yet.
The Scale and Framing of Jurassic Park - 3D
This video essay video points out that the aspect ratio of the film, along with the framing of both the people, helicopters and the dinosaurs, helps tremendously in achieving a greater sense of scale than any of the newer films.
Watch the essay
The essay is available on YouTube, and is embedded below:
As it turns out, Jurassic Park - 3D is a complete masterclass in framing, straight from legendary director Steven Spielberg and his fellow director of photography for this film, Dean Cundey.
Thank you
A special thank you to Films&Stuff for making this video!