Mr. Hammond welcomes us to the Jurassic Park!

To put it quite simply, to my mind, this is the greatest movie ever made. None of the concepts here were new. Everything this movie showcases, from the character backgrounds, the moral issues, the action and the suspense had all been done to death from the earliest rendition of The Lost World in 1925 to the first iteration of King Kong in 1933. But everything about this movie was NEW! it is, to me, the pinnacle of movie making, and nothing before or since has come even a mile close to what this did for movies and for movie audiences. It took the concept of movies to a whole new level.

The book was fantastic for its visualization of a world in which Dinosaurs roam free. It gave us the framework for a new kind of terror. A species so alien to us that it could have existed on another planet, but for the fact that fossils tell us otherwise. It showcased the visceral terror of these majestic beings. But apart from this, much of the ethical dilemmas were merely background filler for the real deal - the action. Characters were pretty much one dimensional and what you would expect. Greedy business tycoons, nerdy kids, skeptical scientists and evil saboteurs; the lot straight out a pulp fiction suspense novel. But it was the seed for something so much better than itself. Like a plant germinating to life from a pod, Steven Spielberg took that basic idea and had Mr. Hammond to Welcome us to Jurassic Park.

When you talk about the greatest movie ever made, you also have to think about the greatest director to have ever lived. For movies of this genre, that list is indeed illustrious. You have James Cameroon with Terminator and Avatar. You have George Lucas with Star Wars. You have Stanley Kubrick with 2001, a Space Odyssey. And you have Stephen Spielberg. See, the thing with James Cameroon is that he is all high concept, but quite condescending in the delivery of the message. George Lucas is about stunning set pieces that drive a story forward. And Stanley Kubrick is the king of style and little substance. Spielberg, in this movie atleast got the mix bang on target.

For an excellent and revealing discussion about the movie, please watch Confused Matthews video reviews. I am just going to focus on two scenes from the movie and the musical score. I think these taken together sum up the movie for me.

When John Hammond, the owner of the them park takes the Scientists out for the first time to see the dinosaurs, the sheer majesty of these beasts is staggering. To think that these giants once roamed the very earth we stand on today is beyond imagination, beggars belief. No matter how many fossils and computer renditions we may have seen, nothing could ever prepare us for the shock of seeing one in the flesh. How can someone hope to bring that awe to us, let alone on a screen? How can  someone transport us to such a magical place as this, the land of the last titans the world ever had walk on her? Well, it is a combination of brilliant animatronics, camerawork, acting or rather reacting by the cast and probably the best rerecording in the history of films. But mere words can do no justice to this, and for the first time ever in these blogs, I am going to stop writing and just ask you to see for yourselves:

In this scene, you see from Richard Attenborough's delight at his guests' reactions that he is not the TV trope evil tycoon. He is truly joyous of his creation, his baby, and wants it to be his gift to the world. You also see the lawyer ready to merchandise the crap out of this. You see the skepticism in Jeff Goldblum's eyes. And you see the culmination of their lives' work and the fear that comes when you confront giants from a dead past in the eyes of Sam Neill and Laura Dern. And you see the the leviathans themselves in their milieu, going about their day, naturally, uncaring of us puny little insect - like beings. This scene conveys so much of what this movie is about. Yes, there are special effects, but they are a backdrop for the fact that nature is so much more superior than man's machinations. No matter what you do otherwise, life doesn't care and it will continue to do what it must to go on, no matter who's watching or what they're manipulating. It is also a very nice teaser, the docility of these creatures now, for what is to come.

"Genetic power is the most awesome force the planet's ever seen, but you wield it like a kid that's found his dad's gun." This scene serves three purposes. One to get the exposition of the far reaching issue of the morality of creating a world that is not supposed to be. To be playing God. Without being condescending or pedantic, it lays bare the issues the movie is trying to address. Two, it gives us a glimpse of the motivations of the central characters. Man seldom manipulates science with disaster as the end goal. But lazy science - by which I mean, science removed from fully understanding its consequences - has, well, consequences not fully fathomable. And these consequences are invariably bad even with the best intentions. Hiroshima and Nagasaki showed us that. What stock do Stem cell and DNA manipulation research have in store for us? And three, it sets up all the carnage to come in an ethical framework. These are the hallmarks of a great sci - fi action movie. The movie begs us to think about what we are seeing. Again, mere words may elucidate the scene, but the mood of people discussing Darwinian concepts in a relaxed setting that diffuses the ferocity of nature's raw savage should be seen. That this kind of a scene even features in a movie like this is an indication that this is much, much more than just a sci - fi thriller. Watch:

A great science fiction tale is one in which moral questions are asked to which we as a society have no clear cut answer. The tale puts these in a context of a situation far removed from personal experiences so that we may objectively try to approach them without being invested in them on an emotional level. And through the answers we find, we might hope to learn something, and maybe apply them to our own lives. And the role of action and special effects are to show us the consequences of choices made in this fantastical setting. They are not the be all and end all of the tale. That is what this movie does so well. Action set pieces and stunning visual effects that changed the face of CGI and VFX forever are found aplenty here, but they are all part of the grander scheme. That's what I meant about the director balancing his tray.

And finally, the music. As far as I'm concerned, the background score of this movie is everything it needed to be. It captures the thrill of seeing impossible beings walking amongst us. It adds to their majesty. It is suspenseful and awe inspiring, but in a soaring, uplifting way. It tells us that no matter what, life will find a way. Be it the dinosaurs, or the humans who erred in making them in the first place. Life will always find a way. And to add to all this, its haunting tune always brings a tear to my eyes. It is quite simply,  to my mind, the best soundtrack ever composed for a movie. But don't take my word for it. Listen:

Even after 20 years, with all the budgets and technologies at out disposal, no one has seemed to have understood the role of visual effects. No one has seemed to be able to balance a truly great sci - fi tale with adventure. No one has seemed to be able to show us the real adventure, that of life itself in a more majestic way than this movie has. To take a dead civilization alien to us in every way and make it come alive again... oh God, what a treat. You may have not seen this in a long time. If so, you must watch it again. Because when you do, you, along with Dr. Grant, and dear Dr. Suttler, will be "Welcome to the Jurassic Park."

Slumdog Millionaire - My wonderful India

Just finished watching Slumdog Millionaire. I know that its an English movie, and what's more, set in Mumbai. But still, I thought I might say something about it, because it resonated with me. It is one of those rare things that happen in life. You suddenly find that a third person has made an observation about you that revelas something about you, and that helps raise your own self beyond what you are presently. Like what this guy Danny Boyle did in this movie - made a statement about my country, a good one, atleast personally to me.

By the way, there are no spoilers here, so watch the movie, and then read my blog.

What a movie!!!!! Everything about the movie showcases the level of sophistication that Indian Cinema has to reach. That a beautiful story like this was told about Indians by a Britisher is most ironical. Why? Because the one tenet of India that the movie showcases more than anything else is the resourcefulness of a nation in conflict with itself, and the root cause for that conflict was the British occupation.

When the British came and wiped out our industrial might (India had a share of 34% in industrial exports in the world pie in the eighteenth century) of a proud nation, and made the disparities hit hard home - on the stomach, they left behind the morass of babudom and corruption, that led to millions of slums and rampant crime in every major city. They left behind a communally divided India, in which followers of one faith pit themslves against those of another faith just to wash the bile in their bellies, if not for anything else. But this movie is about how even the lowliest Indian, and not just the IT techie fights in life to make something of himself.

The tragic life history of Salim (yes, the brother blackguard), and the cute love story were just trinkets on the visage of the fight for life. Nowhere more in the movie is this more visceral than in the scene when the young boy Jamal jumps into the open defacation pit in order to run upto and get an autograph from Amitabh Bachan. In my opinion, that was the moment when the movie for me, transcended the screen and became a monument to the Indian power of will. The power of will, that is and always will be our great nations's mightiest attrribute. It is probably also our Achilles heal, because when anything goes to an end, that only produces more Jamals and Salims.

So, that one scene was the most well conceived one, because it makes a huge social statement about our psyche. We will survive, no matter what the odds, and we will also do anything it takes, no matter what. So, there is a society that is divided by a thin line between what is right, and what must be done - a society where Jamal fight against all odds to make a life for himself; a society where Salim will do whatever he must to make a life for himself. The difference becomes blurred, and good and evil are both in a race for survival. Caste, religion, language and all else is secondary. And finally, the backdrop of the KBC program was just brilliant. Because it underlines the film's fundamental argument. In an impoverished nation like ours (and yes, we are sadly, still impoverished), that thin line becomes a note, and the struggle for the note is the struggle for life.

There were two other scenes, both part of a minor story arc, that were meaningful to me. The first one is when an American tourist couple feels compassion for Jamal when he is unjustly beaten by a policeman, and gives him a hundred dollar bill. The second is when Jamal sees a blind beggar in a subway, and gives that boy the same bill. In a land blessed with plenty, and where its leaders strive for a compassionate society, that compassion is easy to trickle down and easy to express. But, even in a land ravaged by selfishness, there are pockets where the same compassion is evident. This to me, was a significant statement about the values of our people.

Thalaivar Rahman's background score was totally unbelievable. If it were left to me, for the sheer powerfulness of the BGM's, I would give him an Oscar today. But to talk about his music would need a separate essay for itself.

Slumdog Millionaire shows up India for what it looks like - a sham, a lie and a facade. The reality is the urban agglomeration, the slums, the beggars, the exploitation of the meek, the millions of focusless and jobless youth that are driven to crime for a roti in their stomachs, the evils that happen behind the veils of social mores, the open disparity between the rich and the poor. But it also shows our country for what it really is - a nation of hope, of resourcefulness, of infinite patience, a land where life will find a way. That is why Slumdog Millionaire tells us that for all its perceived faults and contradictions, India will be the powerhouse of the future - from the bottom up.

Watch this movie, please. And for many Tamil and Hindi directors out there - racy musicals can sentimental dramas can also be made this way.