Crichton had a nack for researching cutting-edge scientific culture, technology and theory and conveying it in a way that's relatable to the lay reader, to an extent that I've never encountered in any other author or screenwriter. Of course being cutting-edge and theoretical, much of the thinking that went into Jurassic Park has since been rendered obsolete or impossible, but its lasting legacy is that it popularised the dinosaur revolution - the movement that proved them to be active, warm-blooded and sophisticated creatures rather than sluggish evolutionary dead-ends destined for extinction. As such, it's not exaggerating to call it a milestone in our history.
And aside from all the fantastic explanations of theory, which I could latch onto even as a 10-year-old but continue to find riveting and thought-provoking, JP's a hugely suspenseful and evocative thriller, with some brilliant action sequences and deeper themes revolving around the fundamental flaws in scientific culture.
Sure - the characters are mainly just ciphers for the worldview of their profession, and the language is simplistic, but this is missing the point entirely. It's a great book, and I can't stress enough how
important it was.
Funny thing though, through both JP and The Lost World, and the handful of interviews I've seen, I never got the impression that Crichton loved dinosaurs. Seemed like he was trying to understand why other people did, and maybe challenge that outlook.
Quote from: BANE on May 03, 2014, 02:56:16 PM
I never realized the book differed so much from the movie.
Missed opportunities abound.
I wish they'd allowed for an R rating.
They're very different beasts really, personally I enjoy them both in different ways. I imagine that if Fox and James Cameron had won the film rights, we'd have seen something much closer to the novel.
