‘Jurassic Park’: Spielberg ‘chews’ up box office records with movie shot on Kaua‘i

I was in eighth grade, and the line at the movie theater in Honolulu was the length of the mall (Kahala). I remember thinking, why is every show sold out for the next two days? As I think about it, the line for “Jurassic Park” was actually ridiculous. I mention this because no movie made had ever been good enough to warrant a line that goes on for half a mile.

Once again, the popcorn and adventure mixed with child-like fantasy from director Steven Spielberg and masterful FX from ILM (George Lucas’ company); managed to change movies.

The movie had a fantastic cast, including Jeff Goldblum (“Independence Day”) and Oscar-winning director (“Ghandhi”) Sir Richard Attenborough in a rare acting appearance.

“Jurassic Park” was being filmed during Hurricane Iniki. Like the other films I’ve covered in this column (“Donovan’s Reef”), it does show Kaua‘i before various changes have been made to the land.

There is some fantastic footage shot during the hurricane of Nawiliwli. Rumor has it that Spielberg and his  camera operators were told to go back into the Marriott as 200 mph winds howled by.

The film is about a theme park gone wrong. The movie does carry some themes about “should man mess with science.” This is a Spielberg classic that is not as good as “Jaws,” but scared audiences out of their seats while also getting their movie-goer dollars. To date, no film had seen such a box office boost and break new ground, too. There had never been another movie with such incredible special effects and such a horrifying depiction of dinosaurs.

Check this movie out. There is a wonderful scene outside Anahola where baby dinosaurs chase the main characters. Once again, movie magic was sprinkled around the Garden Island.

• Paul Booth of Lihu‘e is a Kaua‘i Community College graduate, film producer and consultant. He can be reached at pkb_1@hotmail.com.