Jurassic Park (1993)

I found it interesting that Spielberg called Jurassic Park "a sequel to Jaws on land" as Spielberg did seam to be throwing in references to many of his most successful movies - the raptors of course similar to the shark of Jaws, but Alan Grant appears to be an aging Indiana Jones (again more interested in the past than those around him) and the scene in which Alan Grant and Tim flee from a jeep (which looks like it is driving down a tree to attack them) brings to mind the Truck in Duel. The movie is one of my favorite Spielberg films for its sheer pleasure of watching dinosaurs brought to life so spectacularly (though later versions would have better affects, they lacked the superior writing and acting of the original) and eyeing humans as their new favorite meal. Spielberg's playfulness while commentating on merchandising and Disneyland (w/ a Disneyland-like theme park where the pirates of the Caribbean breaking down can result in the visitors being eaten)

It is interesting to note that the character of Alan Grant did not have the initial discomfort around children that Spielberg added to the film. Again, Spielberg shows us a male father figure that lacks basic father skills. The character of Ian Malcolm is an absentee father that spends most of his time hitting on the mother figure of Ellie Sattler. However, over the course of the film Alan loses his uncaring attitude (his first encounter with a child borders on contempt) towards children to a protective and caring father figure.