“Journey To The Island” is one of the greatest pieces of film music ever composed, and that’s only scratching the surface of John Williams’ Jurassic Park; awash with tremendous themes and an orchestral style that’s equal parts thoughtful and breathtakingly wondrous as it is intense and breathlessly chaotic, this icon of cinematic sound rarely ceases in sublime entertainment.
John Williams’ score for Jurassic Park is one that I’ve danced around reviewing here for years now. I’ve tackled a number of non-Williams composed sequels, each excellent in their own right like Michael Giacchino’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom or Alexandre Desplat’s Jurassic World Rebirth, but never the original, despite how much I genuinely love it, until now. There’s just something… a little intimidating about the first one, isn’t there? To this day it’s still heralded as one of the greatest film scores of all time, for very good reason (it’s absolutely iconic main themes and the sheer orchestral majesty they’re delivered on, to name but two) and it’s interesting actually as because of that, how unbelievably weighty a musical presence Jurassic Park still is, any time said themes appear elsewhere (such as in the aforementioned legacy sequel soundtracks for instance) it’s almost like a thematic ‘god’ has descended. It’s not even an exaggeration, it’s truly magical. Like at the end of Desplat’s Rebirth, after the composer’s delightful new motifs fade out at the end and “Sailing Away” starts to play Williams’ Park theme, firstly on piano before building into tremendous orchestra, and it’s just incredible. Even more than thirty years after first hearing it, that theme still manages to take your breath away. The sheer wondrous power that it has, to the point where it’s inspired utter awe in film audiences for decades now, is genuinely fascinating, and it’s been my main drive for now wanting to take the time to truly explore Williams’ original score, which incidentally has also now been expanded and remastered by La-La Land Records!
So let’s not beat around the bush any further, and dive right in. Williams’ score begins with “Opening Titles”, and it’s interesting to note – much like with Raiders Of The Lost Ark – that the iconic themes don’t actually appear straight away. Instead, some rather wary vocals occupy the thirty second opening track, accompanied by similarly ominous echoes of drums and woodwinds. The subsequent “Incident At Isla Nublar” then continues this moody tone, with low-pitched strings and brass simmering alongside clashing chains and the established vocals in the first minute. After a slow build-up, a dramatic burst of tense brass crescendos into frame, with flurries of anxious strings then accompanying this increasingly frantic action all the way to the track’s intense end. The imposing vocals also occupy the minute-long “The Encased Mosquito” as an air of mystery descends with backing strings, though “Entrance Of Mr. Hammond” afterward then starts the elevate the mood somewhat with a lighter, more hopeful focus for said instrumentation. This then leads into “Journey To The Island”, and it’s no exaggeration to say this is not only the Standout Cue of the score – but also one of the best pieces of film music of all time.
Equal parts upbeat and adventurous as it is breathtaking and wondrous, this nearly nine minute cue doesn’t disappoint for a second of its runtime. A sprightly orchestral pace kicks things off, with upbeat strings and brass leading. This delightfully optimistic – and impeccably ’90s – tone continues for about a minute or so before the track’s first truly tremendous moment then arrives at 01:22, and what a moment it is. Instantly memorable and ever smile-inducing, the adventure theme suddenly bursts free on soaring brass, displaying breathtaking and happily lengthy orchestral majesty as Williams parades it triumphantly for a sublime ninety seconds. After this, the sprightly instrumentals of earlier return for a short while with a few subdued variations on the adventure theme darting cheekily inbetween. From the 04:40 mark however the tone of the music then completely shifts as things get quiet and wary strings start to echo, but then at 05:08 – things change again. A serene and utterly, gorgeously wonderful tone takes over, with hopeful strings at the helm. The iconic Jurassic Park theme then steps majestically into frame for the first time, with quiet vocals and brass accompanying and slowly building alongside the strings until a series of genuinely spine-tingling crescendos arrive, and overall.. it’s one of those film music moments that just commands the room, even thirty years later. It turns your head whenever it plays and afterwards, the only reaction possible is simply – wow.
Twinkling wariness in the form of percussion and woodwinds overtakes at the start of “Hatching Baby Raptor”, before some rather ethereal vocals and piano then arrive at the thirty second mark for a moment of quiet tranquility. After a short burst of strings-focused worry in the short “You Bred Raptors”, “The History Lesson” returns to the gentler mood of earlier with flurries of upbeat woodwinds playing the adventure theme alongside twinkling percussion. Some rather jungle-sounding drums then take centre stage for much of “Jurassic Park Gate” with the adventure theme following on optimistic brass, before quieter and more ominous strings start to seep in towards the end. This newly unnerving mood continues into the subsequent “Goat Bait” with the aforementioned strings now at the stylistic helm atop eerie murmurs of low-pitched brass, with the fifty second “The Saboteur” afterward also furthering this wary tone. “Ailing Triceratops” then elevates things somewhat with a rather solemn yet also kind of hopeful new motif playing on strings, before “The Coming Storm” afterward then sinks back into the moodier side of the score as the ominous strings-focused ambience returns. The standout “Dennis Steals The Embryo” is then the culmination of all this atmospheric build-up, with Williams delivering an impeccably ominous five minute setpiece with thudding percussion, echoing electronics, shrill woodwinds, dramatic brass and hair-raising strings all swirling intensely.
Low-pitched brass simmers quietly through the first half of the eighty second “Race To The Dock” before starting to get louder and more imposing in the back half, hinting towards action which then suddenly explodes to the forefront in “The Falling Car & The T-Rex Chase”. Dramatic rumbles of brass open this five minute setpiece, with frantic surges of strings and pounding drums quickly following. After a minute or so however the music then slows, with worrisome strings swirling and building to a series of tense crescendos until the action suddenly returns at just past the three minute mark. Here a new motif also debuts, an ever-repeating four note piece to represent the danger of the dinosaurs, and it surges with increasingly malevolent intensity until the track finally fades to an anxious end. The much gentler “A Tree For My Bed” then provides a quiet respite to the orchestral chaos, with twinkling percussion and strings echoing the opening notes of the Park theme for two minutes of sublime serenity. The subsequent “Remembering Petticoat Lane” then continues in a similar tonal vein (though now tinged with moody regret) with the same gentle percussion and strings retained, before “My Friend, The Brachiosaurus” afterward returns to the purer wonder of earlier with upbeat, almost playful strings and woodwinds. Ethereal vocals are then the focus of the short “Life Finds A Way”, hinting back to “Hatching Baby Raptor” from earlier before the sub-minute “System Ready” starts to eerily hint towards events to come.
As the climax of the score approaches, “To The Maintenance Shed” strides with determined strings and low-pitched brassy hints toward the adventure theme at first, before orchestral pokes at the four-note dinosaur motif then begin to take malevolent shape. After a brief surge of frantic action, “High Wire Stunts” continues where the prior cue leaves off with a mixture of strings-focused wariness – akin to the first half of “The Falling Car” earlier – aggressive brassy swipes from the dinosaur motif, and building percussive tension. “Hungry Raptor” afterward then continues building the action, with flurries of frenetic brass and swirling strings running desperately from the ever-imposing dinosaur motif in pursuit. Said theme then simmers angrily in the opening seconds of “The Raptor Attack” on low-pitched brass, with nerve-wracking strings and vocals then overtaking in the back half for two minutes of what can only be described as pure orchestral terror. The eight minute “T-Rex Rescue & Finale” then concludes the action, opening with further and increasingly ominous reprisals of the dinosaur motif playing alongside marching drums before a delightfully victorious rendition of the adventure theme suddenly surges heroically into frame. The triumph is short lived however, as frantic action quickly rushes back into centre stage for the remainder of the cue. After an intense crescendo is reached, the standout “Welcome To Jurassic Park” then provides a wonderful finish with lengthy end credits reprisals of the Park and adventure themes on luscious orchestra, all-in pretty perfectly closing the album.
Overall, few film scores can compare to the sheer beauty of John Williams’ Jurassic Park. Timeless is also a word I’d use to describe it, as even almost thirty years after it first released, the Jurassic Park theme lives on as one of the most iconic pieces of film music of all time. But let’s tackle that first word to start; beautiful is certainly apt, as Williams’ orchestrations here are genuinely stunning. The gorgeously-crafted stylistic tapestry of brass, woodwinds and strings is at its strongest when evoking dramatic wonder and breathtaking adventure, with the standout “Journey To The Island” being the best of the bunch in establishing the phenomenal Park and adventure themes through nine minutes of staggeringly sublime orchestra. On the tonal flip-side, this instrumental style also stands out through frenetic action moments like “The Falling Car & The T-Rex Chase” and “T-Rex Rescue & Finale”, as well as densely atmospheric pieces like “Dennis Steals The Embryo”, all showcasing just how versatile Wlliams’ orchestral mastery is here. This brings me to the second of the two words, timeless, as the summation of the composer’s work here is themes and style that have lasted decades already, and are still being used in franchise films today (see Alexandre Desplat’s Jurassic World Rebirth).
While I wouldn’t say the album is entirely perfect (there are a fair few ‘inbetween’ cues that don’t really add much bar ambience), that doesn’t stop Jurassic Park from stomping its way firmly up the list of the most well-known film music around, and settling pretty close to the top!
Score: 9/10
Standout Cues: Journey To The Island, Dennis Steals The Embryo, Welcome To Jurassic Park
Buy the 2-CD expansion for John Williams’ Jurassic Park here, by La-La Land Records.
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