Sam Neill

Jurassic Park (1993) - 5/5

What is there to say about Jurassic Park? It’s a timeless classic. Almost all of the special effects are practical and flawless, and the few CGI shots hold up surprisingly well. The tone impeccably rides the line between pop horror and family adventure with aplomb. The plot, dialog, delivery, and cinematography are each so masterfully crafted that almost every scene is culturally iconic.

Closest comparison: It’s like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by way of The Lost World (1960).

Setting: Exploration
Plot: Horror
Tone: Adventure

In the Mouth of Madness (1994) - 2/5

This movie is a disturbing entry in the horror genre, along the lines of Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft. Many of the scares are well executed, but the overall camp of mediocre production values lessens them somewhat. There’s not as much gore as many of its peers and much of it centers around investigating the quiet, backwoods town that keeps terror under the floorboards. Still, there’s plenty of dread and the film comes through with the cosmic hellscape in the end. If you’re a fan of 80’s hell horror, you’ll probably like this one more than I did.

Closest comparison: It’s like a cross between Children of the Corn and Event Horizon.

Setting: Small Town Creepshow
Plot: Disappearance
Tone: Dreadful Investigation

The Hunt for Red October - 5/5

This is far and away the best submarine movie, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s an exciting political thriller that never gets lost in a nerve-racking haze of ambiguity but instead keeps the audience constantly informed of the stakes while somehow maintaining the perfect level of tension. The music is epic and Soviet, equal parts symphonic and sinister. The characters are understated, and the actors are all giving some of the best performances of their careers. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a bar-none must-watch.

Closest Comparison: It’s like U-571 by way of The Manchurian Candidate.

Setting: Cold War
Plot: Political Thriller
Tone: Drama