10 Best Films of All Time: Martha Lane
2. Jurassic Park (1993)
The number two spot came down to Jurassic Park or Jaws. Jaws is an absolute knock out. A 10/10 film. However, Jurassic Park (which is essentially Jaws with legs) had two things going for it that Jaws just can’t offer me: Ellie Sattler and nostalgia.
I can remember exactly what I was doing the first time I heard that raptor screech. The film grabbed me and never really let go.
The cast are superstars, the storytelling is tight, the hubris of humankind is addressed. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) was a great role model to have as a dinosaur-loving seven-year-old; she is whip smart, wears sensible shoes and holds her own in the face of Dr Malcom (Jeff Goldblum).
Jurassic Park continues to age well, managing to be a metaphor for most global events. It is the perfect mix of experts and idiocy – imagine geneticists who can build a dinosaur but don’t know frogs can change sex (or maybe they don’t care). And I’m not sure I can think of a better use of pathetic fallacy in any other film: as the storm rumbles on, everyone on that island realises that you can’t control a t-rex any easier than you can a hurricane.
Recommended for you: 10 Best Moments from the Jurassic Park Franchise
1. Amélie (2001)
Amélie is the film that introduced me to world cinema at the tender age of 11, and it was the fairy tale I’d been waiting for my whole childhood. Forget ballgowns and talking mice, I just needed a suicidal goldfish and a collector of laughs.
Amélie (Audrey Tautou) is as frustrating as she is adorable, her inability to open up to the world has left her isolated and lonely. Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz) is marginally more social, more in touch with his needs, but his inability to focus on anything has left him flitting though life. One day a chance meeting and a dropped photo album changes everything.
The film is peppered with all the delicious quirky details you can expect from a Jean-Pierre Jeunet film. His ability to weave together seemingly unrelated incidents to build a whole narrative is incredible. The soundtrack and the sun-soaked Parisian streets add to its fairy tale feel.
It is a beautiful love story that annihilates the cynic in me every time I watch it. It is the ultimate feel-good film, and it makes me feel fuzzy inside, so I think it is completely deserving of the highly sought-after top spot in this list.
I need to see 4, and you’ve sold me on watching 6!
It would be time very well spent!