I like to think of myself as a movie enthusiast- I enjoy going to the cinema, taking in a film at home and most importantly I like watching the special features on DVDs to find out how film crews make you believe in the impossible. I thought I was the ideal candidate for this show- but I was very wrong.
The Hollywood Special Effects Show
When I arrived, I was surprised by how many children there were- my initial assumption was that this would be more suitable for adults- especially since some of the characters and movies featured were certificated above the age range of the majority of the audience- such as Freddie Krueger in The Nightmare on Elm Street. Sadly I was wrong again. This show was very targeted towards the younger audience, so it wasn't the ideal date night out for me and my partner.
In theory, the combination of actors should have complemented each other well- a geeky, English scientist man pushed to his limits by a thrill seeking American woman and an 'understudy' who had to step in at the last minute to be the guinea pig for the experiments. I couldn't fault the people on stage for their enthusiasm, yet there appeared to be an awkwardness between them that filtered down into the audience. Consequently, some of the viewers never really seemed to settle or immerse themselves in the performance- myself included.
It involved a lot of audience participation, which was the highlight for me as the lady they asked on stage when they were demonstrating sound effects was really funny and had the crowd laughing along with her.
As a movie fan, I was able to identify bits of the script that paid homage to some of my favourite films like Bond and Crocodile Dundee in an attempt to appeal to both young and old.
I can't fault the concept- I know many people who want to know how actors pretend to shoot someone, how directors make it look like someone's is cutting through human flesh and what goes into making fake blood look so realistic.
The show touches on all of these things, the references to blood and gore seemed to keep the kids happy, however I wanted more. More detail, more explanation, more information, which is where I think the disparity arose.
I was really disappointed not to see the animatronic dinosaur we were promised in the pictures before the interval too. I realise that if there were technical issues on the night they were unavoidable- it was just a huge shame as this was the thing I was most looking forward to as a self-confessed Jurassic Park fan.
Overall, this is probably one for a family with small children rather than a twenty and thirty something on a Friday night. It felt like the show was trying to include everyone but in doing so, excluded some of its audience members. Such a great idea, but unfortunately that is where it ended for me.
Tagged in Jurassic Park