JURASSIC PUNK
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far way called the 80’s, special effects in movies were mostly done with puppetry and cardboard. Then comes along a guy like James Cameron who revolutionizes the industry with his creature from THE ABYSS and his robot for TERMINATOR 2. And Spielberg, taking the ball, scores a touchdown with his ultra-realistic dinosaurs in JURASSIC PARK, changing the face of popular cinema forever. Or so the official story goes… ‘cause there’s a different story to tell about a genius artist in the shadows who has brought about this digital revolution. A notorious troublemaker with a big mouth, an anarchist who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about anything in the world. His name is Steve “Spaz” Williams, and he’s the one who pioneered CGI (for those of you that stayed stuck under a rock in Jurassic Park for the last 30 years, that’s short for computer generated imagery) to new dazzling heights. He ignored direct orders to craft the hence famous bigger-than-life dinos and literally created the blockbuster of the 21st century. All by himself. In a little corner, with his computer and his big mouth… With this documentary, Scott Leberecht rehabilitates a man who fell into oblivion but who should be venerated as a living legend. A rebel who hit rock bottom for having pushed cinema to its peak, who had to wipe off the spit of his peers who took all of the credit. So, yeah, “Spaz” may very well have been a gigantic, arrogant pain in the ass, but he has single-handedly redefined the notion of “blockbuster” with his genius and wit. Hats off, bravo, about time he gets what he deserves!