Further information: Jurassic Park (franchise)
In the years following its release, Jurassic Park has frequently been cited by film critics and industry professionals as one of the greatest movies of the action and thriller genres. The American Film Institute named Jurassic Park the 35th most thrilling film of all time on June 13, 2001.[107] The Chicago Film Critics Association also ranked Jurassic Park as the 55th scariest movie of all time and, in 2005, Bravo chose the scene in which Lex and Tim are stalked by two raptors in the kitchen as the 95th scariest movie moment ever.[108][109] On Empire magazine's fifteenth anniversary in 2004, it judged Jurassic Park the sixth most influential film of the magazine's lifetime.[110] Empire called the first encounter with a Brachiosaurus the 28th most magical moment in cinema.[111] In 2008, an Empire poll of readers, filmmakers, and critics also rated it one of the 500 greatest films of all time.[112] On Film Review's fifty-fifth anniversary in 2005, it declared the film to be one of the five most important in the magazine's lifetime.[113] In 2006, IGN ranked Jurassic Park as the 19th greatest film franchise ever.[114] In a 2010 poll, the readers of Entertainment Weekly rated it the greatest summer movie of the previous 20 years.[115]
The biggest impact Jurassic Park had on subsequent films regarded Industrial Light and Magic's computer-generated visual effects. Film historian Tom Shone commented on the film's innovation and influence, saying that "In its way, Jurassic Park heralded a revolution in movies as profound as the coming of sound in 1927."[116] Many filmmakers saw Jurassic Park's effects as a realization that many of their visions, previously thought unfeasible or too expensive, were now possible. Stanley Kubrick, the director of 2001: A Space Odyssey, contacted Spielberg to direct A.I. Artificial Intelligence.[110] Filmmaker Werner Herzog was similarly impressed, citing the movie as an example of Spielberg being a "great storyteller" and that he knows how to weave special effects into coherent stories.[117] The breakthrough in computer-generated graphics opened possibilities to other filmmakers also: George Lucas realizing the success of creating realistic live dinosaurs by his own company, started to make the Star Wars prequels,[118] and Peter Jackson began to re-explore his childhood love of fantasy films, a path that led him to The Lord of the Rings and King Kong.[119] Jurassic Park has also inspired films and documentaries such as the American adaptation of Godzilla, Carnosaur, and Walking with Dinosaurs.[110] Stan Winston, enthusiastic about the new technology pioneered by the film, joined with IBM and director James Cameron to form a new special effects company, Digital Domain.[120]