When the Wall fell, popular culture rose to a new level of social relevance. Wind of Change? More like a tsunami! The Nineties washed over the increasingly globalized media landscape in a tidal wave of catchy tunes, cult movies, TV series and show stars. FACES rolls up the decade – and publishes an encyclopaedia on the age of grunge, girl groups, GZSZ and dinosaurs in loose succession.
A comet or an ice age? Pah, extinct my ass! Dinosaurs are alive. Especially for those who are still a little too young for Dr. Sommer, Goapartys and Johnny Depp at the beginning of the nineties.
Carnivores or pterosaurs, dinosaurs in museums and on TV, dinosaurs made of plush, dinosaurs made of plastic, as three-dimensional wooden puzzles or as double-sided 2D illustrations in what-is-what non-fiction books: The prehistoric beasts are experiencing an unprecedented post-mortem revival. And they are being gratefully exploited by the entertainment companies. Disney relies on the Sinclair family, led by Daddy Earl in a lumberjack shirt and the clumsy baby nag, who flicker across the screen for four seasons. Childish humor, somewhere between “The Flintstones” and “All Under One Roof”.
Meanwhile, the revival from Universal Pictures is stirring up the most dust: the production of Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of the novel “Jurassic Park” devoured 63 million dollars. Sam Neill fights for survival as Dr. Grant. Samuel L. Jackson has a supporting role, but the real show is put on by computer-animated prehistoric monsters. The special effects alone eat up 18 million. Peanuts! The sci-fi horror film grossed almost a billion dollars worldwide (five years later, “Titanic” broke the mark again), with a special effects Oscar on top. And four sequels to date.
