When watching a film we often take for granted many of the aspects that go into its creation. We may applaud an actor for their performance, a director for the cinematography, but we often forget about the other elements that go into its production. The technical teams that make it all possible do a thankless job and most people miss out on the great uses of technology that make a film so effective. So we are here to shine a light on some of the coolest uses of hydraulics in films.
Jurassic Park
I don’t know about anyone else, but when I look back on my childhood, the Jurassic Park films are pretty iconic for me. The sheer terror I experienced while the characters were trying to evade the dinosaurs in the kitchen can’t be described. A big part of Jurassic Park’s success I believe was down to the animatronics used. Terrible CGI can often break an otherwise good film, but in the case of Jurassic Park, the animatronics avoided falling into the trap of dodgy CGI, giving it a more realistic feel.
The construction of the hydraulic-powered T-Rex used in Jurassic Park was almost as dangerous as an actual T-Rex. To complete the giant reptile, the machine had to be powered up and one of the team had to climb inside to finish glueing the outer layer together. The power went off during this process, which could have spelt disaster and serious injury for the crew member inside, given the heavy metal hydraulic components used to power the T Rex, but luckily the crew member made it out unhurt.
Terminator
A time-travelling cyborg sent back in time to kill the leader of a rebellion is the perfect basis for spectacular stunts and impressive machines. Without spoiling the film, hydraulics actually save the day towards the end of the first Terminator film. A giant fluid-hydraulic press is the hero of the film, a win for the engineering industry and humanity.
Alien
Hydraulic power and sci-fi films seem to go together like strawberries and cream, particularly in the 80s and 90s. In the first Alien film, Sigourney Weaver battles the Alien Queen using a Caterpillar P5000 Power Loader, a fictional mechanical exoskeleton that features electrically assisted hydraulics. The machine was shown lifting heavy goods earlier on, but who knew it would be so good at taking on hostile aliens.
Although our hydraulic equipment hasn’t been used quite as creatively as some of the examples shown above, we do offer reliable hydraulic, powerlifting equipment and more for a range of industries, including marine, agricultural, aggregates, logistics and many more. Get in touch today if you would like to learn more.