The Lost World: Jurassic Park (97)

May 25, 1997

It's bigger, louder, and the body count is higher. But it is not better than JURASSIC PARK from '93. A filthy rich family is picnicking on a lush island, when the daughter wanders off only to be moderately attacked by a dozen tiny dinosaurs. Meanwhile, Jeff Goldblum is called to Richard Attenborough's estate where he tells him about another island that has been re-populated with dinosaurs, it's just 80 miles away from the original theme park. All of the plot problems with the dinosaurs reproducing on their own is covered in the 15 minute scene that Goldblum and Attenborough have. I still don't have a damn clue what they were saying. Anyways, Goldblum has apparently become the laughing stock of the scientific community, due to the fact that no one believes him when he begins speaking of his narrow escape from the first island. Attenborough wants photos taken of all the species, he's become something of an environmentalist on his death bed. He's assembled a team that's just one short and if Goldblum wouldn't mind....and by the way, your girlfriend's already there. Goldblum is on the next slow boat to dino island. This time we have the paleanologist, Moore, the photographer, the cute guy from SWINGERS, and the safari expert guy, the father on RELATIVITY. Goldblum makes four, and wouldn't you know his daughter smuggles herself aboard for some extra antics. Turns out she's a gymnast and they wouldn't even bring it up if it weren't part of the plot.
The plot consists of them getting to the island, discovering that there are 'bad scientists' there as well, both teams getting in trouble, and then joining forces to run their asses off and get rescued by a helicopter. Because there are more people on the island than last time, there are more scenes of dinosaurs crunching on their human dinners. The silent bad guy from FARGO is eaten in a particularly satisfying way. Eventually, a T-Rex [not the BANG A GONG band] ends up in a suburb of San Diego and must be captured and returned to the island under the watchful eye of Bernie Shaw of CNN. A movie just isn't a real-feeling movie without CNN anymore.
The actors are all competent in their roles, after all, they're all way down the marquee after the dinosaurs. A lot of things are different in film from 1993. Seeing the dinosaurs isn't such a Wowee experience anymore. But the effects have gotten much better. An actor can be realistically surrounded by a herd of dinos. Some of the stuff is flat-out amazing, but there is nothing the filmmakers could have done to surpass the mouth-agape wonder of the first one. In terms of story, no secret or plot twist is challenging, a stray glance here, a mean guy left alone there. There are frights galore when the face of a raptor pops up and takes over the frame. Someday, a filmmaker will find a great story to go along with incredible effects. VOLCANO didn't work, the first JURASSIC PARK wasn't so great, and don't get me started on TWISTER. Vaughn is a tree-hugger. He takes a stick of gum out and throws the wrapper on the ground.
Jeff Goldblum Julianne Moore Pete Postlethwaite Arliss Howard Richard Attenborough Vince Vaughn [Swingers] Vanessa Lee Chester Peter Stormare [silent bad guy in Fargo] Harvey Jason Richard Schiff Cinematography by Janusz Kaminski Directed by Steven Spielberg
40 critics 7.3 Benson *** LaSalle 2.0 Shulgasser ** Gleiberman B
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