Jurassic Park the Lost World was my 3rd movie this week and it was the sequel to Jurassic Park. This film came out in 1997. Being 4 years apart to the original there was obviously some hype about this film and the story that would surround it. It ended up being the most action packed one of the series hands down. Below is my detailed review.
This film brought back some of the original cast but not all. Jeff Goldblum revised his role as Dr. Ian Malcom and actually became the films headlining star which he basically should have been in the original as well. Richard Attenborough was back in a brief cameo at the beginning of the film and at the end as well as John Hammond but for the most part this film included newcomers. Julianne Moore plays Dr. Malcolm's girlfriend Sarah Harding and in one of his earlier flicks Vince Vaughn stars as Nick Van Owen. There were several other main characters in this film or standouts you could say but really Goldblum, Moore, and Vaughn were the main stars.
This film had a great story and improved from the original on several levels in my mind. In one it did not was originality and that is only because it wasn't "new" anymore. That goes without saying though. Where it did improve vastly was the action and adventure. This film had much much more action than the first one and more dinosaurs as well. With it being only 7 minutes more than the original it sure packed a lot more punch when it came to action. I also liked the fact that Goldblum's character had a bigger role and therefore more room for humor within the film.
The basis of this film was to have Malcom go out and join a group that Hammond hand picked to go to Site B which was a site that InGen Bioengineering had actually constructed where dinosaurs were transported and actually flourishing on their own. Hammond's nephew however was sending out a team to capture some of the dinosaurs and bring them back to San Diego where he would have an amusement park created for the public to come and see. Knowing the dangers this could cause Hammond felt it necessary to send a team out there to stop them and after finding out his girlfriend was there Malcolm headed out with Nick and Dieter to get her and bring her back. Lets just say things didn't quite go down that easy.
Back to the action scenes. There were so many but my favorite being the one where the parents of a baby T-Rex come to the trailer where Malcolm, Nick, and Sarah are treating his injuries. It is quite evident that Mommy and Daddy are not to pleased. The special effects and the intensity in this scene which easily lasts more than 8 or 9 minutes is wonderful. I especially love the glass cracking sequence where Sarah has landed on a plate of glass which is the only thing keeping her from plunging down off the cliff to an imminent death. The cracking of the glass was very intense and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. The whole scene even when the parents T-Rex's kill and eat Dieter it was crazy. All in all probably the best action sequence of the film. There was one scene towards the end of the film where Sarah and Malcolm's daughter try to escape out a hole under a door in a shed and a dinosaur pops his head through that was pretty nuts. Ill never forget that scene because I saw this film with my parents in the theater and this particular scene practically took my Dad back into the row behind us it scared him so much. All I remember is his jumping out of his seat scaring me and causing me to jump then it led to out loud laughter for about 3 minutes afterwards. Too funny!!
Other ones I enjoyed were the rampage scene in the camp with the T-Rex after a very close encounter in a tent with Sarah and Malcolm's daughter. This sequence ended in a lot of bloodshed including a blood waterfall. The T-Rex's in this film were much larger and scarier than in the original and they were visually stunning to watch. I also really liked the small green dinosaurs who originally attacked the small girl at the beginning of the film but later actually killed one of the hunters. They were cool looking and unique. Another notable action sequence was the final one, the one that took place in San Diego. Just seeing a T-Rex wreak havoc in a city background was really weird and very eerie. This brings me to another aspect of the film I really enjoyed. The setting and background.
Obviously the main setting in Isla Sorna which is supposed to be 87 miles south of Isla Nublar where the original was set was very similar. Jungle atmosphere with lots of trees, rivers, waterfalls, and cliffs. Natural habitat all around makes this setting perfect for this film but lets be honest, could it be any other way? It could when you think of the ending of the film and the scenes shot in San Diego. I personally loved the scenes shot with a cityscape background. It was very cool and surreal and I loved the scene where a huge 76 Ball, the Gas Station sign goes rolling by Malcolm's car. All in all the settings for this film were great and when you add that cliff scene at the beginning it was really cool.
Like I said before the comedy in this one was more evident thanks to more scenes with Malcolm. Some of my favorite lines in this film are as follows. When looking for Sarah when they first arrive on the island and Nick yells out "Sarah Harding" Malcolm responds, "how many Sarah's do you think are on this island"? Later as the team is excited to see the dinosaurs Malcolm quips "oh yeah ooooh and awwww that's how it starts but then there is running and screaming". Just the way Goldblum delivers his lines makes them so funny. He is one of those actors who can be funny without even really trying just because it is in his personality.
All in all this was a great film and much better than the original. Now I know what your thinking, if you gave the original an A then there is really only one grade to go up on this one and your right. This film in my mind easily gets an A+!
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