Review – The Lost World: Jurassic Park

The Steven Spielberg film, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, opened on this date in 1997. The Jurassic Park sequel starred Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore.

Synopsis:

Years after surviving the events at Jurassic Park, Ian Malcolm finds himself having to deal with John Hammond and another island of dinosaurs. A research team has been put together to study the dinosaurs at Site B of Jurassic Park. Malcolm refuses to go, until he finds out his girlfriend, Sarah Harding, is part of the team. Things get even worse for Malcolm when he arrives at Site B and learns his daughter has snuck along.

Positives:

• Jeff Goldblum is the star of The Lost World, after being a supporting character in Jurassic Park. Goldblum does a great job with the additional screen time and character development he is given. Like in Jurassic Park, Goldblum has the best lines in the sequel.

• The Lost World is a darker film then Jurassic Park. The tone really helps it stand on its own as a sequel. It isn’t just a rehash of the first movie…it has a personality of its very own.

• The ending of The Lost World is filled with innovative and exciting ideas. When the T-Rex shows up in San Diego and clashes with the people of the city you can tell that Spielberg is having a lot of fun. For me, it is the stand out moment of the film and one of the best moments in the entire franchise.

• Negatives:

  • Characters in the The Lost World often do stupid things just to movie the plot forward. The writing sometimes doesn’t stay consistent with its characters and their actions.

   

  • The actions scenes are well done, especially the ending T-Rex scenes, but they lack the awe and the thrill of the first film.

   

  • There are scenes in the film that drag a little, especially in the first act. It lacks the strong pacing and momentum of Jurassic Park.

  In Closing:

  The biggest problem with The Lost World: Jurassic Park is that it isn’t Jurassic Park. It is an underrated sequel and that’s understandable since it isn’t anywhere close to Jurassic Park in quality. The dinosaur effects are well done, Spielberg crafts some thrilling moments and the performance by Goldblum is a lot of fun. The Lost World is a worthy follow up to Jurassic Park.

  Rating: B+