Review of Jurassic Park III (2001) by Eric T — 12 Jun 2015

After "The Lost World Jurassic Park" everyone believed that the franchise was dead but four years later, another sequel to the beloved 1993 film arrived but without Spielberg in the directing chair and not based on a novel.

Dr Alan Grant is convinced to go to Isla Sorna as a tour guide by the wealthy Kirby marriage but soon after they arrive to the island, mayhem breaks lose again with Dr Grant being the only capable person to assure the survival of the group.

After the questionable ending of "Lost World", it seemed to be no reason to make a third film but Universal Studios decided to make a film that no one wanted to see. "Jurassic Park 3" never attempts to recapture the magic of the first film, it knows it is a cash grab sequel. This third instalment goes to typical sequel territory: It tries to recreate some settings/shots of the first film, it goes for the "bigger baddy" cliché, it brings some familiar faces back, B movie level of acting, laughable scenes (not only the infamous dream sequence), the new characters are more than forgettable and have no personality whatsoever, the special effects look extremely dated- ironic don't you think?- , Joe Johnson´s directing is as generic as always, the most ridiculous script of the entire series, the story is pretty cliché and generic, the pacing is so fast that you will stop to remember how you ended up in a scene, and this feels like the PG version of "Jurassic Park" due to the lack of intense/violent sequences. To be honest, there are only three elements that elevate this film a little: Sam Neil, the Pteranodons sequence, as they were the only dinosaur that Spielberg never gave their deserved moment; and that before you know it the film is over.

"Jurassic Park 3" feels like a parody of the original. As a B movie it is serviceable but as an addition to the franchise, it is unnecessary, forgettable and laughable. There goes Spielberg, there goes this franchise´s magic (will see if "Jurassic World" proves me wrong but I really doubt it).