Review of Jurassic Park III (2001) by Steve W — 11 Jun 2015

Jurassic Park III is a low point in the series. Gone is Spielberg's direction or a solid script, instead we get more in tone with a B-monster movie. Its a quick 90 minute thrill ride that has boat loads of cliches, unfunny humour, silly/hokey moments, and not enough development with themes.

One of the characters mentions that the Spinosaurus is not on the Ingen list, but its never mentioned again. Same goes for a creepy lab with dinosaur fetuses. Instead, character development is severely shafted,with three mercenary characters used as quick dino fodder, grating parental characters, and gratuitous moments like the Spinosaurus vs T-Rex fight that has no bearing on the plot.

Jurassic Park III is not without merit, as the Pterodactyl sequence is the best scene in terms of suspense, and the second Spinosauraus sequence is also very well done. Besides Sam Neill as Alan Grant, everyone else seems to be annoying window dressing, and Laura Dern is only back as fan service.

With a bit more development, it could have been a stronger sequel. Instead, we get a mildly entertaining 93 minute sequel without the magic.