Review of Jurassic Park III (2001) by James S — 24 Jan 2012

It's a bit of a weird one this.

Plenty of massive blockbuster movies have sequels produced that invariably feature dwindling numbers of the original cast members or the budget but few are usually still attached to the principle movers and shakers of the first installment. Although not directed by Steven Spielberg, his production companies finger prints are all over the third part of his dinosaur island trilogy, but perhaps catering to the kids who saw the first but are now a bit more grown up and hankering for something a little more blood thirsty.

Sam Neill, who clearly needed a big pay cheque, returns as Alan Grant to be lured under false pretences back to those islands just off the coast of Costa Rica by William H Macy and Tea Leoni after their son goes missing there in a freak para-gliding accident. Conveniently they've also brought along a bunch of know it all mercenaries to act as dino-dinner.

There's no jokes about blind dinosaurs in this movie. if anything the film is tinted with a horror movie type coating. The blood flows more freely and the dinosaur attacks are more visceral and viscous than they have been previously. It gives the film a certain more, erm, bite, even though it kinda blows all it's big kill moments within the space of a half hour.

There are a couple of things seriously lacking in Jurassic Park 3 though. The first is a plot. Aside from trying to find a kid on the island or get off the island, there's precious little going on. The sub plots involving greed and the ethics of what was being created are entirely absent this time, replaced by a lot of running, and then some more running.

The second is the character set. Aside from Grant and the boy who goes missing, the characters are difficult to sympathise with. The audience almost finds itself on the side of the dinosaurs. We're supposed to feel sorry for Tea Leoni and William H Macy but neither of them are particularly likeable, or convincing as a couple, and their dubious means of getting Grant to the island means they feel like villains instead of the good guys. There were more noble characters that got eaten in the original than the ones here.

The film is at least brief. It doesn't try and fill 2 hours with its meagre story and the pace is good and certainly action packed with some great scenes of dinosaurs on the rampage. It's more like a no brainer, post pub movie dressed up as a big Summer movie.

Fun.