Review of The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) by Matthew D — 26 Jun 2018

A poor sequel with little premise.

Director Steven Spielberg manages to not capture any of the magical charm of Jurassic Park. The fact that little to no consequences occur from the original is ridiculous enough, but the fact that another island exists is even worse. I only liked 3 scenes in the whole movie. The introductory scene with Ian Malcolm in Hammond's mansion feels very much up Spielberg's alley. It's mysterious and enchanting in itself. The Peter Stormare death is gruesome fun. Also, the T-Rex at the pool sequence towards the end is enjoyable. The rest of The Lost World: Jurassic Park is an overly long slog to the end.

Horrible writing and dialogue makes you hate these unlikable characters. Out of the 50 or so characters we follow, you only like Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm and that is only because he was so great in Jurassic Park. Goldblum is trying his hardest to be entertaining, but the whole ensemble falls flat. I do; however, like Richard Attenborough's brief appearance as John Hammond.

Julianne Moore is a great actress given nothing to do and ends up coming across as incredibly annoying. Malcolm's daughter is unnecessary and oddly black for no reason. The rest of the cast is just awful and never convincing. Vince Vaughn is so easy to hate. He cannot act outside of playing himself. He is just terrible. I really hated this cast.

John Williams' magnificent score from Jurassic Park hardly makes an appearance except for a few standout moments. The music is utterly underutilized and makes The Lost World a boring environment.

The special effects look even more dated than Jurassic Park. The CGI is pretty lackluster and unbelievable. The practical effects are okay, but there is very little of it.

Overall, The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a thoroughly unpleasant movie rife with cliches and irrational behavior. The plot is convoluted and underwritten. The premise is terrible like the resolution. The CGI is dated and the practical effects are hardly present. Spielberg's own mastery of direction is nowhere to be seen with shaky camera work and lazy direction. There are a few standout moments, but they do not redeem the film as a whole. Skip this movie.