Review of The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) by Stephen Z — 27 Jul 2015

Who would have guessed that there is not one, but two islands overrun with dinosaurs? First there was "Jurassic Park". Now there is "The Lost World". This time around, instead of the dinosaurs breaking out of captivity, the dinosaurs are being rounded up. Though both scenarios set the stage for horror and suspense, "The Lost World" doesn't quite reach the level of brilliance that the original film did.

The character development is still good, which is to be expected from a Spielberg film. However, while some of the action is good, some of it is silly. And while the suspense can be good at times, at other times it is too drawn out and predictable. The result is that "The Lost World" is not as scary or as exciting as "Jurassic Park". What I do like about "The Lost World" is that there is a greater diversity of dinosaurs, though the raptors - which were a huge part of the original film - get short-changed and reduced to an underwhelming scene.

The acting in this film isn't really worth mentioning. Jeff Goldblum's lead performance isn't bad. He just feels out of place this time. The remainder of the cast isn't as good as the original cast, and I think that plays a big role in this film lacking the charm of the first.

"The Lost World" does a lot of the same things that "Jurassic Park" did, yet it just doesn't feel the same. "The Lost World" is not nearly as entertaining as the original film.