Review of The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) by Mark M — 03 Jun 2015

Set four years after the events of Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park is where the franchise started to lose its footing when it came to the topics that the first film presented despite the prehistoric eye candy, both in its narrative and the grand scheme of Michael Crichton's novel. It's a standing testament to how fans can't have their dinosaur-themed cake and eat it as well, but while The Lost World fails to hit the intelligent strides of its predecessor, it makes up with even more action sequences.

In an attempt to redeem himself after his foolhardy nature not only brought the dinosaurs back from extinction but also putting the lives of the characters in Jurassic Park at risk, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) tasks Ian Malcolm with heading to Isla Sorna/Site B with a research team to document the dinosaurs there in their natural habitat to rally public support in stopping Hammond's nephew from using the dinosaurs for InGen's profit. Soon Ian finds himself stuck on Isla Sorna with his girlfriend, his immersion breaking, eye-rolling, acrobat daughter, Kelly, and the research team - Eddie Carr (Richard Schiff) and Nick Van Owen (Vince Vaughn) -, as an InGen team wreak havoc on the island.

The narrative structure is suffice to say, a retread, where it's just a group of people running around on an island full of dinosaurs attempting to survive in the dumbest ways possible. Spielberg's direction as a master of evoking fantastical awe is as sharp as ever, and while the screenplay by David Koepp lacks Crichton's touch, Koepp does a decent enough job in placing the characters in gripping situations that are out of their element.

Specializing in action - not so much in story - as is apparent with his later works, what Koepp's The Lost World lacks in story, the film makes up in a few excellent action-based sequences, particularly the tense and chaotic field scene, and how Koepp (and Spielberg) turn the T-Rexes into a central element in the narrative as opposed to the first film. The Velociraptors return as well, but as Dr. Alan Grant and his lovable expositions are missing, there is little use to expanding this particular species other than using them to make life miserable for the humans in The Lost World.

Beyond the myriad of dinosaurs and John Williams' return as the composer, there is nothing that truly sets the film apart from the first, just as there is nothing that puts it as a worthy sequel, not even with the return of Ian Malcolm. The most interesting character in a group of equally interesting characters in Jurassic Park, The Lost World fails to use the character, along with Jeff Goldblum's charisma and talent, to the maximum capability of both and to the film's benefit.

Ian's sort of there, along with the other characters who are all sort of there as well, the latter made worse due to being colorfully mundane; very much the adult version of Lex from the first film, Sarah's only defining attribute is to make things worse for everyone else as she continuously plunges into danger; Ian's daughter is merely the Spielbergian character fodder in bringing out her father's sentimental side; Carr, Van Owen, and the InGen group are practically plot fodder who are on the island to either escalate the situation, or to die. The utility of the characters and recycled nature speaks itself on the mark The Lost World leaves behind; enjoyable for what its worth as a dino-chomper, but ultimately a passing wind that doesn't match up to the hurricane left by the first film.