Review of The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) by Russell G — 08 Apr 2016

Seeing extinct dinosaurs come to life with Hollywood effects is an amazing thing. The first movie put a simple set of characters in tense situations and let the action and effects carry it. This movie takes the same approach, but it takes the simple characters for granted.

The characters and plot feel do not work as well it results in a typical popcorn movie with big action, nothing more. Jeff Goldblum was fantastic last time, but forcing his character back on the island to save a never before mentioned love interest does not feel right.

Of course, there has to be a stowaway kid in the mix to continue appealing to younger audiences. Unlike last time, however, Vanessa Lee Chester is a bad child actor and she pulls down the movie at every turn.

The early exposition is heavy handed. Mercifully, the movie hits it stride as the story shifts to an abandoned island for developing and cultivating dinosaurs that operated independent of from the now destroyed theme park facility.

Once there the expedition group comes across an injured juvenile T-Rex. They bring it back to mend its leg. When the parents come after their offspring things really get exciting and the magic is back.

The attack leaves them without communication and it becomes a survival game to get off the island. Insularly characters die off perhaps too quickly. In a ridiculously poor plot turn that differs from the book, the main characters get off the island all too quickly.

Their moronic entourage decides to bring select dinosaurs back to Los Angeles for a zoo. As expected, they cannot control the T-Rex and it unleashes a corny rampage across suburban Los Angeles. Why would the filmmakers abandon the second story by Michael Crichton? Action scenes mean nothing when the situation is this preposterous.

It completely breaks down into head slapping stupidity. Aside from Vanessa Lee Chester, the rest of the cast is competent, but they have little to work with. The story turns into complete junk, but at least the dinosaurs look great.