THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK - REVIEW

After the huge success that Jurassic Park was, director Steven Spielberg confidently followed the film four years later with sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park, spinning off Jeff Goldblum's character in the original into his own movie.

With the lead bringing his usual brand of irresistible stuttering charm and Spielberg back on directing duties, The Lost World seemed like a clear winner. While it certainly was a winner at the box-office (I mean, who wouldn't go see a Jurassic Park sequel?) it didn't exactly wow critics who delivered mixed reviews. The original film was ground-breaking in terms of special effects, bringing believable-looking dinosaurs to wide-eyed 90's audiences, but it was also a masterpiece of suspense and schlocky popcorn movie action. It walked a fine line between family-friendly fare and gory horror but it made it all work effortlessly.

Making Dr. Ian Malcolm the main character in this one was a good call: his wry quips and chilled-out demeanour added some welcome laughs and light-heartedness to the first film. Unfortunately, Goldblum has no chemistry with Julianne Moore, who plays his ex-wife, and there are about 10 stories going on around him at all times which leaves little time for amusing one-liners. It doesn't help that the usually terrific, but miscast, Moore gives one of her all-time worst performances here. While Malcolm is technically the main character, he still somehow feels like a supporting role. Those more nostalgic viewers should appreciate Richard Attenborough's cameo as John Hammond, along with the latter's grown-up niece and nephew, who also appeared in Jurassic Park and appear briefly here.

The film opens with a genuinely chilling scene in which a little girl comes face to face with some small but deadly dinos. Buckets of exposition later, we're finally back on the island as Malcolm learns that John Hammond has hired his ex-wife to study the leftover dinosaurs. Soon enough, a team of mean hunters show up to capture a T-Rex. Of course, this turns out to be a very dumb idea and chaos inevitably sets in as the dinosaurs are used to make a (frankly clumsy) point about animal rights. Most of the movie is spent trying to recreate the suspense and tension of the original as people are stalked by the reptilian beasts left and right. Few characters are likeable or memorable enough to care about, however, the writing is far weaker and even Spielberg's direction is unimaginative. The last half-hour finally gives us the King Kong scenario the trailers promised as the T-Rex somehow finds its way to the city and wrecks havoc. Those scenes are admittedly effective but they come way too late in the film and one wishes that all the jungle stuff had been boiled down to just a half hour.

The film's main problem, really, is it's simply nowhere near as much fun as Jurassic Park. In fact, it's surprisingly dull. The novelty factor is gone, alas, and we're not given anything to "wow" at except maybe the city scenes right at the end, but by that point you'll no doubt be nodding off.

The Lost World had the cast, the budget, the score and the ideas it needed to be a great sequel and yet it falls short. It has its moments but ultimately, it's a disappointing follow-up to one of the most entertaining blockbusters out there.

Too little too late.