The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers (WGA):

Michael Crichton (novel)
David Koepp (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 May 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Something has survived

Plot:

A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Dinosaur | Jurassic | Girlfriend | Capture

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 15 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 16	9:00 PM	SYFY
Fri. July 17	5:00 PM	SYFY

Cast

Jeff Goldblum	...	Dr. Ian Malcolm
Julianne Moore	...	Dr. Sarah Harding
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Roland Tembo
Richard Attenborough	...	John Hammond
Vince Vaughn	...	Nick Van Owen
Arliss Howard	...	Peter Ludlow
Vanessa Lee Chester	...	Kelly Curtis Malcolm
Peter Stormare	...	Dieter Stark
Harvey Jason	...	Ajay Sidhu
Richard Schiff	...	Eddie Carr
Thomas F. Duffy	...	Dr. Robert Burke
Joseph Mazzello	...	Tim Murphy
Ariana Richards	...	Lex Murphy
Thomas Rosales Jr.	...	Carter (as Thomas Rosales)
Camilla Belle	...	Cathy Bowman

Also Known As:

Jurassic Park 2 (USA) (working title)
Jurassic Park: The Lost World (USA) (working title)
The Lost World (USA) (working title)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park 2 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi terror and violence.

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby SR

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Iceland:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #35336) | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | India:UA | Netherlands:AL (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12/9 | Germany:12 | Ireland:12 | Israel:PG | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The ship which crashes into the InGen quay at San Diego docks, traveling at 26 knots, is called "S.S. Venture". This the same name as the ship that brought the giant ape to Manhattan in King Kong (1933) and King Kong (2005).

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Sarah Harding is supposed to be an expert on carnivores. Yet during the camping scene she has her bloody coat hanging in the air to dry. Being an expert she should have known that blood in the air attracts carnivores.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mrs. Deirdre Bowman: I love you. Thank you so much. Fabulous!
[a glass of white wine is poured]
Mrs. Deirdre Bowman: Thank you, Geoffrey.
Geoffrey: You're welcome.
Mrs. Deirdre Bowman: We'll also take a bottle of red, as well. Thank you.
Geoffrey: Certainly.
Mrs. Deirdre Bowman: Right. Now... Oh!
Mr. Paul Bowman: [handed a glass of wine] Thank you, Bernard.
Bernard: You're welcome.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata in A Minor, K.310

Solid action-adventure film

"It always starts like this... ooh, ahhh. Then there's running... and screaming."- Dr. Ian Malcolm

While in "Jurassic Park" both the 'ooh, ahh' parts and the 'running... and screaming' parts were equally enthralling and captivating, it's mainly the running and screaming that's of interest here. Outside of the opening sequence much of the early section of the film just isn't very interesting.

The strength of this franchise as a whole is its setting. The creepy, slightly spooky and weird islands with plenty of rain provide a perfect setting for some inventive dinosaur attacks and dramatic tension. This is why taking the dinosaurs off that island and into civilization was a mistake- it's too familiar. It loses the spookiness and distinctive feel of the 'Lost World' fiction sub-genre and ends up feeling cheap and silly. I'd say that from about thirty minutes in until the last thirty minutes this film is on par with the first installment in terms of pacing, characterization, and dialogue... then it deteriorates. The film never gets bad enough for it to be unwatchable but there are mediocre parts here in addition to the exciting parts.

The characters are solid as well as the cast. Dr. Alan Grant is sorely missed, but Malcolm is fun enough to compensate. Dr. Sarah Harding played by Julianne Moore is a good supporting character as is Pete Postlethwaite's Captain Ahab-esquire Roland Tembo. The cinematography by Janusz Kaminski is solid here and although Spielberg doesn't seem to be very inspired here he is a professional and knows how to make a film work.

If it wasn't for the dull opening half hour and the misguided final act this would have been a consistently entertaining, action-packed romp. Sadly, it wasn't to be. Still, "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" is far, far from the garbage some would have you believe it is and is actually a solid action/adventure film.

7/10