The Lost World: Jurassic Park

UK Release Date. 18 July 1997
Certification. PG
Running Time. 2 hours 9 mins
Director. Steven Spielberg
Cast. Richard Attenborough, Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Richard Schiff, Vince Vaughn.
Rating. 52%

Review.

Despite the continued involvement of Steven Spielberg, The Lost World: Jurassic Park is nothing more than a summer franchise blockbuster by numbers. Memorable action set pieces, check. A return of much beloved characters, check. A reprise of the original soundtrack, chec... Hold on, wait a moment.

There is a reason why John Williams' now iconic original theme is used so infrequently in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. There simply is no need. The film's emotional content is particularly weak and seldom matches the presence of Williams' score.

In The Lost World: Jurassic Park the duel between corporate greed and environmental conservation is elevated to another level. However, the conflicting ideologies dissipate as the two parties are inevitably forced to team up to escape the island. There is minimal character development, and worst still, entire scenes are spent on the deaths of characters the audience barely cares about (e.g. Dieter Stark (Peter Stormare) ravaged by a gang of compsognathus).

Whilst there is an impressive sequence involving an escape from a Winnebago precariously dangling off the edge of a cliff - including the visually impressive shot of Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) trapped on a cracking windscreen - there's little else to mention. The storyline is unfocused and lacks drama. Prominent characters, such as Nick Van Owen (Vince Vaughn) disappear without explanation. Even the once petrifying velociraptors are reduced to incompetent B-movie monsters. The film simply lacks tension and sadly lacks impact. More disappointing, The Lost World: Jurassic Park undermines many of the elements that made Jurassic Park so memorable.