T- Rex & Laura's Legs

Rating: 4/10 (4 December 2005)

Save for the charismatic presence of Sam Neill and Samuel Jackson, the only thing which makes this film worthwhile is the T-Rex and the fabulous legs of Laura Dern. Its a shame too, given that Steven Spielberg (hailed as the greatest American filmmaker ever it seems) had at his disposal revolutionary special effects and a very talented cast. In the end, this could have been a fantastic work, yet has the feel of just propping up a thin "story" to serve as a lean-to for the showcasing of brilliant CGI. As usual, the sound and visuals are incredible, but the scrip is nil. What happened to Spielberg along the route of his career? He gave us "Duel", an interesting project that delt with the issue of road rage when Americans didn't even know what the hell it was, directing an overtly simple storyline to convey the horrors a motorist faces on the highways. How did he accomplish this? He did it through character development. Yes, the real star of "Jaws" was not the shark- but the story, and the actors who brought that story to life- the same with "Close Encounters", the story was engaging amid the FX. Spielberg even made the diesel in "Duel" a living breathing character- too bad its such an unknown element in Jurassic Park.