Jurassic Park II: The Lost Plot

Rating: 4/10 (11 March 2017)

The first Jurassic Park film worked because it focused on the morality of the entire situation, with the dinosaurs playing a supporting role (though quite a large one, considering the incredible visual effects). Unfortunately, the sequel does not hold true to this formula, and instead has idiotic characters doing inane tasks, all the while showcasing the roaring dinos and, in the end, turning into little more than Godzilla.
For a basic plot summary, "The Lost World" reveals the existence of another island, not disclosed in the original, where the dinosaurs were originally "bred" and now live in their own contained environment. Of course, bloodthirsty, money-hungry poaches are out to destroy the ecological paradise, so Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), the only significant character to reprise his role from the original, and girlfriend Dr. Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) are sent in to investigate. As expected, things go awry and a certain key species of the dinosauric terrors ends up a bit close to home for comfort.
The trouble with this film is that it has absolutely no semblance of a plot. None whatsoever. Whereas the original really inspired viewers to think about the morality at stake in Dr. Hammond's experiments, this sequel only focuses on the "oohs" and "aahs" at the incredibly life-life dinosaurs to be had by potential viewers. In fact, by the end of the film, the script has devolved into nothing better than King Kong or Godzilla fare.
That being said, I will give this film two stars instead of one because, gosh darn it, those dinos ARE pretty impressive! Though a bit of the "wow" factor has worn off since the first installment, when the T-Rex roars or the Velociraptors begin preying, the hair on the back of your neck will stand up once again. I honestly don't know if the effects could be any better, even in today's Hollywood.
Overall, though, this is a terribly constructed sequel that focuses on all the wrong things. It opened to tremendous hype and made a lot of money initially, but the passage of time has shown it to be quite subpar. I'm amazed that a film directed by a legend such as Steven Spielberg could turn out so vapid.