underrated sequel to overrated blockbuster

Rating: 7/10 (14 August 1999)

People who hate the Lost World but love Jurassic Park boggle the mind. The success of Jurassic Park was based on the novelty of cgi technology--and the suspense of a plastic cup filled with trembling water. It had a poor plot, weak acting, terrible dialogue. I did not expect the Lost World to be any better(and it certainly had some shameless moments, mainly the gymnastics scene)--but it surprised me on a number of fronts. Spielberg was obviously changed after Schindler's List, for he ejected the sugary formula and cutsy children that we have come to know(and I loathe) from his 90's films. Yes, we are introduced to a bonafide Spielberg urchin at the beginning--who is soon attacked by the objects of her affection. And yes, we have a simple story of good v.s. evil(which was strangely absent in JP), but with some intersting twists. Vince Vaughn's character is introduced as a hedonistic photographer, who did his stint with Greenpeace. later we learn that he is actually a member of Earth First--a much more "enthusiastic" environmental group.
The dinosaurs are presented as animals in the film(unlike the first movie), capable of defending themselves not only from the bad guys but the good guys as well. Petting a baby stegosaurus almost gets one character spiked, and the consequences for mending another dino-infant's human-derived injuries gets another good guy chomped in half. Best of all, the baby T-rex who is the focus of much danger throughout the movie gets to make the final kill! It was little ironic touches like this that warmed me to this movie on second viewing, as well as the cynical and refreshing message it delivered: If a Lost World of dinosaurs or other animals was discovered, humans would surely destroy it if they could. Pretty heavy for a saturday matinee action adventure flick.