More entertaining, but also more brainless

Rating: Null/10 (21 February 2003)

THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK is actually more entertaining than its predecessor, but lacks whatever intelligence or intensity the original might have had. Jeff Goldblum returns to dinosaur island to save his overzealous scientist girlfriend (Julianne Moore), who has gone to research the animals. Of course, his daughter (Vanessa Lee Chester) manages to tag along as well, basically so there can be a kid in the movie. The most interesting aspect of the story is Pete Poslethwaite as a hunter who wants to down a Tyrannosaurus. There are some undeniably thrilling moments along the way, but the movie is little more than a rehash of the original. The conclusion, in which a Tyrannosaurus is on the loose in Los Angeles, finally reveals this movie for what it really is: a goof. So much could have been done with this material (same goes for the lukewarm original), but Spielberg and co. decide to simply play the movie for contrived laughs and hollow thrills, which makes both movies major disappointments. The much praised scene in which Moore is seconds away from plunging to her death through a slowly cracking window is just a more elaborate version of the "jeep in a tree" scene from the original. Chester subduing a Velociraptor with her gymnastic skills is an all-time low point in cinema. If you have absolutely nothing to do, this movie will keep you occupied for two hours. If you actually feel like being mentally stimulated, look elsewhere.