I wanted more.

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2001)

I have kept my thoughts silent on the matter of this sequel for 4 years. I saw it again last night for the 20th time and felt the need to comment.
Agreeing that books and films are total different animals, I'll move to ask: What was wrong with the plot in Critchon's popular sequel: The Lost World. It could have been adapted for the screen. Period. Instead, we are given a weak first reel which includes, the return of Tim, Lex and John H; poor exposition involving Ian's attempt to expose InGen; and the girlfriend setup.
The second reel tried & failed to capture the intimate quality of its predecessor, which balanced the CGI effects in JP1. I liked Dr. Grant, and Ellie and the kids -- they were real. I cared about them. I did not care for Sarah Harding or Nick. Liked Eddie though. The kid I could have done without. Vince Vaugan supplied testesterone and nothing else. Eddie was an interesting character in the book. It was odd that they switched Eddie and Nick around.
The biggest travesty was sending an army of men to the island, because we all knew they were nothing but Raptor Snacks. The scene where most of the cast gets killed in a flurry of tails, and tall grass was a very cheap way to dispatch the army guys. They served their purpose - so let's find the most economic way of getting rid of them. The center- piece of the 2nd reel was the Camper Over a Cliff (hanger) which featured more camp than camper. The glass cracking was just too much. Great suspense.
For a movie about dinosaurs, JP2 felt dino empty. Did anyone expect people to believe the scene in which Raptors suddenly change from jumping and killing humans to stalking and attacking each other just so we can have a ten second thrill ride with Wonder Woman crashing, diving and finally falling to safety. It was dumb.
To the third reel. Spielberg does Godzilla in San Diego with Ian and Harding going above the law for their convictions. Where was Nick? Why didn't the guards shoot them when they stole the junior dino? And folks, I can't buy into the fact -- that everyone on board the ship was killed without ever warning the coast that they were in trouble. How did T-Rex get his head through the small door of the ship's bridge to bite a crew member (leaving only a hand clutching the helm). Okay! OKAY! It's a movie. I understand. But I resent the smell of by-the-number formula. Koepp is brilliant, hands down.
So I went with it. And yes, I love it too.
Anyway I am going to JP3 Wednesday and I'm hoping for adventure and excitement, a little blood and some scares.