It's obvious who's going to end up as a T-Rex toothpick from the very start.

Rating: 7/10 (4 February 2020)

And you can put money on it and have a sure thing. This first follow-up to the 1993 smash hit is quite enjoyable, and you can see why Spielberg gave it the go ahead. Richard Attenborough returns briefly to tell Jeff Goldblum, the only lead returnee, that there's a secret island where dinosaurs are free to roam without people as snacks or as pebbles under their big feet. As the film opens, the audience witnesses a little girl ends up as a buffet for some dozen carnivorous puppy sized dino's, a creepy opening that really goes nowhere, showing some idle rich cruising the wrong island. Attenborough sends Goldblum there to gather photographic evidence where he runs into his estranged wife (Julianne Moore) who abandoned him and their adopted daughter (Vanessa Chester). The military breaks in with the intention of unleashing the dangerous dinosaurs on their enemies and this ends up with a T-Rex terrorizing San Diego!
There's at least several evil humans whom the audience can't wait to see the T-Rex teeth up close, people so vile that the audience would often applaud as they felt their last moments alive vibrating the ground right in front of them. Moore and Goldblum are obviously the decent humans, fixing the broken leg of a baby T-Rex, and it's obvious that this won't be like the grateful lion who allowed the monkey to remove a thorn from its foot and didn't eat it.
When mommy arrives, it's obvious that she's not going to stop to ask questions even though Moore can tell that she isn't hungry, just lonely for baby. But what happens afterwards indicates that this mommy is as furious as the alien who terrorized Sigourney Weaver and every bit as determined to get revenge.
Yes, this is just as filled with tension as the first film with several scenes putting Goldblum, Moore and the gymnastics trained Chester in peril. At times, the dialogue is silly and inappropriate, showing that sardonic humor doesn't always work. This does continue the graphic deaths of some characters, one literally torn in two before swallowed. Much deserving of a delicious death, Peter Stormare , gets pleasure from torturing the weakest of the dinosaurs and shows no compassion for those who become innocent victims. Then there's cameraman Richard Schiff whose arrogance at first makes him seem a perfect snack, but his heroism turns the table as fear takes over in his final moments. But the best crunch and munch is saved for the end as Pete Postlethwaite's leader of the exposition finds him trapped with both mother and baby and gives the audience a lot to cheer about.
Moore finds out by accident that even the herbivore parents don't like their babies being messed with and nearly becomes the target for a swinging spiked tail. Don't underestimate the power of the small carnivorous dinosaurs because in large groups, their damage takes a longer time to lead to death than the big ones, and they are quite determined critters. Then there's the raptors, as bullying as ever, once again putting Moore in jeopardy, in a way that is quite funny. But their escape from the island isn't the end of the movie, and the sight of the T-Rex roaming the streets of San Diego is very funny as well. The fact that this entire neighborhood seems to sleep through the dino march is absurd. It's a great nail chewing ending however, and that makes this still a ton of fun.