Solid action-adventure film

Rating: Null/10 (6 June 2008)

"It always starts like this... ooh, ahhh. Then there's running... and screaming."- Dr. Ian Malcolm
While in "Jurassic Park" both the 'ooh, ahh' parts and the 'running... and screaming' parts were equally enthralling and captivating, it's mainly the running and screaming that's of interest here. Outside of the opening sequence much of the early section of the film just isn't very interesting.
The strength of this franchise as a whole is its setting. The creepy, slightly spooky and weird islands with plenty of rain provide a perfect setting for some inventive dinosaur attacks and dramatic tension. This is why taking the dinosaurs off that island and into civilization was a mistake- it's too familiar. It loses the spookiness and distinctive feel of the 'Lost World' fiction sub-genre and ends up feeling cheap and silly. I'd say that from about thirty minutes in until the last thirty minutes this film is on par with the first installment in terms of pacing, characterization, and dialogue... then it deteriorates. The film never gets bad enough for it to be unwatchable but there are mediocre parts here in addition to the exciting parts.
The characters are solid as well as the cast. Dr. Alan Grant is sorely missed, but Malcolm is fun enough to compensate. Dr. Sarah Harding played by Julianne Moore is a good supporting character as is Pete Postlethwaite's Captain Ahab-esquire Roland Tembo. The cinematography by Janusz Kaminski is solid here and although Spielberg doesn't seem to be very inspired here he is a professional and knows how to make a film work.
If it wasn't for the dull opening half hour and the misguided final act this would have been a consistently entertaining, action-packed romp. Sadly, it wasn't to be. Still, "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" is far, far from the garbage some would have you believe it is and is actually a solid action/adventure film.
7/10