If you're going to see this, watch the third one first

Rating: 4/10 (10 September 2001)

Okay, I can only chime in to everyone who says that this movie can't nearly measure up to the first one or that sequels are almost always desaster (Star Trek II-IV and VI are the only exceptions I know to this). I watched Jurassic Park as a ten-year old, loved it, went to see it again two years later, bought the video and know it by heart by now. It's perfect (if I get to write a JP review sometime, I'll tell you why :) which is why I didn't watch TLW when it came to cinemas, cause I felt it would ruin the impression left behind by the first one. Besides, I'd heard that it was gorier and more sinister than the first one, which would underline my impression that bad movies always try to make up for their weaknesses by an excess of blood. However, after having seen JP3 first, I definitely have to say that TLW is not so bad after all. The story is a little weak (which is because the general "man versus nature, things going out of control" idea is covered by the first one) but at least there IS a story, as opposed to JP3. The dialogue can't measure up to JP's (I wouldn't bother watching this one until I know it by heart),but compared to JP3's, it suddenly seems like ingenious screenwriting. The dinosaurs are, as usual, great. And this movie has its own musical theme, which is more than can be said for JP3 (I have a sneaking suspicion they made that movie from clippings from JP and TLW's editing rooms). Unfortunately, a lot of what we see is nothing new (let's just say most scenes from JP find a corresponding one in TLW). Before I go on to the "spoiler" part, let's say that on a scale from 1 to 10, JP would get 9,75 (quarter point off for the abundance of minor flubs), JP3 would get 1, and TLW ranks between 4 and 6, depending on whether you see it prior to or after JP3. One thing has to be said: No sequel will ever, EVER be able to recreate the suspense that's there when you watch JP for the very first time, curious as to what the dinosaurs will look like, and THEN the t-rex approaches with ominous "THUMP"s...

SPOILER WARNING

That the plot could not measure up to JP's is to be expected. But what bugs me is that most of the action scenes give us a déjà vu. The hunting scene reminds us of Grant, Lex and Tim running in the middle of the gallimimus herd. The trailer scene reminds us of the T-rex smashing the car and pushing it off a cliff (and if I remember correctly, Lex and Grant were dangling by a rope, too). Ripples in the water don't have quite the scare effect they used to have. (Continuity: T-rex's steps can be heard minutes before he's actually there, except in the last scene on the boat. Hmmm.) The compys are new and very well done but that scene is awfully brutal (no points off for this though, it's excellently done. But I wouldn't show it to a ten-year-old.) Using two rex instead of one is impressive, but it doesn't make up for the fact that we've seen most of this before. Harding's approaching the stegosaur reminds me of JP's brachiosaur. And what is it with American movies and cute animals, anyhow? A paleontologist approaching a dinosaur enough to pet it. Yeah, right. And what do I do when I find a T-rex baby suffering that will attract the parent any moment now (that's what they put it there for!) I, as someone else correctly said, put a bullet in its head- or at least leave it there. But I definitely don't risk my life to cure the broken leg of the Earth's greatest predator. At least it ate the stupid obligatory American dog.