Contrived sequel with good effects and effective passages of excitement.

Rating: 6/10 (7 January 2007)

This inevitable sequel to Jurassic Park is a pretty enjoyable movie with excellent special effects and frequent moments of tension. If you study the structure of the film closely, you'll notice that it not only presents itself as a sequel to the earlier film but also resembles a loose remake of King Kong. There are a few misjudgements in the movie, just little things that undermine the overall impact, but generally-speaking it hits its targets with the kind of slick, consummate efficiency that characterises most Steven Spielberg films.
Dr Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), a survivor from the original adventure  see "Jurassic Park",  is summoned by entrepreneur John Hammond (Richard Attenborough). Hammond confesses that a second genetically-engineered dinosaur island exists out in the Pacific. It seems that some of the breeding experiments for the original Jurassic Park were carried out on this other island, but scientists are baffled by the way the dinosaurs have flourished and somehow adapted to their habitat without any interference from mankind. A team of scientists is out on the island observing the dinosaurs for research purposes and Hammond wishes Malcolm to join them. Initially against the idea, Malcolm soon finds himself forced into it when he learns that his girlfriend Dr Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) is already out there leading the field study, blissfully unaware of the potential danger she faces. Malcolm heads out to join her and is relieved to find that so far everything on the island seems to be under control. Soon all that changes as a team of hunters turn up led by Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard) and ace hunter Roland Tembo (Pete Postlethwaite). The hunters are on a mission to capture various breeds of dinosaur and take them back to San Diego where a new Jurassic tourist attraction has been built. Malcolm's group face a perilous journey to escape from the island, but worse is to follow as the hunters foul-up their attempt to transport a living T-Rex into San Diego.
Perhaps the main misjudgement with this film is the excessively contrived plot. It was virtually certain from the moment the first film was a smash hit at the box office that a sequel would turn up. But in order to provide this sequel with a basic storyline, too many unconvincing story elements have had to be constructed and too many improbable events and coincidences punctuate the film. The climactic sequence in which a T-Rex rampages through San Diego is also a step too far. The film ought to end when Malcolm's group escape from the island, but instead a 25-minute final sequence is tacked on. It's clear that this final sequence is intended to pay homage to King Kong, the ultimate prehistoric-monster-on-the-loose-in-modern-times story, but it jars with all that has gone before. Still, The Lost World: Jurassic Park has plenty to keep viewers entertained. The performances are very enjoyable, especially Goldblum and Postlethwaite, and the dinosaur effects are outstanding. Certain scenes are genuinely thrilling, especially during the section of the film set on the island. Moore's hair-raising escape from a trailer as it is attacked by a T-Rex on the brink of a cliff is real edge-of-the-seat stuff, while the heroes' final desperate effort to reach a rescue helicopter whilst pursued by velociraptors is similarly pulsating. The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a slick, packaged, effortlessly watchable thrill-ride.