An educated critique (contains spoilers).

Rating: 5/10 (13 December 2000)

I have just watched this film for the second time, this time on TV (unfortunately I paid to see it at the cinema originally). Firstly, many reviewers here have criticized Spielberg for not remaining faithful to Crighton's book. The reason for this is because Spielberg knows that movies *aren't* books; books adapted to the screen must be done so with an understanding that *movies* are about movement and colour and sound and many things that a book isn't and can never be. To reproduce a book exactly as a film would usually be impossible simply for reasons of film running time alone. To remain faithful to a book is always extremely difficult with the *best* of adaptations (*and* the best of books). Since Crighton's Lost World was not a classic literary work to start with, I think Spielberg was perfectly entitled to have changed it in any way he felt necessary. I say this merely to enlighten anyone out there who reads a book and then goes to see a film adaptation of it, and not because I want to excuse Spielberg. One must try to understand the differences between the two mediums and not set themselves up for a big fall by expecting the film to remain exactly faithful to the work it is 'based' on. However inaccurate to the book it was based on, The Lost World is shockingly sub-Spielberg. It is a good film if we are to compare it to average Hollywood fare but by Spielberg's own high standards this is awful. In the run up to its release, I had given a great deal of thought to how I would make this film (had I the chance) and I had envisioned so much more than was actually delivered. For example, I felt sure we would get to see a dinosaur fight (which was staple fare in the dinosaur films I grew up watching), but one that would be so much better for the amazing reality of the new effects that were available; the classic triceratops versus T-Rex rumble! Sadly, there was very little such fun to this film. It felt like what it was; a trite, contrived, cash-in on the success of the original, right down to including the original's name in the title (in case anyone was in any doubt about what it was they had gone to see). As has been said in other reviews here, the links to the first film were almost entirely pointless, especially showing Lex and Tim for ten seconds. Then there is the cover-up exposition to get around the fact that Laura Dern and Co. had had the wisdom to steer clear of any sequel, and the introduction of a totally unnecessary daughter for Ian Malcolm. His relationship with his daughter was a cliche, as was Julianne Moore's 'strong ', 'independent', modern woman. The clumsy plants in the early dialogue about the 'lucky backpack' or revealing that Malcolm's daughter is a gymnast, were examples of 'screenwriting by numbers'. There was so much in this film that went way beyond my ability to suspend disbelief e.g. the scene with Ian, Sarah and Kelly running around evading the raptors. These are dinosaurs that can run in excess of 60 m.p.h.! In the first film (and earlier in this one) we saw the raptors leaping great distances, and killing with deadly swiftness and efficiency. In this scene however they become all 'stalky' and decide to walk around. We are even treated to one scene where Sarah races to dig under a cabin wall before a raptor can do the same to get to her and Kelly; what a joke! The raptor has a huge six inch ripping claw, those powerful legs, etc. versus her fingernails!? A Jack Russel dog would have out-dug her, let alone a veloceraptor! Why didn't Ian berate Sarah after all he had predicted, had come to pass? It might not be something the audience would have wanted to hear (debatable) but realistically he would definitely have given her a piece of his mind! People *died* because she and 'Mr Green' brought the baby T-Rex into the truck. What mindless stupidity! I immediately thought that Malcolm should quickly put a bullet in the baby's head (because to try to argue them into taking it back outside and leaving it would take too long). He would have blown his top (even more so after what ensued)! Sure, they have a right to endanger themselves if they wish, but him and his daughter? The *transposition* (for this was all it amounted to) of the action from the island to San Diego was to be expected but wasted; too much movie time had already been spent *getting there* for there to be any time to do the scenario justice. We were 'treated to' the time-worn gag of the kid telling his parents about what he has seen; the dino ran around a bit, lots of people ran as well; they screamed, cars crashed, the dino returned to the boat. The T-Rex was an *animal*; it had no character, and until Ian brought the baby into the scene, no objective. All it could do was wonder about aimlessly. Thus, what should have been a thrilling build up to the climax, was simply mundane. No amount of technical wizardry can make up for lack of narrative drive and character involvement. I also shouldn't fail to mention the now infamous plot hole of the arrival of the boat that brought the beast to San Diego in the first place. What a shambles! Neither was there enough blood and horror to do the subject matter justice; this was meant to be a film about the most successful predators ever to have walked the Earth, terrorizing humans. Big Predators! Twenty feet high, forty feet long, *eight ton* predators! When the guy got stomped, he was trodden on *three times* and yet he looked to me as if he was still alive, let alone intact!
I think that if you are going to make a film with this subject matter, it *demands* blood and guts. A bit of blood in the river is simply not frightening enough; and the guy getting ripped in two had no blood whatsoever. Look at the fear-inducing power of the torture scene in Reservoir Dogs; we actually see very little blood in that but the fear was palpable. There was plenty of blood in Jaws. Why not in this?
I was so disappointed with this film that I recall thinking how hard it was to believe that Spielberg had actually directed it. Then I saw a documentary in which Spielberg said something that I thought was very revealing. The interviewer asked him if those he worked with were so much in awe of him that they felt unable to tell him whenever they disagreed with him creatively. Spielberg said 'no way' - lots of people would criticize him. The interviewer pressed him to reveal *who* exactly, and how they might do it. Spielberg at first seemed reluctant to answer, and then said that one woman (I forget who he said she was) had said 'I wouldn't want *my* children to see that'; Spielberg then seemed to bite his tongue as if he said something he shouldn't have. I think this is a clear sign that during the making of Lost World, he allowed others to influence him, when obviously he alone was the creative leader of the production team. As the man whose filmmaking acumen and instincts have made him the most successful director of all time, he should never have allowed himself to listen to some 'Mrs no-talent' and allow it to affect his judgement. Of course, he cannot blame such people; he *does* know better than to listen to comments from others less talented than himself, as his past successes prove.
It is only fair to mention that the dinosaur effects are sensational; but then we already knew they would be. However, the only improvements that *could* have been made to the original, sensational dinosaur effects, were very subtle ones, that made too little a difference for them to carry this otherwise weak film; besides which, special effects alone do not a movie make.
I certainly do not relish another film in this series. 'JP3' brings to my mind a cinema rule of thumb: few films with a sequel number in the title ever do any box office. Spielberg won't be directing it and it will inevitably be a botch up without even the quality of effects of The Lost World. Computer generated effects have already become so overused (and most often misused) that most cinema-goers are jaded to them. Only a top-notch director and a great, *original* story would have any chance of significant box office success with this storyline. Believe me, this is not going to happen.