_Jurassic_Park_III_ (PG-13) ** 1/2 (out of ****)
For an installment of one of the most lucrative screen franchises in history, _Jurassic_Park_III_ arrives on screens with a curious lack of hype, at least compared to some other so-called "blockbusters" this summer. Sure, _Jurassic_Park_ and _The_Lost_World:_Jurassic_Park_ director Steven Spielberg now only gets an executive producer credit this time around, and the less-marquee-friendly Joe Johnston handles the helming chores here. The bottom line, however, is that the film is another go-round of a formula that has proven wildly successful more than once: humans + island + dinosaurs. Could it be that Universal knows something that we don't, anticipating that moviegoers have tired of prehistoric predators? Whether or not that may be true before _JPIII_'s release, it could very well be the case after audiences see this installment, easily the least satisfying of the series.
Before it goes terribly wrong, however, _Jurassic_Park_III_ actually gets a number of things right. The reintroduction to Sam Neill's Dr. Alan Grant, who was absent in _The_Lost_World_, is handled quite briskly by Johnston and the writing crew (the three scribes receiving screen credit are Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor--the latter two best known for their Oscar-nominated _Election_ work), as is the basic plot thread stringing together the dino scenes. Ex-spouses Paul and Amanda Kirby (William H. Macy and Téa Leoni) convince Dr. Grant to accompany them on a flight over dino-populated Isla Sorna. Of course, such a foolish trip goes awry when a plane crash leaves them stranded and alone to fend for themselves against the usual suspects--the velociraptor, the mighty T-rex--and some newcomers to the _Jurassic_ mythos: notably, the winged, meat-eating pteranodon and the more-ferocious-than-T-rex spinosaurus.
To Johnston's credit, _JPIII_ moves at a snappier pace than the previous two films; the streamlined plot allows for a steady stream of dino set pieces with minimal interruption. Unfortunately, the attempts to build character and drama during the non-action interludes are predictable and uninvolving. Paul and Amanda grow closer while searching for their son Eric (Trevor Morgan), who is lost on the island; a key "twist" involving Grant's younger associate Billy Brennan (Alessandro Nivola) can be seen coming a mile away. Certainly not helping the credibility of the drama is the truly wretched performance of Leoni, who accomplishes the seemingly impossible feat of out-overacting the first film's Laura Dern (who makes a return cameo). The big dramatic showcase for Leoni is a bring-down-the-house moment in the worst way; it goes down as one of the comic highlights (or lowlights, depending on how you look at it) of the cinema year.
Thank goodness a dinosaur pops in at frequent enough intervals to get Leoni and everyone else to shut up and simply start running for their lives. Johnston stages a couple of standout action sequences, particularly the first spinosaurus scene, involving the wrecked fuselage of the plane; and a set piece involving a nest of hungry pteranodons. Effective action sequences such as these appear to build the film toward a grand finish--one that never comes. Say what one will about _The_Lost_World_ and its rather controversial third act twist, one cannot say that the film didn't build up to a big payoff. The same cannot be said of _JPIII_, which reportedly began filming without an ending in place--and does that fact ever show. Not only is the wrap-up an anticlimax of mammoth proportions, it then devolves into overdone and downright ridiculous hokum.
_Jurassic_Park_III_ is a reasonable enough thrill ride for a good portion of its shockingly lean 90-minute run time (as opposed to the two-hour-plus sizes of the Spielberg installments), but like any thrill ride, it's ultimately only as good as the feeling it leaves the audience--and the rather startling way in which the film deflates is enough to ensure that for most viewers, this third trip will be the least charming.
©2001 Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina twotrey@juno.com | jordan_host@sportsmail.com | mrbrown@iname.com The Movie Report/Mr. Brown's Movie Site: www.mrbrownmovies.com www.filmthreat.com | www.cinemareview.com | www.digitalwidescreen.com on ICQ: #25289934 | on AOL Instant Messenger: MrBrown23
========== X-RAMR-ID: 29103 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 242456 X-RT-TitleID: 1108705 X-RT-SourceID: 636 X-RT-AuthorID: 1202 X-RT-RatingText: 2.5/4
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