THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK
A film review by Cameron Shelley
Copyright 1997 Cameron Shelley
(Universal)
Review by: Cameron Shelley -- May 25, 1997. Review URL: http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/~cpshelle/Reviews/tlw.html Cast: Jeff Goldblum (Dr. Ian Malcolm), Julianne Moore (Dr. Sarah Harding), Richard Shiff (Eddie Carr), Vince Vaughn (Nick Van Owen), Arliss Howard (Peter Ludlow), Pete Postlethwaite (Roland Tembo), Vanessa Lee Chester (Kelly Malcolm), Richard Attenborough (John Hammond).
Screenplay:
Michael Crichton and David Koepp
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Producer:
Bonnie Curtis, Kathleen Kennedy, Jerry Molen, Steven
Spielberg, and Colin Wilson
The Lost World: Jurassic Park gives the distinct impression of being part sequel and part remake. I think it is largely disappointing in either respect, although it does noticeably worse as a sequel than as a remake. Let me explain.
There are, of course, no fixed criteria according to which a movie constitutes a good sequel to another one, but TLW does meet the minimal requirements. Many of the same characters (or their equivalents) from Jurassic Park return to face the results of that film. But aside from story continuity, one might expect a sequel to develop some of the themes raised in the original, or introduce some new ones. Any such development in TLW is purely incidental. In the original JP, the dinosaurs of Isla Nublar served both as a cautionary example of the results of greed and crass commercialism, and as reminders of how to lead a life in accord with the dictates of nature. The result was not really a convincing lesson so much as a warm, fuzzy feeling, but at least these themes were used aptly to tie the narrative together into a coherent whole. In TLW, Spielberg picks up these themes again, but in a purely repetitive way. The crass commercialism has been transfered from John Hammond to his shifty nephew Arliss Ludlow, while the exposure of nurturing talents is transferred from Dr.s Grant and Sattler to the dinosaurs themselves (most notably the T-rex) which have been running loose on Isla Sorna (Site B) the whole time. Dr. Malcolm makes a return visit, and some attempt is made to explore the nurturing side of his nature, but this element drops out abruptly around the middle of the movie, after his daughter drop kicks a Velociraptor (shades of Gymkata)! Of course, no one expects much themewise from a big budget, effects picture, but the attempts made in this picture are notably haphazard and half-hearted. Sequels don't have to be played from the same hand as their predecessors; something more original would have almost certainly been an improvement.
In other respects, TLW works best where it almost constitutes a remake of the original. The first act of the movie revisits much of the look and feel (and story - with some insertions from the original novel) of JP and seems to land Spielberg in his element, with the result that he recreates much of JP's suspense and excitement. The timing, direction, and special effects were generally very good and fastened all eyes on the screen. (The sound was a bit of a drawback - more on that later.) Spielberg clearly realized that he could not draw out the exposure of the audience to the dinosaurs as much as in JP, so he switched to presenting more dinosaurs doing more things - good move. Scenes were smoothly and deftly linked by simple but effective use of visual continuities, and the frequent facial closeups made the events more involving than they might otherwise have been (although this last technique started to look mechanical later in the film). This first part of the picture works well at the level of an amusement park ride (in fact, I believe the Universal Studios ride based on TLW is already up and running), with the humans going from chasing the dinosaurs to being chased by them. Lots of suspense, some action, no drama. Ok.
But with the exit from Isla Sorna, the movie completely changes tone and coasts home. Roland Tembo, the big game hunter who leads Ludlow's dinosaur salvage operation, bows out; a shame, as he was the most interesting and best rendered character in the film. Two live T-rex (a juvenile and its parent) are shipped to San Diego to be part of a glorified carnival exhibit. Suspense goes out the window in favor of a comic carnivorous romp through various neighborhoods of San Diego. The comedy works at a superficial level: The audience recognized and laughed at the car crashes, the fleeing humans, and the numerous little movie in-jokes. In the first half, people were marked for death due to their moral failures; now they die for a quick laugh. This aspect of the TLW is the biggest letdown compared with JP. In JP the comedy was subtler and fundamental to the development of the plot, whereas here it is manufactured and attached with duct tape. But even without considering JP, the second act of TLW succeeds perhaps too well as a burlesque of the first act, and inadvertently plants the suggestion that TLW is just like any generic B movie, but distinguished by a monster budget.
As a sideline, I should add that I saw TLW in a cineplex without the DTS sound system. Unfortunately, it appears that Spielberg is distributing the movie in only this sound format, with the result that the sound as I got it lacked some depth. In an effects picture, this is an important consideration. Moviegoers should either seek out cinemas with the DTS system, or take umbrage at this odd (grasping?) commercial tactic and avoid TLW altogether.
Anyway, although TLW features lots of technically excellent effects and direction, it also features a story that lacks basic coherence and eventually even undercuts itself. TLW does best where it recreates the sense of menace and spectacle from JP, but fails as its attempts at independent development simply turn into diversions.
cpshelle@watarts.uwaterloo.ca - Phone: (519) 888-4567 x2555
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