THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK
A film review by Steve Kong
Copyright 1997 Steve Kong
There are some movies that you go to see for the plot and character development. Then there are the movies that you go to see for the fun factor and the special effects. The Lost World is in the latter category.
After seeing the first movie, Jurassic Park, I did not expect too much walking into the theatre. I was there to see dinosaurs. In The Lost World we find out that there is a Site B from the first movie. Hammond used Site B, located about 80 miles away from the original island, to breed and raise dinosaurs for the main Jurassic Park island. We find out that after the first island was dismantled and all the dinosaurs killed, no one knew about the second island.
The dinosaurs thrived there and continued to live without human interruption. That is until a rich family sails to the island. A dinosaur attacks the daughter of the family and this sets off the story. InGen has now been taken over by Hammond's nephew. Hammond is still alive and wants to leave the island alone and let the dinosaurs live there. Hammond's nephew has other ideas. Hammond calls four people to go and document the dinosaurs on the island in their natural habitat before his nephew and InGen get there. Ian Malcolm is forced into going to the island because Hammond has sent his girlfriend there. Ian's daughter hitches a ride and shows up on the island too. It isn't long until InGen shows up. They, under the command of Hammond's nephew, are there to round up dinosaurs for the Jurassic Park in San Diego. After this point, there story stops and the action begins.
The dinosaurs this time around have more screen time. And they look better than ever. The scenes in which the dinosaurs interact with humans are so amazing, that it would leave most people wondering how they did that. One example of this would be a scene in the beginning where the InGen team is rounding up dinosaurs. Humans are tying up dinosaurs. If you are going to see this film for the dinosaurs, you will not be disappointed.
The actual look of the film is darker and grittier than the first. The first was filled with bright colors and sunlight. The costumes were as if they came out of a comic book. This time around though, most of the action takes place at night. The film itself looks grainier. There is an overall more serious feel to the film.
The one that I have to mention is the sound. Jurassic Park launched DTS, Digital Theatre Sound. The Lost World also uses DTS, and the end result is wonderful. Sounds literally circle the theatre. If you have the chance be sure to see The Lost World in a DTS equipped theatre.
The bottom line for The Lost World is to go into the theatre not expecting too much in the plot, character, and story department. Go to see The Lost World for the fun factor and special effects. Unlike last summer's special effects driven Independence Day, Spielberg wastes no time in between action sequences and special effects sequences. The movie is fast moving and does not stop once everyone reaches the island. As for taking the kids to see The Lost World, this movie is very intense, and I would not recommend it for younger children.
-- steve kong boiled@earthlink.net personal site http://stevekong.home.ml.org my movie site http://hardboiled.home.ml.org
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