"Oooh...ahhhh...that's how this all starts...but then there's running...and screaming..."      

THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (PG-13) 

Site B.

Four years after the tragedy at InGen Corp.'s "Site A" in Isla Nublar (aka Jurassic Park), mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) is once again called upon by financeer John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), this time to research Site B in Isla Sorna.  What is Site B?  Well, it's a lot like Site A, except this time there aren't any gates, fences, or security measures onsite.  Very simply, Site B is dinosaurs run wild in their natural habitat.  Some fun, eh?

Malcolm, wary as ever of Hammond's projects, refuses to suppport a trip to Site B, reiterating his belief (and who could blame him after last time) that dinosaurs and humans just don't mix.  Then he learns that his girlfriend, paleontologist Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) is already on the island--alone--and so, reservations or not, it's off to The Lost World...

The quotation above ("Oooh...ahhh...that's how this all starts...") summarizes the appeal of the original Jurassic Park film.  Lots of oohs and ahhhs from the dinosaur effects, and then the thrill of seeing dinosaurs run amock on the silly humans.  The Lost World also contains both these elements, though with a much heavier emphasis on the "running and screaming" than in the "oohs and ahhhs".  There are definitely more and gorier deaths at Site B, and the terror index is cranked a notch higher here than in the original.  Thanks to advances in special effects, the dinosaurs are also absolutely first rate (even better than in Jurassic Park), giving them a truly realistic quality as they interact with the humans. 

Those who saw and enjoyed Jurassic Park should find plenty to like in The Lost World.  Drawing from the technical information given in the first film (e.g. how do you bring a dino back to life, etc.), The Lost World literally "cuts to the chase", and believe me there are lots of chases!!  Unfortunately, the characters in this film are generally less likeable than the ones in the original, but then again the dinos are the real stars of this show.  Come for the dinos, stay for the meal!!  If there's a character in this film you don't like, just wait a while...chances are they won't be around much longer...

CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP!!!  The Lost World is an entertaining two hour ride, brought to us once again by Steven Spielberg and company.  It's fast and it's fun, and if you've always wanted to see a T-Rex run loose in downtown San Diego, it's the movie to see...

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!!

cfrancett@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "its very good but i saw the third jurassic park and it was on isla sorna site b. why didn't they see a spinasaurus. i also give jurassic park 3 a 4 star rating " (8/16/01)

michel1989@netmail.nl gives this movie  stars: "I think this is the best movie ever!" (4/21/01)

lagered_today@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "This movie was fantastic, although it does not hold its own compared to the book, in some parts a wee bit unrealistic, but would you have gone to see the movie if there wasnt any artificially created parts, thats where all the interesting stuff comes into it " (8/27/00)

Christopher Leitch gives this movie  stars: "I am a great fan " (8/15/00)

rfksecond2@cs.com gives this movie  stars: "Other than more kills than in the first movie, this film sucked." (6/17/00)

David Rogers gives this movie  stars: "Good film, though the ending was too Godzilla. It still has a long way to catch up with Spielberg's best (by which I mean Jaws and the Back to the Future trilogy)." (5/2/00)

Wacojoe gives this movie  star: "My friends and I have a game to name the most stupid plot element from this movie. The choices are almost endless. My favorite is the scene where the characters save the baby T-Rex and gently give it back to momma, or is it when the pissant SUV pulls the bus back up the cliff with spinning tires in the mud, or is it when the bad ol' monsters are located on the ship after eating the crew and locking themselves back into the hold of the ship. What a mess. Is there a rating lower than one star that can be reserved for "Lost World" and "Snow White and the Three Stoges"." (12/30/99)

jessfroggy@prodigy.net gives this movie  stars: "this movie had the worst plot ive ever seen the charicters were so stupid and the unreality of the action scenes made me laugh especially the gymnastic thing give me a break the dinosaurs still loked real and some of the action scenes were good but thats about it" (8/18/99)

ronin@dccnet.com gives this movie  stars: "This movie is one of the worst movies of 1997. It is full of stupid action sequences, boring character, no plot, and a very absurd ending." (11/17/98)

Gizmo95958@aol.com gives this movie  stars: "Jurassic Park was not Spielberg's greatest film (by no standard), but was still a good popcorn flick. Whereas, The Lost World is an absolute low for Spielberg. The Lost World is purely money based, for no other reason would it be made. Plot-wise, this is a sad display of filmmaking. Never before have I seen a movie so disorganized. EX/ How did all those people on the boat at the end of the movie die? The T. Rex couldn't have eaten them, he was still locked in his cage. There were no other creatures on the boat. Overall, Lost World is an extreme dissapointment. Even the stunning special effects can't save this movie from total pointlessness." (8/10/98)

Burlif@glo.be gives this movie  stars: "I liked this movie. There was only one scene that bothered me. The scene with the truck. It just took to long. That was a bit boring. But the dinasaurs were great. Perhaps there should be more Brachiosaurs. You could not see him much in the movie." (8/5/98)

darkclaw@mailcity.com gives this movie  stars: "Wasn't as good as it's predecessor, but it was still good. It would've been better if Sarah had died.. anyone else notice how she was very lucky.. unnaturally so.." (4/21/98)

David gives this movie  stars: "Some fun but we've already seen it before. I would rather go see a man sit. Very boring, outrageous and silly. If it finished on the park, 3 stars but the ending with the T-Rex crushing the city, was plain humiliating to all the cast and crew of this film. I can't believe everyone loved it, it was outright crap!" (1/24/98)

rdavis3923@aol.com gives this movie  stars: "Hi I'm brandon davis and in lost world I like the part when the T-rex was san diego." (12/28/97)

curt@gte.net gives this movie  stars: "The Lost World was the best movie I ever saw in my life,I enjoyed it." (12/24/97)

Dennis Treat gives this movie  stars. (11/17/97)

manshack@trellis.net gives this movie  stars: "Plot-wise, this movie was absolutely awful. The characters were idiots, the plot twists were unrealisitc, pretty much the entire story was driven by whether or not it would produce a cool special effect. You get the idea that all the big effect scenes were shot first, then the story was written to fill in the gaps. Jeff Goldblum was great, but the acting ended there. None of the supporting characters were even worth mentioning. The special effects were outstanding, but were a moot addition to many of the scenes. The best thing about this movie is finding all of the inconsistencies with the first movie. The raptors are seriously dumbed down, the T-rex hunts by smell (that was specifically shot down in the first movie), nothing seems to make sense. Go see Men In Black.  (7/13/97)

Lsb531@trip.net gives this movie  stars: "The Lost World was great. The best action film of the year, by far. I don't care what anyone says about Men in Black and how its so much better than The Lost World, when in reality it wasn't. People went in to see The Lost World thinking they were going to get Jurassic Park all over again. Boy were those people wrong. What they got was a horror film twice as good as the first. Everything in The Lost World is better than in the first. Better plot, better characters, more kills, better effects. BETTER MOVIE. The Lost World is the best sequel since Empire Strikes Back. I'm dead serious about this. Jurassic Park and The Lost World are two completely different movies with completely different stories. So if your looking for Jurassic Park all over again don't go see this, but if you want a thrill ride of your life get your butt up and go see this movie right now." (7/10/97)

And1Champ@aol.com gives this movie  stars: "Great, good, not as good as the first one, I have better memories of seeing the first one,I was younger,having more fun, but it was good. But I have to say Ian Malcom was kinda uh.. stupid in this one, he wasn't that funny, Nick Van Owen was boring and thought he was a hot shot, Dr.Harding was hot, Eddie Carr was cool and shouldn't of gotten eaten. The bad guys in this movie were not as good as the first one like Dennis Nedry and Lewis Dogdson all the villians in this one were all in one company, I dont know, I was just having a crappy day when I saw it other wise, it was awesome. (6/24/97)

nc@aol.com gives this movie  stars: "I really enjoyed the movie, but I think Jurassic Park was alot better. This one just kinda left you hanging. All and all it was still good." (6/29/97)

gaviola@ix.netcom.com gives this movie  stars: "I thought that The Lost World was tha greatest. I made a story on 2 gyrls about it, and I put on the cover of my book, "Some of this is inspired by The Lost World." I thought that this movie was total neat. I liked all the graphics, and the intense hold-onto-your-seat suspension. I just love suspense movies. Plus, it has lots of things you might like. Listen to meeh, this movie is pretty neat. Especially if you are the intense loving kind of person or just someone seeking adventure. Take it from me, you have GOT to see this movie." (6/8/97)

faber@med.unc.edu gives this movie  stars: "Technically a great film if you like special effects, but like Twister and so many other FX movies the characters are only there to give the FX people a frame to work around. If they wanted to make a movie based on Criton's book, why didn't they? The storyline was weak. The actors were not used to their full potential. There was no character development. Halfway throught the movie I didn't care if they ALL got eaten. The ending was tedious at best. If they wanted to spoof, they passed on some prime opportunities. I think the best way to sum this movie up is a line from the first movie (and book) ironically enough uttered by Ian Malcolm, "The were so busy trying to figure out if they could do it, they never stopped to think if they should." Lost World should not have been made without a better script." (5/29/97)

sirajul@escape.ca gives this movie  star: "I really thought this movie SUCKED. I couldn't believe I wasted $8.50 on this tripe. The dinosaurs looked great - but that was the only upside in a terrible film. On another plus, my friends and I have not been to a movie like this in a long time where we can sit back and heckle the hell out of it - that made it SOME fun. There was a lot of unintentional humor (and the audience picked up on it). Definitely NOT worth the money. Picture a B movie with a big budget - best description. I can't believe Speilberg is associated with this!" (5/26/97)