Subject: REVIEW: THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (1997)

From: [email-masked] (Christopher Null)
Date: 29 May 1997 18:18:18 GMT

THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK
                      A film review by Christopher Null
                       Copyright 1997 Christopher Null

     Well, it ain't SCHINDLER'S LIST.

     With his highly anticipated JURASSIC PARK sequel, Steven Spielberg
grubs through the filmmaking archives for every plot device, camera
trick, and cliched scene you can think of, and rolls it into one big
mess.  Only with dinosaurs.  Lots of 'em!

     With the low-angle, out-of-focus, washed-out photography, it looks
like Spielberg slapped this thing together on his weekends away from
DreamWorks.  The result is a film that's mostly painful to watch save
for a few big action sequences (admittedly impressive) and a finale that
other critics are certain to ruin for you.

     THE LOST WORLD (plot: more dinosaurs) follows the "Action! --
s-l-o-w exposition -- Action! -- s-l-o-w exposition" sequence of events,
an exercise which really bogs down the beginning of the film, and
combined with just plain goofy plot development (hunters on
motorcycles?  patching a baby T. Rex's broken leg?) robs the movie of
any real terror.  Not even Julianne Moore -- probably best known for
being my favorite actress -- can help much.  So to compensate, Spielberg
calls for many, many automobiles to be toppled over.

     Throw in your sequel-begging ending (don't do it!) and you've got
the makings of a franchise headed the way of Spielberg's first big
monster movie -- Jaws.  JURASSIC PARK 3-D, anyone?  I didn't think so.

RATING:  ***

|------------------------------|
 \ ***** Perfection             \
  \ **** Good, memorable film    \
   \ *** Average, hits and misses \
    \ ** Sub-par on many levels    \
     \ * Unquestionably awful       \
      |------------------------------|

-Christopher Null  /  [email-masked]  /  Writer-Producer
-Visit the Movie Emporium at http://www.filmcritic.com
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