The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Widescreen Collector's Edition)

Jeff Goldblum is back visiting the dinosaurs, along with several other characters from the previous movie. This time our scientists are observing the behavior of the dinosaurs, trying to learn as much as possible, a very scientist-like activity. However, greed plays a part once again as a team of big-game hunters come to the island to attempt to capture an array of dinosaurs for a dinosaur zoo in an attempt for Ingen to recoup some of its substantial investment in the dinosaurs.

All appears to be going well for everyone except the dinosaurs until the scientists decide to play environmentalists and release all the dinosaurs from their cages. The dinosaurs go on a rampage (ever seen a rampaging triceratops?), destroying the camp of the hunters. Even then our scientists would have been okay had they not decided to help a baby tyrannosaurus. The parents track down the baby with predictably bad results for the humans.

Now scientists and big game hunters alike are on the run from the tyrannosaurs, and in the process of escaping they encounter our old friends the raptors, still intelligent, still agile, and still very hungry.

Eventually some of the characters escape, and the tyrannosaurus and its baby are captured so that they can be taken to California. Something unexplained happens on the ship and the only thing left are the tyrannosaurs and a hand trying keeping a cargo bay door closed. Remove the hand and a miniature Godzilla roams the streets of San Diego.

The first Jurassic Park movie had plot holes that you were able to ignore in favor of the cool special effects and the action. This time the plot holes are bigger than the movie. Real scientists do not behave as Dr. Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) does in this movie. As Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) advises her, "Do not interact," a basic rule of scientific observation. Interacting is for Green Peace and the Sierra Club, not for real scientists.

Our hunters blunder about in a manner that is guaranteed to get them killed. They run when they should walk. They walk when they should stay put. The actions of the supposed scientists continually put everyone into danger. When you remove the bullets from a gun, and the gun is later used to attempt to protect you, the result is predictable. The plot holes continue in allowing the tyrannosaur escape.

Added to the plot holes are moments of humor that further spin this movie into the realm of low-budget monster movies. The scene with the dog in a San Diego suburb was completely unnecessary. Of course, by that point I was beyond disappointed with the movie.

This movie does have a few good points, all based on action scenes, but the plot holes outweigh the good portions and the mistakes and silly behavior make this movie difficult to watch. I give this movie three stars because the special effects continued to be good, the only redeeming feature of this movie.

MPAA: PG-13
Running Time: 129 minutes
Year released: 1997