The Lost World: Jurassic Park
1997 · Directed by Steven Spielberg
Original language: English
- adventure
- action
- science fiction
The story
Four years after Jurassic Park's genetically bred dinosaurs ran amok, multimillionaire John Hammond shocks chaos theorist Ian Malcolm by revealing that he has been breeding more beasties at a secret location. Malcolm, his paleontologist ladylove and a wildlife videographer join an expedition to document the lethal lizards' natural behavior in this action-packed thriller.
What it’s like
Dense jungle greens and humid, overcast daylight give way to rain-slicked mud, rusted steel and the flat wash of fluorescent-lit laboratory corridors, with Spielberg's handheld camera hurrying through tall ferns and tight vehicle interiors. The palette shifts between sickly teal and amber sunset, and the big set pieces, a truck dangling over a cliff edge and a San Diego skyline of glass towers under a dark sky, are staged for scale and sudden dread. John Williams's brass and percussion swell into a thunderous adventure score, with quieter stretches of wind and insect noise between the roars. The vibe is restless, pulpy and kinetic, with gallows humour running under the peril. Pacing is brisk, with the cast of scientists and a crew of reluctant survivors shifting from bickering to shared fear, and the arcs are mostly about people who should have learned their lesson, pushed into doing the right thing anyway. Violence is frequent and sometimes graphic: dinosaur attacks on people with bloody consequences, a chase through a city and several stretches of sustained fear, though the gore is more of a hard edge than the focus. It suits a Saturday afternoon thrill, a double bill with the original, or a long-haul flight when you want spectacle. It is for viewers who enjoy creature suspense and popcorn adventure, not anyone looking for something gentle.
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