Review of The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) by Ninteldritch — 06 Jul 2023

My new line for whether something is good or not. Just barely a good movie. While the visual design and effects are spectacular, It lacks the skill in writing of the original. The characters feel sloppily done, in what feels like a vain attempt to rekindle the compellingness of the first film. Characters' viewpoints switch quickly with little warning or impact, and events that are intended as big character moments often come off as unimpactful. Kelly (Ian's daughter) does not have a large enough role in the film. The acting, while not bad, is rocky in places. Jeff Goldblum is of course great. Many of the other actors have moments of less-than-fantastic acting (in my opinion). But that hippie paleontologist... that guy is awesome. Best actor and character in the movie. Shame he died like halfway through. However, there's definitely something here. The set pieces are fantastic, it has some interesting villains, and it does make a genuine attempt at being compelling. An attempt that doesn't always succeed - but an attempt nonetheless. And that statement kind of sums up the whole movie - It doesn't succeed in everything it tries, but the fact that it does try - and much of the time it does succeed - is often good enough. A flawed, but still good, movie.

6.