Day 87: July 26th, 2010

The Lost World: Jurassic Park



Something has survived.

Think we saw the last of those pesky dinosaurs from the original Jurassic Park? Think again. This time around we are going to another island, called Site B. It's here where the dinosaurs actually run free, no cages. Which means that the filmmakers have up the ante a bit. Our humans are stuck on this island while another group of humans decide to go hunting. For some strange reason the film finishes with the T-REX running around San Diego.

How can a film live up to the original? The first was such a huge moment in blockbuster history. Well we are giving no Sam Neil and more Jeff Goldblum. The sequel, is a little too ambitious that it loses itself in all of its grandeur. How could they raise the stakes in this film? Well, for one they thrown the characters into a world that they have absolutely no control over. No cages, no wires or buildings. This is a natural and free environment, this is the dino-environment. Second, we have a freaking T-REX run around San Diego. Yup, to raise the stakes they needed to bring one of those guys back. In a way it feels like a failed King Kong experiment.

The Lost World gives fans what they wanted, more raptors. Yet these raptors are different, more deadly apparently. Velociraptors, yippie, yet they can be taken out by a little girl because she is also a gymnast. Yes, people still moan about that scene and there is a good reason for it. It is utterly ridiculous. I can forgive a character being scared of a snake and getting killed by the Rex, but not that damn gymnastic scene.

Vince Vaughn is in this flick and I think after this and Psycho, he decided that comedy was his one and only place to be. Sure he tried again with The Cell and Domestic Disturbance, but both films failed. He's not bad here, but he also seems out of his element. I wouldn't mind seeing him in another film like this though, give him another chance, but his strong elements are clearly comedy.

Lost World is not as great as the original, but it's also not the travesty people make it out to be. There are many parts in the film that don't live up to the expectations it sets out for itself. The San Diego sequence is insane and you either love it or hate it. I remember seeing this film in the theatres when I was a kid, my opinion of it has lessened since then. I was 10 then, I'm 22 now. It almost feels like the Temple of Doom of the series. It's something kids love but adults seem to roll their eyes at. But that would have to make Jurassic Park III good, when it's just like this one, mediocre.

6/10

Day 86: July 25th, 2010

Jurassic Park



Classic Filmmaking And Entertainment.

What? Dinosaurs are cloned and are running amok in an amusement park? Well, that can't be good. Something must go wrong. Well, something does go wrong, thanks a lot Newman. Know the guests who are at the park before it opens to the public are fresh meat for the so called extinct species.

Spielberg in his hey day, cranking out a film that defined a generation and changed the way special effects are used in films. Jurassic Park is a nail biting, amazement that dazzles and makes you smile with glee. If Superman made you believe a man can fly, then Jurassic Park made you believe we can re-create dinosaurs. Never before have dinosaurs looked so life like and realistic on the screen. Say whatever you want about the special effects today, I still like them, in 1993 it gave audiences and Hollywood something to gawk at.

Three doctors are invited to the preview tour of the park. Sam Neil, Laura Dern and of course the one guy you want to play a doctor/scientist, Jeff Glodblum. While on the tour, a major storm hits and the power goes down. It doesn't help that Wayne Knight is trying to steal the embryos to make some ca-ching. Well, those dinosaurs who eat meat eventually escape and we are in for a thrilling ride. Our first introduction to the T-REX stands as one of the best introductions and visual film achievements to this day.

The cast do well together and the kids aren't AS ANNOYING as they use to be. They still make me grind my teeth though. As a kid, this film was all about the raptor chase sequence. Others seemed to like everything with the T-REX. Either or, every scene that has a dinosaurs is indeed spectacular. A giant leap forward in filmmaking, from a technical standpoint.

A great theme song to tie things up and we have ourself a blockbuster film that doesn't disappoint on repeat viewings. It is still today, as good as it was back in the day. It might seem a bit dated when our little heroine decides to use the computer and we see how freaking basic everything is, but Jurassic Park is a flick that should be seen by everyone looking for a good time at the movies.

8.5/10