Four years after the phenomenon that was Jurassic Park, its sequel; The Lost World was released in cinemas. In my opinion it’s one of those underrated sequels that gets more criticism than it deserves. Is it better than the original? No. Is it entertaining? Yes.

In The Lost World we find out that there is a second island (Isla Sorna) where the dinosaurs were nurtured before being integrated into the park we saw in the first film (Isla Nublar). It had been kept secret in order to protect the dinosaurs however that secret is now out and there are people who, yet again, want to make money off the dinosaurs by bringing them to the United States. What’s that I hear you say – “How could this possibly go wrong?”

This is a common theme of the franchise; humans making stupid decisions where greed and power have disastrous consequences.

I remember going to the cinemas to see this one, so I do have some nostalgic feelings towards it but you know what, I had a good time with the re-watch. One of my most vivid memories of the film was the scene with the velociraptors in the long grass taking out a pack of hunters one by one in rapid succession. I remember the fear I felt in the cinema and slowly sinking down in my seat with an unimpressed parent next to me who probably didn’t want to be there in the first place!

Unfortunately that scene with the raptors wasn’t quite as scary as I remember it but the follow up scene where our heroes walk right into their hunting ground was fantastic. My one negative here would have to be the gymnastics element. Earlier in the film there is a set up with Ian’s daughter Kelly no longer being on the gymnastics team at school and of course this comes in handy down the track in this scene. No criticism to this, that’s pretty standard in an action film. It’s just why gymnastics – they can never seem to make the bar look realistic to the surroundings. It always looks like a gymnastics bar amongst, in this case, the roof bearings. Second time in a week I’ve noticed this, as it also occurs in Hot Shots!

I also found a number of the action sequences felt like it could be an amusement ride ready for Universal Studios. This probably lines up with around the time the actual Jurassic Park ride was introduced at Universal, so I am not sure if this was done intentionally. It’s not the first action film I’ve had similar feelings with and I’m not saying that’s a good or a bad thing. One one hand I think it actually adds some fun and makes you feel a little more involved, while on the other hand it’s probably wise to avoid making people want to be on an island with dinosaurs roaming free!

Of the sequels in the franchise, this one is probably the best. With a tyrannosaurs running amuck in San Diego, you’ll have a bit of fun with your weekend action pick.

Rating:  Good