An amiable, refreshingly old-fashioned feeling miniseries of the classic Conan Doyle, which has already been filmed so many times in the past that, to be frank, we don't really need yet another adaptation. The reason for this production's existence? The BBC's special effects wizards, who created the dinosaurs for the critically acclaimed WALKING WITH DINOSAURS documentary television series and its less-than-well-received sequel, WALKING WITH BEASTS. Obviously some head honcho at the BBC decided that he had a winning formula on his hand when mixing the dinosaur creations with a handful of well-known actors and filming an exotic adventure yarn. The result is watchable enough, but by no means a classic.
The film has more than its fair share of flaws, so it's a surprise that it succeeds in spite of this. Firstly, Doyle's story has been updated to these oh-so-boring P.C. times, with the addition of a female character to the exploring group. Secondly, an unwanted sub-plot of romance rears its ugly head towards the end of the movie, perhaps to appeal to middle-aged housewives or some other majority group who may have been watching. It certainly wasn't in the original novel and isn't needed today. Thirdly, in Doyle's story, the group comprised of four characters. Here, it's been updated to six, with the addition of the female cast member and also an American actor (here it's Peter Falk) to appeal to the overseas audience.
Finally, the special effects. It's probably just me but I'm still not happy with the CGI work, which just doesn't seem convincing despite the animators' best efforts to the contrary. Although shadows are added to the dinosaurs, you never get the sense that they're really in the picture like in some bigger-budgeted production like JURASSIC PARK. They were genuinely impressive; these cheaper cousins are not so, merely adequate. This detracts a little from the action sequences, although a final battle between the native village and two large carnivores is well-staged and invariably exciting. The series threatens to become a little silly with the introduction of a tribe of painted natives and a gang of hairy ape-men, but then comes the most surprising moment in the entire production; a shot in which a human being is attacked and cannibalised by said ape-men! Yes, gut-wrenching gore (albeit briefly shown) is present in a day time BBC miniseries. What is the world coming do? Did all viewers go out and eat their neighbours as a result of this? In the old days of the video nasties such cannibalistic feasts were often cut, so it's a pleasing reminder of how much times have changed.
Bob Hoskins takes the leading role of Professor Challenger and puts in a fittingly shouty, over-the-top performance to suit the role of the gruff yet intrepid explorer. In comparison, James Fox is fine as the bookish, literate (not to mention boring) professor, and the presence of an unneeded but welcome Peter Falk as a crazy preacher man makes things more interesting. Ironically, it is with the younger characters that the movie falls flat. Elaine Cassidy is a plain and uninteresting love interest, and Matthew Rhys an unlikeable wimp. As for Tom Ward, he's passable as the heroic Roxton, but still looks a little young for his years of experience, despite the presence of a moustache.
THE LOST WORLD is surprisingly watchable for a BBC production and the familiar faces in the supporting cast (including Robert Hardy, Tim Healy, and Tessa Peake-Jones) are a welcome addition to the production, recalling the old days in which famous faces used to pop up in cameo appearances all the time. Although the dumbing-down is inevitable, it's not as bad as I feared and I found this to be quite entertaining and worthwhile, if not as good as some of the previous adaptations of the story.
The film has more than its fair share of flaws, so it's a surprise that it succeeds in spite of this. Firstly, Doyle's story has been updated to these oh-so-boring P.C. times, with the addition of a female character to the exploring group. Secondly, an unwanted sub-plot of romance rears its ugly head towards the end of the movie, perhaps to appeal to middle-aged housewives or some other majority group who may have been watching. It certainly wasn't in the original novel and isn't needed today. Thirdly, in Doyle's story, the group comprised of four characters. Here, it's been updated to six, with the addition of the female cast member and also an American actor (here it's Peter Falk) to appeal to the overseas audience.
Finally, the special effects. It's probably just me but I'm still not happy with the CGI work, which just doesn't seem convincing despite the animators' best efforts to the contrary. Although shadows are added to the dinosaurs, you never get the sense that they're really in the picture like in some bigger-budgeted production like JURASSIC PARK. They were genuinely impressive; these cheaper cousins are not so, merely adequate. This detracts a little from the action sequences, although a final battle between the native village and two large carnivores is well-staged and invariably exciting. The series threatens to become a little silly with the introduction of a tribe of painted natives and a gang of hairy ape-men, but then comes the most surprising moment in the entire production; a shot in which a human being is attacked and cannibalised by said ape-men! Yes, gut-wrenching gore (albeit briefly shown) is present in a day time BBC miniseries. What is the world coming do? Did all viewers go out and eat their neighbours as a result of this? In the old days of the video nasties such cannibalistic feasts were often cut, so it's a pleasing reminder of how much times have changed.
Bob Hoskins takes the leading role of Professor Challenger and puts in a fittingly shouty, over-the-top performance to suit the role of the gruff yet intrepid explorer. In comparison, James Fox is fine as the bookish, literate (not to mention boring) professor, and the presence of an unneeded but welcome Peter Falk as a crazy preacher man makes things more interesting. Ironically, it is with the younger characters that the movie falls flat. Elaine Cassidy is a plain and uninteresting love interest, and Matthew Rhys an unlikeable wimp. As for Tom Ward, he's passable as the heroic Roxton, but still looks a little young for his years of experience, despite the presence of a moustache.
THE LOST WORLD is surprisingly watchable for a BBC production and the familiar faces in the supporting cast (including Robert Hardy, Tim Healy, and Tessa Peake-Jones) are a welcome addition to the production, recalling the old days in which famous faces used to pop up in cameo appearances all the time. Although the dumbing-down is inevitable, it's not as bad as I feared and I found this to be quite entertaining and worthwhile, if not as good as some of the previous adaptations of the story.