I have never actually used the term "it's good in isolation" until this moment.
After much hunting, I came across the Jurassic Park box-set for a reasonable price, and naturally had to buy it- the films have been a favourite of mine since I had to be taken out of the cinema when I saw the first one...
Jurassic Park III I felt was too... Hollywood. Not enough real life situations (Eric, not matter how good a Boy Scout he was, would NOT have been able to survive on a dinosaur-filled island for 8 weeks), and far too much in the way of 'overacting' (if that's possible). Téa Leoni annoyed me a lot in this film- SOMEONE STOP HER SCREAMING. The typical Hollywood end didn't appeal much, but still... it is American. Watching most of the mercenaries die in the first few minutes wasn't particularly appealing- where's the psychological element of waiting for them to get picked off??? Come on! Also, the noises the dinosaurs made... poor, to say the least. The first film had amazing, floor-shivering roars, and genuinely scary snarls and squeaks. This film obviously employed some guy making snarly noises into a voice disguiser for a phone. However, the bad points are few and far between... the only other one I can really think of is the end. It felt far too rushed, as if the film crew just realised that they had £5 left in the piggy bank- "Hang on, guys- we're about to hit the red- take 6, and call it a wrap."
These bad points aren't enough to condemn what is essentially an enjoyable, and intelligent, film. A fair amount of the dialogue is fairly snappy, but not in places where it would be inappropriate. You've got to love some of the prophetic fallacy! The first encounter of the raptors also made me smile... mainly because I was waiting for Téa Leoni's character to get what she deserved. The fight scenes, dinosaur between dinosaur, were awesome. I still think that killing the original anti-hero of the first film is an unforgivable act, especially as the science books say that the killer is inferior, but re-using the same villains is wearing- as many horror films have proved...
What I prefer about this (macabre as it sounds) is that you actually get to see people being eaten. The Lost World relied too heavily upon the "psychologically effective" blood-in-the- water (a good way to cut down on special effects by pouring a lot of red food dye into the water...). So it's refreshing, at least. The scene with the plane is also very good- atmospheric? Just a bit! The raptors also manage to create genuine suspense, and the way they are portrayed is chilling. I was also a fan of the "large birds" ;).
In isolation, this film is a definite 7 out of 10- some bad points, but nowhere near enough to turn it into trash. Compared to the other 2... well, it can't hold a candle to the first one, but comes close to the second one. Roll on Jurassic Park IV, but do spare a thought for Jurassic Park III, and give it a go!
After much hunting, I came across the Jurassic Park box-set for a reasonable price, and naturally had to buy it- the films have been a favourite of mine since I had to be taken out of the cinema when I saw the first one...
Jurassic Park III I felt was too... Hollywood. Not enough real life situations (Eric, not matter how good a Boy Scout he was, would NOT have been able to survive on a dinosaur-filled island for 8 weeks), and far too much in the way of 'overacting' (if that's possible). Téa Leoni annoyed me a lot in this film- SOMEONE STOP HER SCREAMING. The typical Hollywood end didn't appeal much, but still... it is American. Watching most of the mercenaries die in the first few minutes wasn't particularly appealing- where's the psychological element of waiting for them to get picked off??? Come on! Also, the noises the dinosaurs made... poor, to say the least. The first film had amazing, floor-shivering roars, and genuinely scary snarls and squeaks. This film obviously employed some guy making snarly noises into a voice disguiser for a phone. However, the bad points are few and far between... the only other one I can really think of is the end. It felt far too rushed, as if the film crew just realised that they had £5 left in the piggy bank- "Hang on, guys- we're about to hit the red- take 6, and call it a wrap."
These bad points aren't enough to condemn what is essentially an enjoyable, and intelligent, film. A fair amount of the dialogue is fairly snappy, but not in places where it would be inappropriate. You've got to love some of the prophetic fallacy! The first encounter of the raptors also made me smile... mainly because I was waiting for Téa Leoni's character to get what she deserved. The fight scenes, dinosaur between dinosaur, were awesome. I still think that killing the original anti-hero of the first film is an unforgivable act, especially as the science books say that the killer is inferior, but re-using the same villains is wearing- as many horror films have proved...
What I prefer about this (macabre as it sounds) is that you actually get to see people being eaten. The Lost World relied too heavily upon the "psychologically effective" blood-in-the- water (a good way to cut down on special effects by pouring a lot of red food dye into the water...). So it's refreshing, at least. The scene with the plane is also very good- atmospheric? Just a bit! The raptors also manage to create genuine suspense, and the way they are portrayed is chilling. I was also a fan of the "large birds" ;).
In isolation, this film is a definite 7 out of 10- some bad points, but nowhere near enough to turn it into trash. Compared to the other 2... well, it can't hold a candle to the first one, but comes close to the second one. Roll on Jurassic Park IV, but do spare a thought for Jurassic Park III, and give it a go!
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