FRANCHISE ME: THE LOST WORLD

Pretty much. Exactly my complaint. But I do love all the carnage and homage in this.

 

If JURASSIC PARK is DINOSAURUS, then Act 3 of THE LOST WORLD is GORGO.

 

Ha! Nice!

To be honest The Lost World is my favorite out of all three movies. Its just because they're more dinosaurs. I love when the T Rex is on the loose in San Diego. Its what the 98 Godzilla should have been like. Something I've seen in every monster movie, but done with top notch SFX.

Postlewaite & Goldblum are the only reasons I can get any enjoyment out of this at all. Goldblum is simultaneously playing the hero, the cynical sidekick and the comic relief all in the one movie, it's kinda nuts. Postlewaite is just class as always.

 

...and as ridiculous as it is, the double T-Rex attack on the trailer is a tonne of fun.

I enjoyed the second one at least as much as the first one, I thought it was a good solid film. But I loved the third one the best, call me crazy but Spinosauraus was enough to get my five stars.

 

As for the whole 'envrionmentalist hero's are dicks' thing, I thought that was the point of The Lost World. All the deaths were caused by an irresponsible greenie agenda, people thinking of the animals first and the people second, reinforced by the ridiculous bullshit line off, 'We came here to study, you came to stripmine the place'.

 

Maybe I just hate that militaristic green atitude. And no I don't think global warming is a myth.

I've always said that if you want evidence of what a great director Steven Spielberg is, watch The Lost World.  Because he directed that thing pretty much in his sleep and it's still better than a good chunk of what passes for blockbuster cinema these days.

Agreed.   It's no where near as good as the first one but still has some great moments.

 

As I said on Facebook the other day after watching it - this film's exisitence is justified by Pete Postlewaite's Tembo.

Postlewaite belongs in a better Dino-flick though. That little smile he flashes Vince Vaughn when he says "...the second greatest predator must take [the T-Rex] down" is fried gold. In fact, just looking at his imdb quotes page is making me smile.

 

I love the story where he's told that Spielberg called him "the best actor in the world". The ever-humble Postlewaite just went:

 

All this thread is doing is reminding me that Pete Postlewaite is dead. And how sad that still makes me.

The plot of both this film and the novel smack of Spielberg wanting Alan Grant and Ellie Satler as the protagonists.......................and Sam Neill saying no, so they go the Malcolm route instead.  The story would make FAR more sense if it was Alan going to Site B to bring back Ellie.

 

Also, didn't Malcolm DIE at the end of the first novel?

 

That aside, the script itself sounds like Steven went to David Koepp and said "Here is the synopsis Crichton is using and I want these set pieces in it.................Go!".  Also has anyone else read the rumors that Koepp supposedly ghost-directed a decent-sized chunk of this?

Yes.  Crichton dismisses this in the book as tabloid rumors or some such nonsense.

And didn't they leave Muldoon alive on the island at the end of the first book?

 

I really need to reread the first book and actually read the second.

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I thought that was rumored to be Joe Dante.
 

 

I don't buy either one of those rumors. The film's not wacky enough to be Dante, and too competent to be Koepp.

Add me to the "T-Rex in SD Fuck Yeah!" camp (particularly since my family lived in the SD area for several years), but Joshua does a good job of articulating most of the stuff that I disliked about the rest of the film, in particular the way that the retcon undercuts the first film.

A disinterested as Spielberg seems here, I'll certainly give him the credit that I don't believe he let anyone ghost direct parts of the film. He's too talented to even need that. I think he has the ability to direct a project of this size while only half paying attention. Which is exactly what it feels like he did.

Maybe I'm projecting or maybe it's cuz I know Postlethwaite's backstory, but to me it always played like Tembo & Ajay were much more than friends. I personally like that read as it makes Ajay's death all the more affecting.

 

The scene with the trailer going over the cliff elicited a lot of tension in my crowd. It was amazing how quiet everyone stayed through its duration.

 

I could believe Koepp directed the gymnastics scene. Or maybe I just want to believe that.

Watching the sequel-who-must-not-be-named as we speak. First time since I received my Blu set.

 

Fuck, Goldblum's tall. And needs his glasses back.

Yeah, Muldoon survives at the end of the book, which I read my Junior year in high school for my English class, where afterward we saw the newly released dvd version of the movie. Finding that out pissed me off as Muldoon was probably my favorite character next to Ian Malcolm.

 

I had read a rumor not too long ago that since we don't actually see Muldoon die, that they wanted to bring him back in The Lost World. Seeing Bob Peck and Pete Postlewaite together onscreen would have been some stars aligning awesomeness.

Koepp was always the one I'd read about.  Dante was supposed to be in line to do Sayles' JP4 script if they did it, but that never happened.

 

Anyway, the story goes that Koepp was onset everyday rewriting the script..............and supposedly overseeing a chunk of the shooting.  Spielberg was said to be onset as well and majorly involved in most of the set pieces, but less interested in the rest of it.............apparently more concerned with prepping shit for Saving Private Ryan.  I guess ghost-directing is a strong statement, but "supposedly" Koepp had a much larger hand in crafting the film than just at the scripting stages.  It's probably bullshit, but an interesting rumor nonetheless.

Christ, what a slog. I couldn't even make it halfway through last night and ended up watching the (new for Blu) behind the scenes featurettes for it and III instead.

 

Also, I assume the consensus around here is III > II, yes?

I don't know, I feel the highs of II are better than the highs of III, though the lows of II are worse than the lows of III.

I have a lot of contempt for this movie despite the excellent cast, set pieces and soundtrack (the series' best, in my opinion) and the very idea of Spielberg having a T-Rex attack Los Angeles, and it's because of the heavyhanded (and at times disturbing) moralizing and the absolutely loathsome Vince Vaughn character.  It completely sinks the movie for me.  I've always favored the more straightforward Jurassic Park III, because frankly people running away from dinosaurs was the only thing the first two movies truly excelled at despite ostensibly higher aspirations.

 

Between this movie and Crystal Skull, I get pissed off at the realization that Spielberg's status perpetually allows him his pick of amazing character actors (Arliss Howrd, Pete Postlethwaite, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone) only to use them for, you know, this.  (Brought to you by the Stop Hiring David Koepp To Scribe Your Movies compaign.)

 

 

The movie would have been better if it had been about some stupid hippies trying to research/save the dinosaurs, and Ian and Tembo being hired to go in and get them out before they get themselves killed.

 

It would have let Macolm be more of the supporting character he should have been, and given Postlethwaite more to do.  It would have drama with both having different ways of doing things.

I saw this at probably the right time. I think we all loved Jurassic Park, but in the back of our minds were thinking, "Wouldn't it be cool if the dinosaurs got to the mainland?"

 

I had no idea that was coming in The Lost World, so once they suggested it, I was absolutely thrilled. Then I realized the implausibility of it all. Then I realized this was a big studio PG-13 movie, so we wouldn't see a lot of good stuff. Then I saw that Spielberg would be playing some of it for laughs. Then I realized that there was only so much time left in the movie, so the t-rex would probably be going down quickly.

 

It taught me at a very young age that it's usually a bad thing when movies give you almost EXACTLY what you want.

I can't really defend this one (or won't right now, given the amount of energy and time such a post would take), but I'm with Chaz. TLW is my personal favorite of the series. More dinos, more insanity - plus Postlethwaite! The dual Rex attack is pure fucking magic, Goldblum approaches Cage-like brilliance, and the San Diego sequence is fantastic.

 

Plot holes aside, the only part of the film that really grates for me is the whole-teenage-gymnast-takes-out-raptors bit. That's just horrible and lazy.

 

And no effin' way is III > II. Not even close. Most especially because Tea Leoni's shrieking harridan survived the entire film. I can't watch any part of III without hoping maybe this time that she gets turned into a Rex sandwich.

The Lost World just kinda misfires here and there. Jurassic Park III is out-and-out TERRIBLE.

Agreed. TLW may be more frustrating in that it aims higher and misses its mark by a wide margin, but JP3 doesn't even bother to aim for the 3 pointer, it just takes the foul and is satisfied with get a quick 1 pt.

 

At least TLW has the hand of Speilberg on it at least superficially, in terms of shots, pacing, the presence of John Williams, etc.  Even having the always talented Kaminski as DP, which is a weird departure from the first movie, still gives the movie a little more artistry than the very flat JP3.  At least TLW is trying to be crowd-pleasing in its own strange way by giving us that extra 20 min in San Diego.  JP3 just says 'eh weve hit the 90 minute mark. lets call it a day' and wraps up its entire story in 10 seconds just when you think the climax is coming.  I walked out of TLW excited and satisfied from all the action (its dumbness didnt hit me till later), but JP3 just left me and my friends going 'seriously? ugh'.  The first time I remember being angry coming out of a movie.

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Some of this I get. Between Tea's shrieks and the sons' voice cracking I want to kick my speakers. Not to mention stupid fucking Macy asking "What was that?!" multiple times, as if he's forgotten where he was (hint: A GIANT FUCKING DINOSAUR, YOU SHIT).

 

But I'll take the Spinosaurus and "bird cage" sequences pretty much over anything TLW has to offer, which includes an ugly score, grating baby rex camel call and a borrrrrring group of leads. Plus, for reasons already established, I'll take Sam Elliot's second time out over Goldblum's neutered one.

Sam Elliot?

Try Sam Neill, dawg.

Fuck.

 

I'll leave it there because Sam Elliot, too, beats a neutered Ian Malcolm.

I also kind of thought that Postlewaite might be playing his character as in a romantic relationship with his friend, which I like because that would be some nice layering in a movie that is relentlessly one-dimensional. Although, having watched the thing very recently, I do love the shit out of the scene where the research lab gets tipped over the cliff. Spielberg, fully invested, for like 7 minutes.

They should make another one of these movies, and get Elliot in it as a dino hunting cowboy badass. Make it so!

All the hate on JP3 - its actually a bit more competent than I remember (although, jeesus, the opening wind-sailing scene is remarkably shitty). The first encounter with the Raptors is particularly well played.

Found a pretty fantastic photo




 From this tumblr, worth checking out if only for the beetles dressed as characters from the film

http://fyeahjurassicpark.tumblr.com/

The Lost World is dumb. Jurassic Park III is a Saturday morning cartoon. I mean, finding the phone inside the dinosaur's mouth? At that point, I had completely checked-out.

Also, could they have been trying to make Alessandro Nivola happen a little harder? It was never going to happen, it is never going to happen, Alessandro.

 

That's probably why I enjoy it more, as it seems to willingly accept what it's going to be while TLW is trying hard to pretend it's not bad.

 

He is sort of the Craig Bierko of that movie, isn't he? Still, he ROCKED the role of Pollux Troy in "Face/Off."

 

Seriously, I was in denial about the rather glaring negative aspects of this film for ages because of that damn sequence - it stands shoulder to shoulder with the very best of Spielbergs action sequences. I don't think I took a breath for the entire thing the first time I watched it in the cinemas.

 

What a depressingly low bar to set!

"You know guys? Let's just accept this movie is awful horseshit."

 

I was the most dinosaur-y kid on the planet growing up, and to this day, I still get a kick out of the first two movies, particularly because they still treat the monsters with awe and terror. In the third one, they just... show up. They're supporting players. The first dino we see is that stupid dream gag, with the raptor in the plane, right? If Johnston isn't going to respect the villains like Spielberg did (including allowing a kid to survive in the wild for weeks despite having no wilderness training and being chased by DINOSAURS), then why should we?

 

And Spielberg fucking goes for it! The ending of The Lost World isn't that great, because it's ridiculous overkill. Here's another ending! And another ending! AND WE WON'T STOP. CUZ WE CAN'T STOP.

JPIII just shrugs its shoulders and says, eh, that's all. There was a Writer's Strike, right? That's the only way to explain how Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor (!) couldn't, or wouldn't, write any sort of ending whatsoever.

 

I still love dinosaurs. I still watch the Jurassic Park movies, with a strong favoritism towards the first one. Tried to watch the third movie, but every character is so stupid and banal, giving such TV-level performances (bless the late Michael Jeter, but he's not a badass mercenary). I turned that shit off fifteen minutes in, and it remains my priciest coaster.

I won't waste time trying to refute your points because, again, I agree with many of them. Don't get me started on why a man in a business suit armed with a megaphone was dropped off by the army all alone!! Still, it's stupid fun, whereas TLW is straight-up boring, which is borderline criminal for a movie with dinosaurs.

Ugly score? Seriously? I love the fact that John Williams didn't simply give us a rehash of the first film's score (same can't be said for Don Davis' music for the third). His score feels very much inspired by Max Steiner's King Kong and probably succeeds even more than the film in giving that same vibe.

 

The Lost World is, for my money, the best of the series, and one of the better entries in Williams' oeuvre.  It exudes a kind of menace the movie never actually achieves on its own.

 

Oh dear God yes!  1000 times YES!  I cringe every single time that I read an interview and Spielberg refers to Koepp as his scripting "closer".  ::shudder::

 

I sincerely hope working with TALENTED writers recently (Tintin) breaks him of this in the future.
 

 

 

This right here is the core issue with The Lost World.  Spielberg obviously had very little interest in making it outside of some of the set pieces, many of which ARE stellar.  If he had given two shits about the film as a whole, I guarantee he wouldn't have gone into production with such a shitpile of a script.  The same goes for KOTCS.  I sincerely hope that if Indy 5 is ever made, that it goes into production with a script that Steven is actually proud to be shooting.  If not, it will be TLW/KOTCS all over again.

 

Neither Jurassic Park sequel is a "good" film.  That said, I think I'll give JP3 a slight edge for the simple fact that at least Johnston seems awake and having some fun.  Some of the set pieces in JP2 are absolutely fantastic, but on the whole it feels like Spielberg is taking a nap.

 

 

 

Whatever they end up doing for Jurassic Park IV and beyond, I just hope they are taking their time to craft a worthy story.  There are still a lot of different directions that this franchise could take (as the oft-mentioned Sayles draft of JP4 proves).  Let's make sure that the one that is (or has been) chosen is a good one.

One of the most important elements I find excruciatingly frustrating that has yet to be discussed...?

 

Gas is $1.09 during this scene. In CALIFORNIA.

 

 

EDIT: With both Lost World and III taking place on Isla Sorna, what were we supposed to conclude regarding the fate of Isla Nublar? They mention the lysine problem being solved on Sorna but I never considered until now whether we're supposed to deduce the same for Nublar (or if the dinosaurs didn't have enough time to adapt due to the 7-day short window). Seeing as they didn't nuke the island, like they did in the book, it's kinda curious that they never chose to return to Nublar.

 

Also: how lazy of a screenwriter do you have to be to implement yet another lucky [back]pack, directly after a movie using it in the same way? Or an item (bloody coat/raptor eggs) that forces the dinosaurs to follow you, for that matter.

Edited by Shaun H - 2/23/12 at 6:51pm

In the documentary on the new Jurassic Park blu-ray, Spielberg mentions he thought the sequel would have something to do with the canister that Nedry dropped in the mud from the first movie. He says that's why he deliberately shot the canister at the end of the scene. 

I saw that the other night. Good stuff. Obviously, we always assumed but it's nice to finally get confirmation.

 

Honestly, with all this stalling and talk of soldier dinos, it's surprising they simply don't go back to the well with this. They don't seem to be shooting all that high and this would give them a premise that pretty much writes itself: Biosyn (the company Dodgson worked for) digs into the files concerning what happened at Jurassic Park and learns the details concerning Nedry's death. They pair that information together with knowing what they know about the Barbasol can they provided him and have a rough idea of where to look (hell, get lazy and put a homing beacon on it that only shows up when you're so close). They send in a team to retrieve it (hi-ho hi-ho, it's off back to Nublar we go), thus taking care of how you get people back in harm's way (which doesn't involve para-sailing) and calamity ensues.

In '97 in San Diego? Probably not too far off. Gas was 99 cents a gallon in Southern California for a few weeks in the early 'aughts.

 

That is the exact plot of the new Jurassic Park adventure video game.

Whatever problems THE LOST WORLD has, the score ain't one of 'em.
 

 

 

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Yeah, I wasn't being literal, just nostalgic.

 

No kiddin'.... Oops!
 

I realize I'm in the minority but for whatever reason the whole sound of that movie hurts my ears.