CHUD.com Community › Forums › SPECIFIC FILMS › The Franchises › THE LOST WORLD Is Better Than JP3
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

THE LOST WORLD Is Better Than JP3

post #1 of 83
7/30/01 at 10:13pm
Thread Starter 
Having just seen JP3 and having just acquired the Jurassic Park DVD boxset, I thought I'd reappraise The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

I have been hearing for the past few years about how much of a shambles Spielberg's sequel is, and usually I agree. It's among my video collection and viewing after viewing I felt, deep down, disappointment that it was not the sweeping, color-drenched thrill-ride that Jurassic Park was. Last night I just watched (I mean REALLY watched) Schindler's List for the first time, and while you might say I'm mad to go near TLW after watching Schindler, I thought having done so might make me see another Spielberg film in a new light. And I'm not sure why, but it did!

Perhaps I should deal with what I see to be the film's faults first. I had NEVER noticed this before, but Malcolm's daughter, the gymnastic black girl, is truly, incredibly irritating. Firstly, her lines are crap -- the small parent problems we care nothing about ("I want you to ground me, send me to my room or something"), the nag-nag-nagging during key scenes ("Dad, can we go somewhere high, please get me out of here please please please"). Secondly, she is responsible for the only truly horrendous scene in the movie. You all know it. "HEY YOU!"... KABLAAAM! The Robert Bakker type, Robert... Burke. This guy just screams "punch me" with every dino-statistic he spouts. The stupid hat, the stupid hair, I'm just sorry he ended in the waterfall and not the cutting room floor. The early scene with John Hammond is too talky even if it is necessary, and the San Diego Rex Rampage, while not as conspicuous as some might say, is a little too b-movie for me. Other than that I have no problems.

The opening scene with the British family is suitably foreboding. Combining threatening, crashing waves, some great John Williams cues and elements of the opening scene of Jaws, it sets the tone very well.

Once you get over the fact that Jeff Goldblum is no Sam Neill, he makes a surprisingly good male lead, his dark eyes rooting you to the spot during the brace-yourself moments. Julianne Moore is just great as determined Sarah, managing to make phrases such as "entrenched dogma" sound natural. Not only that but she can really scream (as that trailer scene shows) -- one of my few problems with Jurassic Park was Laura Dern in the back of the jeep yelling "SHIIIIIT! SHIIIIIT!"

Pete Postlethwaite has totally won me over -- hands down, Tembo is the second coolest Spielbergian character after Quint. Peter Stormare is thrown into the mix. And who can complain about Vince Vaughn?

I mentioned the score. Much as I do love the original's score, looking back now it was a little too tug-at-the-heartstrings. This boasts a great, suspenseful Williams score, pulse-pounding percussion and all.

This movie boasts cool scene after cool scene. The roundup, the raptors in the grass, the trailers, Dieter's death, the rex chase, many more. And while I would once have said they were sewn together by a fairly nondescript plot, it's substantial enough. Certainly better than the source novel.

LASTLY, the cinematography is superb. Sequels by definition do not deserve this kind of lush treatment. Janusz Kaminski's camera creates many great images -- motorcycle through the legs, Sarah on the cracked glass, Dieter running blindly from the compys, Tembo shooting the rex. to name just a few.

Very underappreciated. My opinion anyway. I'd love to hear yours, chewers. Try watching it again and you might change your mind. Or you might not.
Reply
post #2 of 83
7/30/01 at 10:24pm
BOOO!!!! HISSS!!!! I personally thought the JP3 was better then TLW. I found that the action didnt carry as well in TLW. And i also thought the TLW was no where near as fun to watch as JP3.

------------------


Well I'm a mushroom-cloud-laying motherfucker, motherfucker! Everytime my fingers touch brain I'm Superfly TNT, I'm the Guns of the Navarone!

"Muff diving without The Pussy Snorkel is like scuba diving without air tanks!"
Reply
post #3 of 83
7/30/01 at 10:34pm
Thread Starter 
Although I did enjoy JP3 and it had some memorable scenes and a better child actor, my problems with it are that it is seemingly edited faster than anything by Michael Bay, its characters are not developed AT ALL (even the first two had that), its Spinosaurus is too much like the recent Godzilla and Tea Leoni is inexcusably CRAP.

More tomorrow, I'm going to bed. Goodnight.
Reply
post #4 of 83
7/30/01 at 10:41pm
Well, the ending of JP3 was a little silly and contrived. But it wasn't as absurd as TLW's San Diego road trip.

------------------
-KRONOS AN ARMY OF ONE
Reply
post #5 of 83
7/30/01 at 11:35pm
IMHO JP3 is better than TLW.

------------------
My DVD Collection
Reply
post #6 of 83
7/31/01 at 12:40am
Fuckin' Newbies...

SWEDISH KRONER

Plan your escape this August...
Reply
post #7 of 83
7/31/01 at 1:33am
I happened to like TLW. Sure it wasn't as good as the first, but it was a great movie at that. I think TLW was a fun movie to watch, and it showed off the dinosaurs alot more than the first. Now as for JP3, I felt that something was missing. I mean sure it a alot of fun to watch, but only 90 minutes? And within 15 minutes of the movie Dr. Grant an Co. are already getting chased by dinosaurs. JP3 also doesn't have those great scenes that the first two had. Like the sick Triceretops(sp)scene from the first. And you see the dinos in JP3 way too quickly. I liked(in JP1) the scene where the T-rex breaks out. It's scary because you can't see him(or should I say, her)for awhile, which creates suspense. And on a lighter note, the trailer scene from TLW. You don't see the T-rex's right away but you know they're there somewhere in the dark. I mean 20 minutes after JP3 started I was no longer scared of the dinosaurs because you see them right freakin' away in the brawed freakin' daylight! But that's my opinion.
Reply
post #8 of 83
7/31/01 at 1:36am
The Lost World is overhated and MILES better than JP3.
Reply
post #9 of 83
7/31/01 at 2:04am
Jurassic Park - 8.2
The Lost World - 7
Jurassic Park 3 - 7.5
Reply
post #10 of 83
7/31/01 at 7:45am
Thread Starter 
The Lost World is in no way the hideous pile of shite, the serious misstep that many would dismiss it as. I am certain of this. I'm reluctant to call it a popcorn movie because it is far superior to that. To me a popcorn movie is something that's fun but with low production values like a bad script or characters you care nothing about. I would cite Tomb Raider or JP3 as examples. The first two JP films are more lovingly crafted and don't look as cheap

I think my problem with JP3 is as follows. I am one who will never stop being thrilled by the sight of living, breathing dinosaurs on the screen. The dinos feature so much more prominently on camera in the first two that I can just focus on them for whole scenes if I want to. In JP3 all you get is flashes, quick cuts. You get the T-Rex for about half a second (and for me he will always be the king). There's no time to gaze in awe at the terrific, horrific creatures.

You're right Poxy, that is a great deleted scene. Strange that it totally reminds me of Quint's deleted scene in the music shop.
Reply
post #11 of 83
7/31/01 at 9:31am
In JP4, maybe the dinos will jump out of bushes to scare people or bite people without breaking skin. Ahh...the possibilities.
Reply
post #12 of 83
7/31/01 at 11:03am
Jurassic Park 3, for me, is imminently more watchable than Lost World. I will likely see JP3 over and over again because it's fun and exciting. I don't really watch Lost World. Does that make JP3 a better film? It sure as fuck does for me - by yards.

------------------
"If you want to search for the meaning of life, you should bloody well bring along a bottle of whiskey. At least that way you'll be drunk by the time you start to take yourself seriously." - Patsy
Reply
post #13 of 83
7/31/01 at 2:26pm
Thread Starter 
Hey Smilin' Jack Ruby, is that a quote by Patsy from the Absolutely Fabulous tv show?

Speaking of Smilin' Jack Ruby, I'm getting my JFK Special Edition Director's Cut DVD very soon.

Ah, now THERE'S a movie!
Reply
post #14 of 83
7/31/01 at 2:38pm
Thread Starter 
I just wish mousey little Michael Jeter would die a horrible death in every other film he's in.

In JP4, they should bring back Pete Schnozzlethwaite, Julianne Moore and/or Vince Vaughn, and maybe Spielberg could also persuade Tom Sizemore, Dijimon Hounsou, Ben Kingsley, Embeth Davitz or Haley Joel Osment to work for him again.

Oh, by the way, anyone see the storyboarded original ending to The Lost World on the DVD? That would have been much the better.
Reply
post #15 of 83
7/31/01 at 5:25pm
no doubt - JP3 sucked major balls and anyone who liked it is a fool.

LOST WORLD was much better eventhough it was a family film.
Reply
post #16 of 83
7/31/01 at 7:37pm
Happy are those who come to Jurassic Park 3's supper...
Reply
post #17 of 83
8/2/01 at 2:33pm
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by lonmonster:

JP3 was just like the first one, but without morals.
I guess you didn't catch the "family values" angle?
Reply
post #18 of 83
8/2/01 at 3:29pm
I think most people didn't like it because it was not very exciting.
Reply
post #19 of 83
8/2/01 at 3:57pm
JP3 was yawnfest.

Small number of characters. All the major ones make without a scratch. Roll credits.
Reply
post #20 of 83
8/2/01 at 4:16pm
I can't understand people saying that JPIII was more exciting and more pure adventure than Lost World. That's insane. If by that you mean that all it had was mindless action and threw away any semblance of story, then you might be right. Hell, nobody died in the film. Lost World at least had a ridiculously high body count, and then a rampage in San Diego! I myself was not riveted by the big ending to JPIII which involved a fake dino bone making noises and scaring the big bad dinos away.
Reply
post #21 of 83
8/2/01 at 4:46pm
jp3 was a weak movie.

it was a long boring journey
Reply
post #22 of 83
8/2/01 at 4:53pm
Grrr...Gag...Bleurk....
You are all dead wrong, all 3 movies sucked, even if it is fiction, there ain't no way a 60 pound kid with a limp can push the door against a 190 pound charging raptor(JPI), There ain't no way 4 unarmed idiots would survive, where 30 armed idiots got creamed by several raptors(JPII), Tea Leone need I say more (JPIII). Rating at best JPI: 6/10 JPII: 1/10 JPIII: 6/10. The lost world(JPII) was the worst piece of shite ever conceived, the whole film crew should be shot, all of their families should be killed, their houses should be burned down and their dogs killed. The producer should of been eviscerated, chopped into small bits and given to swine. Anyone that seriously like JPII should have his head examine(or removed) or seriously consider suicide for lack of taste or intellect, please remove yourself from the gene pool.

ahhh! Much better now....
Heh heh heh heh
}:-)
Reply
post #23 of 83
8/2/01 at 5:25pm
I dunno, I'd have to give The Lost World at least 2 outta ten.

Julianne Moore counts for something...
Reply
post #24 of 83
8/2/01 at 6:01pm
This movie did not deliver and that, my friend, is a high crime. So now the dinos snap necks to kill? I guess that's just another way to keep it blood free. Maybe they can get Gary Marshall to direct the next installment in order to get a 'G' rating.
Reply
post #25 of 83
8/5/01 at 4:28am
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by mikah912:
The Lost World is overhated and MILES better than JP3.
Couldn't agree more. Sure there are plot holes and the whole "knock the raptor over fall out of the shack and now we're rescued" finale on the island was silly (though very suspenseful up until that point) but it was a fast paced, thrilling movie in my book.

The scene in San Diego didn't play out as bad as it could have. The baby T-Rex being used to lure the adult back made it more believable than it could have been.
Reply
post #26 of 83
3/29/06 at 3:43am
The Lost World starts off really strong and gets less intersting as the film progresses. The 3rd one just stays pretty good and exciting enough for most of it's running time. The Lost World has a really bad ending and the 3rd has no ending. The kid in the 3rd is much better than the kid in Lost World.

Generally, I like darker more violent films, but JP3 is a better movie. The Lost World is a squandered opportunity. I don't even like the 1st one that much, but its still a good deal better film than the second.
Reply
post #27 of 83
3/29/06 at 4:04am
I have only seen the last third of JP3, and it seemed like a bland TV movie to me. Maybe the good stuff comes earlier.

Lost World has moments of brilliance (the trailer hanging over the cliff), but the characters are extremely annoying and bringing the dinos to California is a silly attempt to ape Godzilla.

Only the first film is genuinely good, and even it could have been much better with decent child actors (or preferably none since we know they can't die), a shortened first act (the oohing and aahing over the park and the dinosaurs drags on a bit), and more focus on the subplot about stealing the dino DNA (eggs?), which I understand is more elaborate in the novel.
Reply
post #28 of 83
3/29/06 at 4:10am
The thing that has irked me about the stolen dino DNA plot is that it's set up to have some sort of meaning, if not in the film but in a potential sequel, and never again mentioned. It's bugged me since I was 8 years old...helluva thing to get stuck on about, but it has, and the fact that neither sequel ever addressed that (or hell, even went back to Isla Nublar) has always irritated me the most. Yes, it bugs me more than gymnastics-fu against raptors by a 13-year-old girl does.
Reply
post #29 of 83
3/29/06 at 4:22am
Maybe the DNA was what the writer used to RESURRECT Jeff Goldblum's character after he died in the first book.
Reply
post #30 of 83
3/29/06 at 5:20am
I've seen some old threads dug up before, but a five year old thread? Wow.

Anyway, I'm on the side of Lost World being unfairly bashed. I grew up watching dumb, fun monster movies when I was a kid and I've always thought that was all Lost World was supposed to be. I couldn't give a shit about the characters being annoying or underwritten. I don't care that the plot is thin and threadbare. All I need is people go to island and get picked off by dinosaurs. That's enough plot for a good old fashioned monster movie. The sequences are exciting and paced well. It's by far the darkest of the three films. I wasn't big on the last act in San Diego, but the middle of the film was a damn fun time and worth the price of admission. This film is exactly what it's supposed to be.
JP3 is nothing but a glorified version of Land of the Lost. It's toothless and dreary.
Reply
post #31 of 83
3/29/06 at 6:27am
Jurassic Park 3 is flat lifeless bland movie.
Joe Johnson has never directed a decent film, they all seem so vanilla and dull.
I think The Lost World is a much, much better film thatn Jurassic Park 3 and i much prefer watching it to the original.
All three films have shitty moments, usually involving the kids, so i don't really diss any of them on that basis to be honest.
I honestly think Jurassic Park 3 is utter crap.
Reply
post #32 of 83
3/29/06 at 6:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt OCallaghan
Jurassic Park 3 is flat lifeless bland movie.
Joe Johnson has never directed a decent film, they all seem so vanilla and dull.
I think The Lost World is a much, much better film thatn Jurassic Park 3 and i much prefer watching it to the original.
All three films have shitty moments, usually involving the kids, so i don't really diss any of them on that basis to be honest.
I honestly think Jurassic Park 3 is utter crap.
I agree with everything you said...except for that Joe Johnston has never directed a decent film. I truly love THE ROCKETEER. In terms of retro-pulp-adventures, I think it's far superior to INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE.

I would rate the films as such:

JURASSIC PARK = 8.5
THE LOST WORLD = 5.5
JURASSIC PARK III = 3.0

I hated LOST WORLD when I first saw it. And I guess I still sort of do. It's got some definitive Spielbergian moments in it, to be sure (the cracking RV glass, raptors in the grass, the 76 ball, etc.) But as much as I don't enjoy it, I also kind of admire it. I appreciate its cold, mean streak and soulless action...kind of in a TEMPLE OF DOOM sort of way. But JURASSIC PARK III is about as exciting as a bowl of rice pudding. If JURASSIC PARK was adapted into a Saturday morning cartoon called GRANT & HIS DINO FRIENDS and then adapted back into a feature film, it would probably have more balls and grit than the incredibly tepid JP3 has.
Reply
post #33 of 83
3/29/06 at 7:39am
I agree...the Rocketeer is fun but it doesn't really "click" with me as a whole.
The thing with Johnstons films is they all seem to be, for me, lacking something...I don't know what it is exactly, but from Rocketeer to Jumanji through to Jurassic Park 3, i just feel that all his films kind of have this blah quality to them that is consistant with everything he does.
Even in each film,when the set piece is quite exciting and well conceived and executed, there is just this weird thing that is lacking that kind of prevents me from being completely absorbed by the proceedings.


The only thing Jurassic Park 3 had going for it for me, was the Pteradon.
Love me the flying dino's.
Reply
post #34 of 83
3/29/06 at 7:40am
I actually prefered Lost World to the first film. Jurassic Park to me was Honey, I Shrunk the Kids with dinosaurs and most characters were one-dimensional. Not that it improved that much with Lost World, but something it was though, was more adult and hardcore, embracing his b-movies leanings more fully. It also dared to go further with their ideas and do something completly nuts like The T-Rex let loose in the city. As for the third film, well it was pop corn and you felt that they did because there needed to be one, but there was not much passion or filmaking in it.
Reply
post #35 of 83
3/29/06 at 9:28am
There's a shred of greatness in JP3, but it just doesn't quite come out. I guess that's what happens when you're writing your script while you're filming.

Why did they blow the Spino/T-Rex fight right off the bat? I know they were trying to establish the Spino as the new big bad by knocking off the Rex, but they robbed their film of arguably the most compelling character from the first two films. What should have happened was that the T-Rex should have lost but survived, and along with the Spino chasing the humans, it and the T-Rex have a running battle across the island. Then, after the scene with the raptors, instead of "Hey, the Marines are here, we're saved!" out of the blue, you have the Spino between them and the beach. Things look dire, and then the T-Rex leaps out and the fight is on again. It's during this distraction that whatever rescue boat is coming arrives, the humans slip away while the dinos fight, and your last shot is the T-Rex triumphant standing over the Spinosaurus. I guarantee you it would have brought the house down, and it would have nicely mirrored the end of the first film and brought a sort of closure while underlining the point that these islands are simply NOT a place for humans.

Still, the aviary scene is great and the Spino stuff is good, but the whole thing felt like somebody describing a JP movie rather than an actual JP movie.
Reply
post #36 of 83
3/29/06 at 12:30pm
What Desslar said.

I never saw the need for a JP sequel unless they were going to do something different (for example with the stolen dino DNA). The Lost World did have some nice scenes (raptors in the grass) and was well-made, but there wasn't anything that made me sit up and say "wow, that's something I haven't seen before...." Only saw parts of JP3 on TV, the bird cage was a good idea and something different, at least.

I'll put it all on the line: Deep Blue Sea was better than either Lost World or JP3. [ducks]
Reply
post #37 of 83
3/29/06 at 1:02pm
Lost World has a John Williams score. JP3 does not.

JP3 has Tea Leoni in it. Lost World does not.


Lost World wins.
Reply
post #38 of 83
3/29/06 at 2:37pm
none of them can compare to The Splendiferous Zeppelin Escapades of Filliam H. Muffman

I do agree though that the sequels really fail to go in any interesting directions.
Reply
post #39 of 83
3/29/06 at 4:08pm
gimme Stan Winston/ILM dinosaurs! i don't care about the characters and plots (that's a lie...), i just wanna see those big lizards fighting and eating people. howbout Steve Irwin (Croc Hunter) gets devoured in JP4 by a T-Rex?

and i thought that the Godzilla remake ripped of JP, not the other way around...
Reply
post #40 of 83
3/29/06 at 5:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Multiple Miggs
I'll put it all on the line: Deep Blue Sea was better than either Lost World or JP3. [ducks]
I'll take it over JP3, but I don't know about Lost World. Sharks just aren't quite as exotic or exciting as dinos. To me anyway.
Reply
post #41 of 83
3/29/06 at 5:52pm
DEEP BLUE SEA is a pile of wank.
Reply
post #42 of 83
3/29/06 at 5:58pm
The biggest problem with JP3 is that nobody important dies. These two assholes trick and hire a bunch of people to go get killed by Dinosaurs, but their little family unit gets out fine. That's stupid, at least Tea Leoni should've been eaten.

JP2, in contrast, is a pretty good, thrilling film. I really don't like the book, as it made no sense for Malcolm to just want to go back to the islands for scientific reasons. But the movie fixed up those problems, and the Godzilla ending is great stuff.
Reply
post #43 of 83
3/29/06 at 6:03pm
Maybe this belongs on the "Defend a Bad Movie" thread, but I enjoyed me some Deep Blue Sea. Twice. A little cheap on the effects and not as tense in places as it was supposed to be, but the concept of "It's 'Alien,' with smart sharks!" was enough for me. I had fun with it where I didn't with Lost World (although I only saw Lost World once, in theaters, and my expectations may have been too high). I enjoyed Deep Blue Sea both for what it was trying to be and as a goof. Smart sharks! Yipe!
Reply
post #44 of 83
3/29/06 at 6:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Multiple Miggs
Maybe this belongs on the "Defend a Bad Movie" thread, but I enjoyed me some Deep Blue Sea. Twice. A little cheap on the effects and not as tense in places as it was supposed to be, but the concept of "It's 'Alien,' with smart sharks!" was enough for me. I had fun with it where I didn't with Lost World (although I only saw Lost World once, in theaters, and my expectations may have been too high). I enjoyed Deep Blue Sea both for what it was trying to be and as a goof. Smart sharks! Yipe!
It's definitely the best Jaws knock-off since, well, Jaws.
Reply
post #45 of 83
3/29/06 at 6:14pm
I'd say it's worse than JAWS, THE REVENGE. For what it's supposedly trying to be, DBS has far too many terrible scenes, awful dialogue and suspension of belief ruined by stupid shark-fact mistakes. I appreciate some of this is the shark nerd in me, but whichever way you look at it, it's a terrible movie. The director has no idea how to shoot the sharks whatsoever, and it just ends up being completely limp.
Reply
post #46 of 83
3/29/06 at 6:19pm
DBS is idiotic, but JAWS: THE REVENGE assassinated Archduke Ferdinand and caused World War I.
Reply
post #47 of 83
3/29/06 at 6:20pm
You say that like it's a bad thing.
Reply
post #48 of 83
3/29/06 at 6:21pm
If nothing else The Lost World was beautiful. It was something to behold in its own right, regardless of plot or acting. I was a huge dinosaur fan growing up, and I enjoyed the first two JPs just for the ability to see the most realistic moving dinosaurs I have ever seen.

For whatever reason, I didn't get that appreciation from the last JP, and I in fact consider it to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen in theatre. It was totally forgettable except for the fact it starred William H. Macy and Sam Neil, and that there was a giant cage with Pteranodons or Pterodactyls inside, I forget which.
Reply
post #49 of 83
3/29/06 at 6:34pm
Aren't Pteradons and Pteradactyl's the same thing?
And was there actually such a thing as a Spinosaurus? I tried looking it up once and couldn't find anything. Did they just pull a dinosaur out of their ass?
Reply
post #50 of 83
3/29/06 at 6:46pm
Everything that seemed annoying from the first two movies gets amped up to the nth degree in the third. Instead of a precocious adolescent, we get a kid who is nearly psychic. We get Tea Leoni's character screaming at everything that happens to invade her personal space. We get an stupid subplot involving smart raptors and an egg. We get a Spinosaurus with a cell phone.

Perhaps the general overexposure to the series is what makes the third one such a chore to sit through but even the LOST WORLD has its moments. I didn't think a movie could actually go below "dumb".

And Matt? Here.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: The Franchises
CHUD.com Community › Forums › SPECIFIC FILMS › The Franchises › THE LOST WORLD Is Better Than JP3