The Lost World: Jurassic Park
1 Oscar Nominations
Rent/Purchase
Four years after Jurassic Park's genetically bred dinosaurs ran amok, multimillionaire John Hammond shocks chaos theorist Ian Malcolm by revealing that he has been breeding more beasties at a secret location. Malcolm, his paleontologist ladylove and a wildlife videographer join an expedition to document the lethal lizards' natural behavior in this action-packed thriller.
What critics thought
Greeted with mixed reviews on release and still dividing critics decades later, the film's central fault — identified almost universally — is its thin human characters, which left even Spielberg himself dissatisfied. The special effects and darker, more visceral set pieces have their defenders, but a growing retrospective consensus places it at or near the bottom of Spielberg's filmography, even as a minority of later critics argue it is the best of the franchise's sequels.
“the creatures in this film transcend any visible signs of special effects and seem to walk the earth, but the same realism isn't brought to the human characters, who are bound by plot conventions and action formulas”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“I was disappointed as much as I was thrilled because 'The Lost World' lacks a staple of Steven Spielberg's adventure films: exciting characters. [...] Even in the original 'Jurassic Park', the dinosaurs – not to mention the human beings – had more distinct personalities than they have here. Save for superior special effects, 'The Lost World' comes off as recycled material”
Gene Siskel·Chicago Tribune
“it might be Spielberg's nastiest film – a truly demented series of mostly wordless action and horror set pieces whose technical proficiency is matched only by their cruelty”
Bilge Ebiri·Vulture
“The Lost World transforms "intelligent characters into bumbling idiots", increases "the volume and the chaos while dialing back the mystery and the awe", and replaces "excitement with violence and cruelty”
Jacob Hall·/Film
“Spielberg delivered high art with Jurassic Park, and in recognizing that it would be futile to re-attempt the magic trick, settled for gourmet popcorn with its sequel. The Lost World, on its own merits, is one of the great summer blockbusters.”
Frazier Tharpe·GQ
Genres
Adventure, Action, Science Fiction
Cast & Crew
DirectorSteven Spielberg
StarringJeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Arliss Howard, Richard Attenborough
ComposerJohn Williams
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
1 Oscar Nominations
Four years after Jurassic Park's genetically bred dinosaurs ran amok, multimillionaire John Hammond shocks chaos theorist Ian Malcolm by revealing that he has been breeding more beasties at a secret location. Malcolm, his paleontologist ladylove and a wildlife videographer join an expedition to document the lethal lizards' natural behavior in this action-packed thriller.
What critics thought
Greeted with mixed reviews on release and still dividing critics decades later, the film's central fault — identified almost universally — is its thin human characters, which left even Spielberg himself dissatisfied. The special effects and darker, more visceral set pieces have their defenders, but a growing retrospective consensus places it at or near the bottom of Spielberg's filmography, even as a minority of later critics argue it is the best of the franchise's sequels.
“the creatures in this film transcend any visible signs of special effects and seem to walk the earth, but the same realism isn't brought to the human characters, who are bound by plot conventions and action formulas”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“I was disappointed as much as I was thrilled because 'The Lost World' lacks a staple of Steven Spielberg's adventure films: exciting characters. [...] Even in the original 'Jurassic Park', the dinosaurs – not to mention the human beings – had more distinct personalities than they have here. Save for superior special effects, 'The Lost World' comes off as recycled material”
Gene Siskel·Chicago Tribune
“it might be Spielberg's nastiest film – a truly demented series of mostly wordless action and horror set pieces whose technical proficiency is matched only by their cruelty”
Bilge Ebiri·Vulture
“The Lost World transforms "intelligent characters into bumbling idiots", increases "the volume and the chaos while dialing back the mystery and the awe", and replaces "excitement with violence and cruelty”
Jacob Hall·/Film
“Spielberg delivered high art with Jurassic Park, and in recognizing that it would be futile to re-attempt the magic trick, settled for gourmet popcorn with its sequel. The Lost World, on its own merits, is one of the great summer blockbusters.”
Frazier Tharpe·GQ
Genres
Adventure, Action, Science Fiction
Cast & Crew
DirectorSteven Spielberg
StarringJeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Arliss Howard, Richard Attenborough
ComposerJohn Williams
Rent/Purchase