Review of Lost World, The: Jurassic Park

Introduction

When Wayne Knight`s character met a grisly end at the talons of a Dilophosaurus in Jurassic Park, leaving a stolen flask of dinosaur embryos to be washed away by the mud, something told me that there might be a sequel. The fact that the producers would be unlikely to let their great dinosaur effects technology go to waste, and the fact that JP had an exceedingly lacklustre ending practically screamed sequel. Strangely enough, that lost flask of embryos was just a red herring, and The Lost World proceeds from an entirely different premise.

Four years have passed since Jurassic Park opened to the public or as the dinosaurs called them, lunch. John Hammond`s company Ingen has borne the brunt of several lawsuits and its fortunes aren`t faring well. The survivors of that ill-fated sojourn to Isla Nublar have been sworn to silence, but chaotician, Ian Malcolm hasn`t been reticent in denouncing Ingen and its Cretaceous creations. When John Hammond summons Malcolm to his mansion, he finds that the industrialist has become a fervent naturalist. Hammond`s determination to protect the surviving and thriving dinosaurs on the island of Isla Sorna, where they were initially bred has resulted in him being ousted as CEO of his own company. Hammond`s nephew Peter Ludlow sees nothing wrong in exploiting the dinosaurs to revive Ingen`s flagging fortunes, and plans to capture and exhibit them in San Diego. Hammond to prevent this wishes to break his silence and announce to the world the existence of dinosaurs. To this end he is putting together a team of observers to document the animals in their native environment and he wishes Ian Malcolm to be a part of that team. Malcolm declines vehemently, and is all set to persuade the other team members not to go, when Hammond tells him that the palaeontologist on the team is none other than Malcolm`s girlfriend, Sarah Harding and she is already on the island. Malcolm immediately sets off with the team to Isla Sorna to rescue Sarah, but the problems start early when his daughter Kelly stows away with the equipment. On the island they find an environment where dinosaurs live wild, but quickly find Sarah without any major mishap. While they are arguing over whether to return to the mainland or not, Ludlow`s hunters arrive and the hunt begins.

Video

The picture is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Just like its prequel, the picture is clear and sharp, with the occasional fleck of dirt the only flaw. The colours are lush and once again the best special effects wizardry is used to bring a menagerie of dinosaurs to celluloid life. After the first film, they really have the technologies down pat, and this time they are clearly having fun as the terrible lizards wreak havoc on the human cast. The stampede when the hunters enter the fray is visually impressive and stunning. The motorcycle darting between the legs of a giant sauropod is amazing. In contrast to the theme park styling of the first film, The Lost World is a darker more moody affair, as here the dinosaurs are in their own environment, and the shadows and mysteries of the jungle environment add to the suspense.

Audio

This disc comes with a choice of four soundtracks. DD 2.0 Hungarian and English complement DD 5.1 English and German. It`s a brilliantly realised surround track as the jungle bursts into life around you. And that`s before the dinosaurs even make an entrance. John Williams again provided the orchestration, and while this time there is still an element of the majestic and imposing about his music, when the action heats up, there is an element of drums and rhythm that push the frenetic pace along. It is highly reminiscent of those fifties Tarzan movies. Subtitles are provided in many languages, including English.

Features

If there is one thing that never disappoints about Spielberg`s movies when released on DVD, it`s the copious extras, and the Lost World merely continues that trend. It`s amazing how the film can be transferred in such high quality to the disc and still allow for so much additional material.

Most prominent on this disc is the 53-minute long Making Of. This is presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio and DD 2.0 sound with optional English subtitles. This is an exceptionally detailed documentary, which looks at the film making process from inception to theatrical release. Topics covered include the story, pre-production, production proper, lost scenes, the realisation of the effects sequences both animatronic and computer generated, as well as the music and reasons why scenes were deleted. While this is similar to the documentary on the Jurassic Park disc, it adds to the material on that disc and recaps rather than rehashes that documentary.

There are two deleted scenes that total some 7 minutes of footage. The first is an introduction to the character of Peter Ludlow and the second is an introduction to the hunter Roland Tembo. The reasons for the scenes` deletion are given in the documentary.

There are the theatrical trailers for Jurassic Park and The Lost World, as well as a teaser for JP3. There is also a weblink to the Jurassic Park website.

There is a dinosaur encyclopaedia, which is a little bit of fun, copious production notes and talent profiles for five of the stars and the director.

An amazing number of stills are on this disc, far too many to easily count. There are several pictures looking at the marketing and merchandise of The Lost World. There are over a 100 photos taken during the production, a similar number from Industrial Light and Magic, from Stan Winston`s animatronic dinosaur production line, as well as Illustrations and concept drawings. There are around 10 pictures of models used in the production, and finally there are storyboards for ten scenes in the movie, as well as a storyboard for the deleted scenes.

The animated menus are accomplished well and never grate in the length of transitions.

Conclusion

Before Jurassic Park, no one had seen the effective portrayal of dinosaurs on the big screen. I believe that the sense of wonder that audiences had when they saw those prehistoric behemoths in the first film did much for its popularity and success, and also covered the shortcomings of the limited story. When Michael Crichton wrote the Lost World, Steven Spielberg wisely decided to take the best elements of the first film and built a more compelling story around them. That meant the amazing dinosaur technology of course, and the brilliant character of Ian Malcolm, easily the best thing in the first film. He knew that the sense of wonder that permeated the first film would no longer be prevalent, after all audiences had seen dinosaurs done, and it was old hat. This time, The Lost World would have more thrills and more action.

Unfortunately, the character of Ian Malcolm doesn`t survive the transfer to top billing unscathed. In the first film, he was a cynical and world-weary observer, with a rock and roll attitude. What made him so compelling was that he was our eye into this fantastic world, and his cynicism accurately mirrored and even predicted the general public`s ambivalence to genetic engineering and cloning. But Jeff Goldblum has to carry the movie in the sequel, so he is transformed from cynic to loving father and heroic figure, losing much of the smart-mouthed sarcasm along the way. Julianne Moore plays his girlfriend Sarah Harding, and she is just as convincing as a palaeontologist as Sam Neill and Laura Dern were in the original. She represents our sense of wonder in this film, but as that has lessened, so has her character`s impact. Pete Postlethwaite plays Roland Tembo, the great white hunter. His character is nigh on identical to the Bob Peck character from the first film, and a scene that establishes him as a more reckless thrill seeker was dropped from the final cut. One final thing, Harvey Jason browns up to play Ajay Sidhu. The Indian subcontinent has one billion inhabitants and Spielberg couldn`t find one? Shame on you Steven.

In the final analysis, the cast and characters may be something of a disappointment compared to the first film, but that is all redeemed by an exciting and more compelling story, and the masterful direction of Steven Spielberg. No one handles suspense and thrills like Spielberg can and that is evident from the first moment of this film. The dinosaur stampede is mind-blowing in its excitement and the trailer cliffhanger literally kept me at the edge of my seat. The Lost World is an astounding spectacle that easily surpasses the original movie. To top it all off a Tyrannosaurus is unleashed on unsuspecting San Diego. If there is one thing that an audience wanted to see, it was a dinosaur loose in the city, and for a short while The Lost World held the record for reptilian mayhem in the streets, before Godzilla came along. Speaking of Godzilla there is a wonderful homage when a group of Japanese businessmen encounter T-Rex in San Diego.

While the characters are somewhat lacking in this sequel, the story is a great improvement, and the thrills are timed to perfection. I still found the end to be something of an anticlimax though. The Lost World is an entertaining film on a feature-laden disc, with excellent picture quality and wall shaking sound.