Mighty Dinosaurs, Feeble Plot!!! (Jurassic Park 3 (DVD))

Member Name: ross1979

Product:	Jurassic Park 3 (DVD)
Date:	24/07/01 (71 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Dinosaurs

Disadvantages: Predictable, Rushed, Poor character

Yeah, A 3rd Jurassic Park movie!!! Given that the second was a box office smash, it was somewhat inevitable. If only they'd taken the time to think up some original material, appealing characters and a plot that keeps you from dozing off - no such luck! I suppose there is some small consolation in that at least it is better than 'The Lost World'!

The film, while giving that repeated deja vous feeling, was not a complete waste of time. At least the dinosaurs were worth watching! The director Joe Johnston, has loaded the film with some magnificent beasts. The spinosaurous makes an appearance, the bigger, badder and uglier dinosaur than the T. Rex. You may think that it was just a bit of fiction for the film, but it was actually based on real fossils (or at least parts of them with a bit of creative license!)

Also included in the film is the pterodacty sequence from the Michael Crichton books, which is a visual delight. The giant pteranodons are thought to have been more like pelicans but the huge leathery reptiles with a taste for human flesh are far more entertaining.

Oh and just briefly, while we were on the subject of inaccuracies, the whole cloning thing is complete nonsense. I could elaborate on why, but I dont want to seem like a boring scientist (who said too late!)

Am I forgetting the plot? Well, that tells you something in itself. The brilliant scriptwriters have decided that there should be some sort of half hearted reason why people get trapped on an island full of dinosaurs again. Althought I must admit, its a better sequel to Jurassic Park than the Lost World, which is not saying all that much!

Alan Grant (Sam Neill) has broken up with Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and is struggling to get people to take an interest in his fossil research and is therefore running out of cash. But once you hear the phrase 'NO force on Earth or in heaven could get me on that island', you know pre
cisely what's going to happen. An entrepreneur Paul Kirkby (William H. Macy) and his ex-wife (Tea Leoni) pretend they are taking him as their guide for a low flight over the island. But they land there and you can guess the rest!

The disposable characters are, um, disposed of by various primitive friends and the rest of them are stalked by the spinosaurus, pteranodons and the good old velociraptors while they search for the seperated couple's missing son.

There is a bit of humour added in there, with a few good sequences but the script is generally weak and the ending can only be described as abrupt. The mobile phone joke was a welcome break from the general predictability. But what about that tyrannosaurus urine, they could have found some use for that in the plot, but no, probably didnt have time to think anything up in the rush to hit the big screen.

There are some scenes in here which may make you jump and are probably not suitable for young children. You want to be scared, but its very difficult when you know exactly what will happen. 'Oh if we can get across this fence we will be safe from the big dinosaur - oh wait the dinosaur can get through the fence too - suprise suprise!'

But if you are worried about being frightened, just nod off during the scary bits. It shouldn't be too difficult!

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