LOST WORLD, THE
SYNOPSIS:
This is the sequel to Jurassic Park: John Hammond (Sir Richard
Attenborough), a venture capitalist, produced previously extinct
dinosaurs from DNA fragments encased in amber. His company put
these genetically engineered dinosaurs in a theme park on a
beautiful Costa Rica Island, but the park systems broke down
before opening and all the dangerous dinosaurs escaped and had to
be destroyed. It has now been four years since the secret
disaster at Jurassic Park and Dr Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum)
finds himself with the terrifying realisation that something has
survived!
"Hang on to your seats, you're in for a bumpy,
rollercoaster ride of a movie, the ultimate popcorn flick that,
like the myriad dinosaurs populating the creepy island of this
Lost World, creeps up on you slowly then gobbles your senses as
no movie before. OK, so this film is a sequel, it's manipulative,
but it's so damn entertaining and exhilarating a journey, that it
defies critical faculties. This is a far superior film to the
original. Firstly, Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp have
injected a greater degree of structure and depth to this tale of
human folly. The characters are more fleshed out now, there's far
more for an audience to root for here. Then there are the
dinosaurs, of all shapes and sizes, so imaginatively and
ingeniously created, not only by computer, but there are some
live action sequences remarkably engineered by Stan Winston. Not
only has Spielberg crafted a film that is genuine
edge-of-the-seat stuff, but the wry humour, deftly provided by
Jeff Goldblum, gives this film a great balance between action and
suspense. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski has given Spielberg's
monumental tapestry a dark and brooding visual feel and John
Williams again provides an evocative score. From Spielberg's
faultless direction, to its sharp editing and use of sound, Lost
World is a movie that takes the viewer on one of the most
pleasurable rides you're ever likely to embark upon, without
insulting your intelligence in the process. The performances are
all superb, from Goldblum to Julianne Moore and a wonderfully
rich and malevolent Pete Postlethwaite. This is one world I was
all too ready to embrace."
Paul Fischer
"Lost World is a marvellous adventure film. Bringing out
the kid in all of us, Spielberg has put together a sequel that is
better than the original in every way. All the elements are
there: suspenseful plot with plenty of action, interesting lead
performances, terrific production values and a wonderful beefy
musical score. Plus of course, the fantastic special effects,
that bring these extinct gigantic reptiles of all sizes to the
big screen. The technology is so advanced that these mythical
creatures exude a character and personality of their own: the
flocks of small bird-like Compsognathus especially captured my
imagination with their child-like hops and deadly predator-esque
behaviour. And the T-rexes - well they’re glass-eating
gymnasts… There is plenty of adrenalin pumping tension, and
we are startled most when we expect it least: Spielberg is a
master at work with our emotions. The script is sharp and witty,
with most of the good lines going to Jeff Goldblum, whose dry,
laconic performance is simply outstanding. The strong presence of Pete Postlethwaite as the exhilarated hunter - sporting an earing and a shaved head - adds an extra dimension. Take a ride to The Lost World: it's quite a trip."
Louise Keller
"With Goldblum’s Dr Ian Malcolm centre stage and an
overall dedication to the characters, The Lost World turns out to
be more dramatically exciting than was Jurassic Park. The higher
adrenalin level helps make up for a degree of loss in the novelty
stakes: once you’ve seen a Spielberg-team dinosaur,
you’ve seen them all, sort of thing. But here, we are more
engrossed by the characters and their motives. This also allows
Speilberg to pay attention to dialogue and humour, both left a
bit on the backburner before. The genuine thrills of a
cliffhanger combine with the exceptional oomph of the dinosaurs -
we know they are effects, but we can’t tell how, so the
magic works. This is up there with the great adventure
yarns."
Andrew L. Urban
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Tell Louise:
louisek@mpx.com.au
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Steven Spielberg
LOST WORLD, THE (PG)
(US)
CAST: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Sir Richard Attenborough,
Vince Vaughn, Pete Postlethwaite, Peter Stormare, Arliss Howard,
Richard Schiff, Thomas F. Duffy, Harvey Jason, Vanessa Lee
Chester
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
PRODUCER: Gerald R. Molen and Colin Wilson
SCRIPT: David Koepp (Based on the novel The Lost World by
Michael Crichton)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Janusz Kaminski
EDITOR: Michael Kahn
MUSIC: John Williams
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Rick Carter
RUNNING TIME: 134 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: UIP
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: May 29, 1997
See Andrew L. Urban's edited production notes in Features
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