Park Jurajski: Zaginiony świat

It’s necessary to taken into account that Steven Spielberg didn’t want to repeat the first Jurassic Park, but instead wanted to film a signficantly darker subject from Arthur Conan Doyle. The sequel’s 130-minute runtime is densely packed with action and adventure, and serves up a Whopper in the last quarter. And the scene with the truck over the chasm takes my breath away every time. With its technically perfect execution and humor, The Lost World is Hollywood entertainment that won’t insult your intelligence. (02.11.2003)

Spielberg does what he can, but even that is too little for the dumbness of the screenplay. The main thing here is a herd of dinosaurs made of ones and zeros. It’s almost as if this picture has nothing else to offer; and, in fact, that’s true. Apart from three memorable scenes and a herd of unlikeable characters whose slow and painful death is your heart’s desire. Which is a bit too little when compared to episode one. And while the part on the island is at least of watchable quality, the pastiche wannabe Godzilla sequence is unbearable; even in spite of the elephant dose of tongue in cheek. (29.04.2005)

Unfortunately, it is nowhere near as harmonious, likeable, and pleasantly adventurous as the first film. Technically, it’s flawless, but that's not enough. Spielberg seems to be floundering and doesn't know where to go, which is a rather shameful deficiency for a director of his caliber. There is an abundance of clichés, and to make matters worse, we have another downpour in key scenes, as if by coincidence. Jeff Goldblum is a fine and sober hero, with a few original lines, but undoubtedly the second greatest beast is the amazing Pete Postlethwaite. There is humour at every turn and sometimes it seems a bit inconsistent in relation to the action on the screen, which the filmmakers obviously didn't worry too much about. Spielberg's most lucrative film, impressive pretty much only thanks to its technical flair and bombast. Unfortunately, these two attributes are so abundant that I cannot rate it higher than 4*. (16.06.2006)

In terms of special effects, The Lost World is much more sophisticated than the first Jurassic Park. Spielberg took advantage of all available technology to be able to film a spectacular sequel to the more than excellent part one. You can see that he embarked on this project not to create a copy of the first Park, but something completely different, something new. And he did a good job. An new island, more species (as a dinosaur lover I was overjoyed), a different team (just Ian Malcolm played by Jeff Goldblum remained from the original movie). Although he has changed a lot since the events of part one, but his lines are just as snappy. I have three favorites :). One: “The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle." Two: “It’s so important to your future that you do not finish that sentence." Three: "Taking dinosaurs off this island is the worst idea in the long, sad history of bad ideas." I just loved that when I was little. Despite all of its good points and lots of excellent scenes (hunting dinosaurs, the scene in the bus, the Tyrannosaurus attack on the camp, the Velociraptors, the finale in San Diego), The Lost World wasn’t as well-received as you might expect. Not that it didn’t pay for itself, but neither the public or the critics were satisfied. What mattered to me was how the finale was somehow disjointed from the rest of the movie - the move from the island to the city was too fast. Nonetheless, The Lost World: Jurassic Park is certainly worth watching. (24.07.2006)

The original Jurassic Park has matured into an absolute classic and even the sequel that I originally hated eventually blossomed into a tolerable adventure. Although I still dislike all the selfish-military actions and the final party with Godzilla bothers me greatly, the pleasant, nature-loving message stands out even more. I have finally made peace with The Lost World, but I could easily do without its existence. (02.07.2005)