Movie Thoughts: The Lost World

The Lost World is one of my favorite sequels; one of the first I ever saw.  It takes a darker and more mysterious approach to the more lighthearted original, putting its its dinosaurs in a darker setting, where man has no control.  While many don't seem to care too much for this one, many JP fans consider it the best of the sequels as it has some of the most memorable moments, as well as deaths.  While it doesn't recreate many moments from the novel, The Lost World does bring to life many of the scenes from the original.  Easily my favorite part is the trailer scene as it has one of my favorite continuous shots while also blending both special and practical effects.  This is an incredible movie; one that deserves to be at the forefront to any JP fans collections.

Just like in the novel, Ian Malcom returns.  No longer is he the charismatic Chaotician, but a man who has been shunned by society and now only seeks to keep others from making the same mistakes that Hammond did.  He only goes to Site B after hearing that his girlfriend went alone and becomes even more worried when his own daughter goes.  In the end, he manages to get his reputation back as well as save all of San Diego.

Sara Harding is Ian's girlfriend and the first person in the film to go to the island.  This is so she can study the nurturing habits of the animals and put many controversies to rest.

Eddie Carr is the technician for the Gatherer team, providing the them with the proper equipment. 

Nick van Owen is a character that stands out.  When we first meet him, he is introduced as a photographer but it's later revealed that he is Hammonds secret weapon.  Being an environmentalist, Nick protects the animals at all costs.  He could be seen as the catalyst for the San Diego incident but that does not make him a villain.  His only goal is to keep the dinosaurs away from the mainland as well as keeping the people safe.

Peter Ludlow is the primary antagonist.  He is Hammonds greedy nephew and the one to convince InGen executives to leave him in charge.  While Jurassic Park failed on the island, Ludlow intends to make it a reality but use Hammonds original idea, an amphitheater in San Diego.  Based on the way he and the hunters treat the animals, he justifies it by telling Ian's gatherer team that the dinosaurs have no rights.  His greed ultimately gets the better of him when he is killed by the infant Tyrannosaur.

While the InGen Hunters are meant to be disliked, there is one that is portrayed as somewhat heroic: Roland Timbo, played phenomenally by Pete Postlewaite.  Roland is a big game hunter but after hunting every dangerous animal on the planet, he has grown bored with life.  That is until his friend Ajay tells him of an opportunity; one where he can take on the most dangerous predator known to man.  In short, Roland does what he does because it makes him feel alive.

The Dinosaurs are once again the stars of the film.  With the advent of The Lost World, four new species are introduced.

Compsognathus is the first dinosaur seen in the film.  While it can come off as cute, it's actually a vicious opportunist and when in a group, can tackle much larger prey.  This dinosaur has become a fan favorite due to their actions in this film.

Stegosaurus is the first big animal seen in The Lost World.  Like the Brachiosaurus in the original, they come off as inconceivable to human eyes.  Despite them being herbivores, Stegosaurus are extremely dangerous and nearly kill Sarah when they find her with their young.

Gallimimus returns and is a part of the stampede scene.  While they don't do much, it is still nice to see them.

Parasaurolophus is given a bigger role and has more screen time.  They even have a recognizable roar.

Pachycephalosaurus makes its debut in the film.  This herbivore is a favorite among dinosaur enthusiasts and it's easy to see why.

Mamenchisaurus is quite possibly THE most underused dinosaur in the entire franchise, only appearing for a few seconds during the stampede scene.  This is an impressive animal; the longest dinosaur in the JP series.

Triceratops returns as well.  No longer do we see one animal sick but this individual lays waste to the hunters camp after being released by Nick.  Even a baby Triceratops makes an appearance since its scene with Lex was cut in the original.

The face of the series, they Tyrannosaurus, is involved with the best scenes in the film.  No longer is there just one, but three; a male, female and their offspring.  The male, otherwise known as the Buck, is the first male dinosaur in the series.

Velociraptor is downplayed in this one.  Rather than be the primary antagonists, they are obstacles that our heroes must overcome in order to escape.  Once again, there are three main raptors, only this time they are more wild and fight each other when they're not working together.

Pteranodon appears at the end of the film but it has a design reminiscent o the species, P. Geosternbergi (aka Geosternbergia).  While it is brief, it is a great ending scene, knowing that Pterosaurs are alive and well.

Just like the original, The Lost World has very memorable music

The main theme is just as iconic as the originals signature theme.  Rather than invoke awe and wonder, this theme is more primal and mysterious

Rescuing Sara plays during the tense trailer scene, where Eddie tries to save the others.  I really love how the music sounds primitive, adding to the tone.

As one of my favorite sequels, The Lost World has a lot of great moments.

The films intro perfectly sets up what is to come.  As a British family on a yacht cruise comes across the island, their daughter goes to explore but soon comes across a small, bird-like animal.  Unfortunately for her, she soon finds herself attacked by a pack of the lizard-like creatures and is injured in the process.  When her mother finds out what has happened, she screams.

While this is a really good intro to The Lost World, this scene is a faithful adaptation of the beach scene in the original novel, where a little girl is attacked by Compy's.  The scene also does a really good job at showing that the film will be darker than its predecessor.

The game trail scene is not only a spectacle, but it introduces one of the best characters in the entire franchise.  After the InGen Hunters arrive on the island, they immediately go to work.  While Ludlow is put in his place by Roland, they enter a clearing and scare whole herds of dinosaurs.  Amidst the chaos, the hunters manage to capture a Pachycephalosaurus, along with a Parasaurolophus.  As this happens, Ian and his team witness how cruel the animals are treated.

This scene is a favorite among the Jurassic Fanbase due to everything that happens while also showing off many different species of dinosaurs.  It is also the introduction to Roland and he leaves a big first impression.

When Eddie returns to find the trailers sliding off the edge of the cliff, he works fast, tying a rope around a stump so that Ian, Sarah and Nick can climb up while he lifts the trailers.  After attaching his cars tow cable to the trailers, Eddie begins pulling them up.  However, The Tyrannosaurs return and begin tearing the car apart.  As this happens, Eddie continues to pull the trailers up while also reaching for his gun.  He is soon pulled out of the car by the Buck Rex and thrown into the air where the animal bites down on his chest while the female grabs his legs.  They briefly tug on Eddie's lifeless body before ripping him in half, causing the trailers and the car to go over the cliff.

If you were to ask me what the worst way to die in the Jurassic franchise is, my first answer would be this scene.  While Eddies death is undeserved, it is a cruel reminder of the fact that animals do not care if you are good or bad; if you look edible, you are fair game.  Despite the gruesomeness of this scene, I find it impressive that the car used was destroyed by full size animatronics who also managed to lift the actor out of the car.  Once again, the special effects are fantastic and flow seamlessly with one another.

The death of Deter Stark is one of the more unsettling scenes as it's a callback to Hammonds death in the original novel.  The first time I saw this scene, I thought that the Compy's ate so much that they became Raptors.  Keep in mind, I was only about five during my first viewing so my imagination ran wild.
As Deter goes into the woods to do his business, he is startled by a Compy but soon gets lost and falls down a slope where he is ambushed by a pack of the little carnivores.  Despite the Compy's ripping into him, Deter manages to get them off and chase the Compy's away for the time being.  However, he soon falls into a creek where he is once again attacked.  Realizing they are not going to stop, Deter begins to panic and tries to run, only able to crawl over a log where he is bombarded and he screams.  The last we hear of Deter, Roland tells Ian that the Compy's left what they didn't like

The camp scene is another favorite of mine.  This scene has great tension, especially when a Rex goes into Sarah and Kelly's tent, all while Ian can only watch helplessly.  Things then go chaotic as one of the hunters, Carter, wakes up and begins screaming.  Roland readies his rifle to kill the female but with his rounds tampered with, he turns to a tranquilizer gun and sedated the Buck.  The female on the other hand chases the hunters down a game trail, killing Carter in the process and cornering Nick, Kelly, Sarah and Robert Burk behind a waterfall, devouring the famous paleontologist.

This scene has one of the most gruesome deaths in the series and one that shows just how dark The Lost World is.  Carters death would rank high on my list of JP casualties, coming in at a solid number 3.  The fact that he has been crushed to a point where he sticks to the bottom of the T-Rex's foot is just haunting.

The San Diego incident is a segment that is either hit or miss among the Jurassic fan-base.    As the ship, the SS Venture, crashes into the dock, everyone looks for the crew, only to find them all dead.  We then cut to Ian and Sarah who notice a dead guard holding the control to the cargo hold.  Ludlow tells the cops to check the cargo hold but Ian warns them not to but is too late as the Buck Rex breaks out and makes its way into San Diego.  As this happens, Ludlow is horrified, with Ian telling him that he is now John Hammond.  As the Buck rampages through San Diego, Ian and Sarah break into the amphitheater to take back the infant, luring the adult back to the docks.

While the San Diego incident may rub some movie goers the wrong way, I find it a great tribute to the classics such as King Kong and 1925's The Lost World.  It is also a great example of visual story telling before the Rex breaks out, allowing the viewer to understand what is being shown, not told.  It even has some great moments in it, including the scene where the Buck eats the films screen writer, David Koepp as well as a group of Japanese businessmen running away with one saying, "I left Japan to get away from this."

Ludlow's death is another satisfying death in the series.  As Ian and Sarah bring the infant back to the ship, Ludlow goes into the cargo hold and finds the baby, only for its cries to attract its father.  Ludlow tries to escape but is grabbed by the buck Rex and has his leg broken.  Rather than kill him, the Buck allows its infant to make its first kill.  As this happens, Ian begins closing the doors to the cargo hold and as the National Guard prepares to put the Buck down, Sarah tranquilizes it, saving the animals life.

While it isn't as great as Jurassic Park, The Lost World is still a fantastic film.  It is currently the darkest entry in the series while also showing what it could do with not just its characters but with its dinosaurs as well.  As one of my favorite Spielberg movies, it deserves the amount of praise it has been receiving in recent years.

8/10; a Deep Heisei Roar