Rating: Summary: It was great! Review: I really loved this movie! It's full of action, right from the beginning. It's almost as wonderful as it's two predecessors. It could've been a little longer, though. I loved seeing a new star (the spinosaurus) instead of the rex. Rexes are way too overused in dino films. I am a very big fan of the trilogy, and I can't wait for JP4!
Rating: Summary: Jurassic Park is truly extinct Review: What an insult to my intelligence this film was. As a fan of Spielberg's work--and the biggest film critic in Milwaukee--I wasn't surprised that he wasn't at the helm for this picture. 'Jurassic Park III' shows the signs of every B movie I've ever seen, but dumbs even that down to a point where I could not help but laugh. For starters, the plot for 'Jurassic Park III' was thin to the point where you forget fifteen minutes into the film what it was even about. Instead, you stare as our heroic characters run through the trees in fret, fleeing the approaching dinosaur...again. 'Jurassic Park' ranks as one of my favorite movies of all time, easily cracking my Top 25, which is an extremely difficult task. However disappointed I was with 'The Lost World' disappeared after viewing this sequel. Yeah, 'JP2' had its problems and was not as fresh as the original, but this film is simply a disaster. How much of this are we supposed to believe, anyway? I mean, if dinosaurs could exist again, I strongly doubt that a 12-year-old boy could survive for two months alone when in the original and 'JP2', dino experts with guns were no match for the beasts. Also, the entire segment with the satellite phone was just jaw-dropping. Are we really supposed to believe that a phone will be audible when it's in the stomach of a dinosaur? I mean, chances are that it would have been destroyed when originally eaten, right? Yes, the entire movie follows this pattern. This review doesn't even take into account the apparent lack of beginning, middle, climax and end to this film. In fact, at an hour and a half, that was probably the best part...it was forty minutes shorter than the first two, making my time of sitting around waiting for it to end greatly reduced. And finally, the scariest thing about this film is the following: Spielberg wants to make more. I'm sorry, Mr. Spielberg, but Mr. Johnston ruined all credibility this series had...stick to NOT making sequels like you once did.
Rating: Summary: TIRED OLD DINOSAUR OF A MOVIE!!! Review: After a boy gets trapped on Isla Sorna whilst on an ill-conceived sight-seeing trip with his father a rescue party led by Sam Neill, making a return as Dr Alan Grant, sets out to bring the youngster (implausibly alive on an island populated by flesh eating dinosaurs) back to safety and guess what? They succeeed (now there's an original plot twist). Having seen all three parts of the Jurassic Park trilogy, it has to be said that Jurassic Park III has moved the great Tyrannosaurus Rex of a movie franchise to almost certain extinction. Admittedly Joe Johnston's direction is efficient if unremarkable, give or take the odd set-piece or another and it's not as if Jurassic Park III is awful, it's just average. Very average. It has no real story or plot to speak of and the biggest problem is that we have seen it all before, with the exception of some new previously unseen dinosaurs (wow)! From the moment Sam Neill joins up with his motley crew of would-be rescuers to travel to Isla Sorna you already know or can at least accurately guess who is going to survive and who is going to die (and in which order). Not even the return of the always excellent Sam Neill as Dr Alan Grant and the addition to the cast of William H Macy can do enough to add weight and intelligence to this tired old sequel. Téa Leoni is also wasted and is only required to scream hysterically from time to time in that old-fashioned stereotypical way that women in this kind of formulaic B movie are required to do. Alessandro Nivola, a fine young actor does his best too but with such a tired and weak script, no amount of talent was ever going to lift this movie above the ordinary. In fact I'd rather search for my mobile phone in a big pile of dinosaur manure than have to watch another shameless and storyless Hollywood cash in such as this one.
Rating: Summary: Joe Johnston's Jurassic Park III Review: I figured I have seen the first two, I might as well see this one too. It is better than the second film, and about on par with the overrated first film. Sam Neill is tricked into going to the second island by Tea Leoni and William H. Macy, who are looking for their missing son. A few supporting players go, too, to provide food for the dinosaurs without caring about the loss of their characters. There is lots of running, a climax that never happens, and the promise of another sequel. Forgive the short synopsis, the truth is this film steals tons from the first two films. There is a "dinosaur poop" scene and a character supposedly dies and we must waste our time watching for him to appear hurt but alive. I would compare this film to the awful "Back to the Future Part II." It was also released to kind of tie in to future episodes, and does not stand well on its own. If you are going to continue a major action franchise, you would think the third film would be even bigger than the first two. No such luck here. The special effects run hot and cold. Good dinosaur graphics, but what is with the script? The film makers decided the audience wants nothing but dinosaur attacks, and throws in all sorts of them. These do not seem to take on any sort of breakneck speed, this just looks like a resume tape for Stan Winston's special effects. This is a greatest hits compilation of people getting chased, attacked, and eaten (in all its PG-13 gory glory) without any sort of suspense or scares. Action scenes would start, like the dinosaur at the steel fence, then end as the humans would just run away, talk, then get chased again. Would everyone stop teaming Sam Neill with children? The teenage boy here is better than the lovey dovey cutesy wutesey duo from the first film, but I am sick of seeing his heart melted by youth. Speaking of youth, I literally cannot remember anything about Neill's young protege, Billy. His character is so vacuous and laid back, he disappears from the screen. I kept thinking "who is that? oh, yeah, Billy with the stolen raptor eggs." Macy and Leoni are okay, but better than this material. If you have seen the first two, you might as well see this as well. It is not any good, but when has that stopped a major motion picture studio from shoving down your throats? This is rated (PG13) for physical violence, some gun violence, gore, and profanity.
Rating: Summary: Jurassic Dud Review: When this movie was being made, I wondered why Stephen Spielberg didn't want to direct it again. When I saw this movie, I understood why: He must have read the script beforehand and realized that this movie was going to go nowhere fast. Smart move on his part. At 1 hour and 33 minutes, this is the shortest of the three movies by over half an hour. However, it feels like it lasted longer than the other two movies. There were many reasons for this feeling. First and foremost was the way Dr. Grant (Sam Neill) was tricked into going to Isla Sorna (Site B). Yes, I know the movie explains that his paleontological dig is running out of funds. But if a supposedly wealthy person that you never heard of pretty much gives you a blank check to write whatever amount you want on it, wouldn't you do just a little bit of digging to make sure he is on the up and up first? (Turns out, our wealth adventurer is not wealthy after all.) It would have been better if he had been wealthy... at least it would have closed that gaping plot hole (and the hole that we are suppose to believe is in Dr. Grant's head for not checking it out in the first place). Secondly, what is with this sudden creation of the spinosaurus? This guy pops up everywhere on the island, and yet we heard nothing about him during The Lost World? This new dinosaur seems to have T-Rex for lunch everyday, so I find it hard to believe that we are suppose to believe that he was there the whole time (I'm not buying it, anyway). And this spinosaurus just isn't as scary to me as the T-Rex was (and is). Maybe my mind has been desensitized to dinosaurs at this point. Thirdly, what about those pteranodons? Oh, never mind. If you've seen the closing scenes of The Lost World, you'll understand what I'm talking about here. All of that being said, there are some very good points to this movie. Any scene having to do with the raptors is tremendous fun (watching them plot and plan is just plain eerie). There are several good, funny lines througout the movie and the acting, on the whole, is right on par. By the end of the movie, you will find that you are happy to see them finally getting rescued. The special effects are as good, if not better, than the previous movies, and the action is fairly non-stop (both you and the characters barely have time to catch your breath between each "running for dear life" scene). This is what makes the movie watchable, but at the same time no one would blame you if you decided to stop watching after movie two.
Rating: Summary: Family values... Review: With a Jurassic Park film, state of the art special effects are a given. Each film features cutting edge technology of various kinds bringing to the screen the most exciting, realistic and scary dinosaurs possible at the time. On that issue, JP III delivers the goods, and this time we also get flying dinos too. Besides the reptiles, an interesting, credible, and less predictable story would have been nice. Pressured by the need for funding, Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) is improbably deceived into becoming a guide on a trip to the island Isla Sorna (Site B), by thrill seeking couple, William Macy and Tea Leoni. The "Kirbys" are actually divorced, and are searching for their son Eric, who is apparently lost on the island, which is an unsupervised haven for Hammond's creatures. Disaster strikes almost immediately after their plane touches down on the island, and soon the group is minus one plane and two crewmembers. Only through the magic of film editing do the survivors manage to outrun both a T-Rex and a Spinosaur. The survivors have cuts and abrasions after the plane crash, and it is a distraction, and continuity nightmare trying to insure that these injuries appear consistent thoughout the film. If we are to believe what is presented, raptors are driven by an amazing instinct to protect their eggs. And like man, they can kill for reasons other than for food or self-protection. "Human" family values are also important, and young Eric is of course still alive, having survived alone for over eight weeks. We never find out exactly what happened to Ben, who paraglided to the island with Eric. The intimate family banter between the reconciling Kirbys might be engaging, if we really cared about them, but both characters are rather irritating, and ultimately responsible for putting everyone in danger. The group enters an abandoned Jurassic Park facility where flying reptiles were bred. Surprise! The hungry pteranodons are still around, providing a new kind of dinosaur terror. Laura Dern reprises her character from the original Jurassic Park, making a small but crucial appearance. While JP III can be appreciated as a technical achievement, a well written story would have certainly been a big plus. Well, maybe next time. Most The DVD extras include a "Making of" feature, and a commentary track with special effects master Stan Winston, and members of the various effects teams. This commentary is basically SE geek talk, consisting of a lot of technical information, with a hearty dose of complementary back slapping mixed in. The dinos are after all, the real stars, and along with Sam Neil, are the main reasons to check this out at least once.
Rating: Summary: Jurassic Suxassic Review: I was so dissappointed in this film. It was hard to relax and enjoy a bit of escapism with such a poor script. The story was sloppy and the character behaviors unbelievable. The movie trudged along and then just seemed to end. No climax...no spectacular finale. Bah- maybe I'm being too critical...as a 30 something male, this movie was a let down. I'm sure younger folk would dig it just fine. On a side note: I did enjoy the scene with the baby and Barney...I was thinking "take your time kid...no emergency here". <grin>
Rating: Summary: Hey, at least it's turning out better than the Jaws series. Review: Joe Johnston takes up the directing reins over Steven Spielberg for JPIII, a relatively plotless film which basically gets a group of people to an island full of dinosaurs, with the typical chaos that ensues. Decent second sequel is pretty entertaining for most of its running time, thanks to a returning Sam Neill (likeable as ever as Dr. Grant), a good sense of humor, and some exciting action sequences. The special effects are mostly excellent, though the Spinosaurus (who, by the way, is NOT an improvement over the T-Rex) often appears too animatronic. Recommended, but the ending is a disappointment, however.
Rating: Summary: A Riveting Adventure Review: To put it bluntly, Jurassic Park 3 isn't as good as the other two Jurassic Park films. Even so, JP3 is a riveting adventure film, set on a forest island filled with dinosaurs. The storyline concerns a thirteen year-old boy who becomes stranded on the dinosaur island in a motorboat crash. Then two tourists, a man and his wife, approach Alan Grant, a famous paleontologist, requesting that he fly them over the dinosaur island, for an aerial tour of the former Jurassic Park, now inhabited by living dinosaurs. But the tourists are not what they seem. The two tourists turn out to be the stranded boy's parents, determined to find their son. When Alan Grant refuses to land the plane on such a dangerous island, the tourist's companion knocks him out cold, then they land the plane. When a t-rex attacks the landed crew, they attempt to escape by taking off again. Instead, the plane crashes, and the crew finds themselves stranded. Now they must struggle to survive the dangerous island filled with dinosaurs. Jurassic Park 3 is a must-see to anyone who is a fan of Jurassic Park. However, one does not have to be a Jurassic Park fan in order to enjoy this movie. The film pulls off a surprise ending that will indeed surprise you. Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi terror and violence.
Rating: Summary: Far superior to Lost World, JP3 remembers the fun. Review: Jurassic Park 3 is a lot of things that part 2 could have been and wasn't. Gone are the overbloated casts, the nightime, rainy, dark look and feel. Back in a big way are the dinosaurs, the wild environments, and a handful of likeable people that you root for to get through it all. Maybe that was the biggest problem with part 2, we didn't like the characters in the story, so we didn't care if they made it or not. This is an enjoyable thrill ride that improves with additional viewings. It still not as replayable as Jurassic Park, but it's a very watchable film. While not flawless, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the premise but might have been dissappointed in the sequel.
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