Rating: Summary: Excellent Sequel Review: Throw out JPII and replace it with JPIII! This was a fun film, filled with great dinosaurs and good humor - humor in the appropriate places not "just because". The reason they're on the island is plausible, Sam Neill is back, and the supporting cast is great, especially William H. Macy. I especially liked the scenes with Laura Dern tying JPI and JPII together nicely. I recommend this film and will add it to my collection upon its video release.
Rating: Summary: Good popcorn movie. Review: "Jurassic Park III" is just a fantasy B-movie. It's much better than the second one, but not as good as the first. William H. Macy and Tea Leoni play parents who are looking for their lost son and enlist the help of Dr. Grant and another man to the same island on the first movie (and NOT take Laura Dern as Ellie to the island, though she makes a brief appearance in this sequel). It's a predictable movie, but there are genuinely scary moments in this film, which is not directed by "Schindler's List" Steven Spielberg, like he directed the last two, and it's a relief to see how Mr. Johnston made this in a cheesy, good popcorn B-movie, instead of a movie suffering from severe sequelitis. But Spielberg was the executive producer in the ending credits. The stunts are spectacular, and some of them are actually done by the REAL actors themselves, such as William H. Macy and Tea Leoni. (Tea also appropriately screams and yells as much as Kate Capshaw did in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.") This movie arguably is six degrees better than the "Lost World: Jurassic Park", but not as thoughtful and breath-taking as the first "Jurassic Park." There you have it, JRIII is better than the second, but not as good as the first. But it's definitely worth a look, once released on VHS and DVD. Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi terror and for violence.
Rating: Summary: great action, but stupidly coincedential Review: I enjoyed the movie, but it was too coincedential.for example, when walking in one direction just to get to the coast, they run into the the parachute.Or the lost boy finds and throws a gas bomb right when Alan Grant was about to get killed by the raptors. It does have great action scenes. My favorite was when T-rex and the new, and awesome, Spinosaurus battled it out.Although I was dissappointed that it happened so early. It would have been better if T-rex had a bigger part in the movie. The dino star of the movie was undoubtely the raptors. they had great potential w/ the ability to talk to each other,even though i thought it wasn't fully reached. they are the ultimate dinosaurs in JP because, lets face it, they are the only ones to get a big part in all 3 movies. the pteradons were awesomes and had some of the greatest scenes in all three movies. For the next movie,the dinosaurs that should get big parts are all of the above, + Compys, Stegasaurus, Triceratops, and it would be really awesome to have a Sabre tooth tiger. it was a great edition to JP, although the second one was the best of all three.
Rating: Summary: A very worthy sequel. Review: Let's forget about part 2, which was alright until they left site B, then it was all down hill. Couple of questions about part 2. 1) How did the T-REX kill the captain of the ship in that tiny wheel room and every one on the ship and lock himself back up? 2) When they did leave site B (big mistake,HUGE!)and the T-REX was looking for a water source, why did it skip the bay and go to a chlorinated pool? My wife and I think we got it figured out, Spielberg said "I've got special f/x and I'm gonna use 'em! Who cares about the story and if it makes sense?" At least that's what we believe. This is the sequel that part 2 should have been, it is better than 2 by leaps and bounds. Bringing back Sam Neil and Laura Dern was a big help and whoever wrote this didn't get carried away with f/x, even though this movie does boast killer f/x. The writer and director understood plot matters just as much as f/x. All in all this was the best action movie I've seen all summer.
Rating: Summary: Adequate & entertaining----worth the time to see. Review: Actually, I'd give this movie three & a half stars, but since I can't I'll err on the side of caution. All said, it was a fun flick to watch, and the digitally-created dinosaurs look better than ever........and that's why most people go to movies like this. If you're looking for a "realistic" dino movie in terms of anatomy & pecking order, then this is not the movie for you. From everything I've ever read about Spinosaurus Egypticus, I seriously doubt there's a well respected paleontologist around----Phil Currie, Bob Bakker, Jack Horner, Paul Sereno, or any others----who would guess that this predator would have been "alpha" to a Tyrannosaurus Rex. In reality, it was nowhere near the size (in weight or in physical attributes) to a T-Rex, it's teeth were about half the size of a Tyrannosaur, and most experts think it mostly dined on fish. But that's not the point here. Movies of this nature are meant to entertain with fantasy as much as (or more so than) fact. And in that respect, JP III gets the job done. My two primary complaints are that A.) it should have been a little longer (please don't tell me you can run out of adventures when you're dealing with scientifically created dinosaurs), and B.) like the first two, the little-kid-as-a-focal-point angle is overdone. Otherwise, just sit back, have your popcorn & soda, and enjoy the wild ride! As a long time Dinosaur buff who understands the fact from the fiction, I'll still be happy to buy tickets when Jurassic Park IV is released four years from now!
Rating: Summary: Wry humor and dino-mite mayhem save sequel. Review: Jurassic Park III is a smartish b-movie thrill ride. Short and to the point, JP3 does in eighty some odd minus (sans credits) what Spielberg took two hours to do. .... As with the first two films the dinos make this a must see. They are so life like it's jaw dropping. Forget the plot, it's just an excuse to get the 'characters' on the various dinos dinner plates asap, and just enjoy the ride. You'll be glad you took it.
Rating: Summary: Isn't this Extinct Yet? Review: Why don't they simply call these movies "big scary monsters that chase screaming people". And why persist with a [...] story line i.e. A Doctor of Paleontology and his star student, are mystifyingly duped by a deceitful couple into flying to a dinosaur infested island, "what's going on? this isn't New York, it looks like a rough landing strip on a tropical island'wait don't land". It would be easier and far less pretence to simply start the movie with our fearless group of misfit explorers already trooping through a jungle full of hungry dinosaurs. Why waste time with preamble? there isn't any story to begin with. Some of the standard characters in the Jurassic formula are: 1.Professor (played by Sam Neill with a terrible American accent) His job is to utter jaw dropping facts about dinosaurs throughout the movie, such as, "T Rex is constantly hungry, he marks each day on his calendar with - kill and eat something". Whenever he makes one of these statements watch out! a sneaky dinosaur is in the neighborhood and is about ruin your day. It also provides the audience, who Hollywood believe are mindless morons, with valuable knowledge to help them keep up, "they should have died out 75 million years ago" (that's the dinosaurs not the mindless morons, although we can only hope). But there were plenty of mindless morons with very young kids in tow (I kid you not - sorry) in the cinema where I watched the movie. 2. Neurotic wife (horrible wooden acting) Separated and searching for her ten year old son who in an astonishing feat accidentally parasailed his way onto the island, (the things kids get up to these days! no marbles or scooters for him this Christmas, it's sky scraper absailing or nothing). She encourages dinosaurs to chase everyone by bawling through a megaphone or screaming (she has a screaming alarm set for every ten minutes). Even though the Prof. tells her 'it's not a good idea' she does it anyway (I mean why should dinosaurs be allowed to snooze when the humans can't). In a bizarre twist of loyalties she proclaims undying love and devotion for her son but always manages to push him to the front of the line whenever a near death experience is about to happen. And then what does she do? Yep you've got it' She was very impressive at outrunning an assortment of T Rex's, always in an open field no less. 3. The Dark and Brooding Loner (bad sunglass day) Not a major player but worth a mention. Sits motionless in the back of the plane staring (well we think he does but he never removes his sunglasses). Somehow he's in on the plot to get the Prof. on the island. But as the scriptwriter mercifully gave him very few lines he keeps you guessing. However, rule one in dinosaurs versus lost explorers; sinister looking men who never say much are usually dinosaur fodder. Invariably they always kick off the carnage with their snarling 'why don't you rip me apart' taunt and velceloraptors are only too happy to oblige. Their demise is announced by a blood curdling scream of epic proportions somewhere deep in the jungle, causing frenzied glances from the rest of the party. Anyhow he did get the best line in the film; asked by the Prof. what his connection to the neurotic wife and her husband was he replied 'we go to the same church' hahahaha. This movie is banal. The effects are very good however, but it is not a movie for young children to watch. T Rex is the star and the Pterodactals come a close second. The attempt to portray an intelligent kinder velceloraptor is hokey. Next thing you know Jurassic 4 will star house trained raptors in local pet shops. 'Here's his lead sir, you'll need the optional step ladder to get it on, scratch his belly he loves that'. It's about time this genre of film making becomes extinct
Rating: Summary: The best one Review: Jurassic park 3 had more action tha n the first too put together! Spinosaurus was great,ánd the fight between it and t-rex was great.I just wished that t-rex would had been more in the movie.
Rating: Summary: B-movie heaven! Review: Though what would usually be considered in days past, "the bottom half of the bill", "Jurassic Park III" is B-movie fun at its best. The plot: hey, merely a framework to hang several action scenes on, and the characters: well, they can charitably be described as thinly drawn at best. But as with all great "B" movies, who cares? No one goes to films like this for great drama or acting (though there are some fine actors here). The film itself is well executed; director Joe Johnston helms several action sequences with great panache and a terrific sense of timing; dinosaurs are what we really paid to see, and that's what we get, in force. Aided in great measure by the brilliant teaming, once again, of FX masters Stan Winston and ILM, the dino's are breathtaking, and show us new things, such as the raptors running at full-gait (as they apparently could) and "talking". Add into this the Spinosaur (killing a T-Rex, no less, in a thrilling, but too short fight) and the flying dino's, and you've got a winning mix. Total fun! Sam Neill returns (thankfully) to his role as Alan Grant, and William Macy and Tea Leoni are a (deceptively) rich couple who persuade Grant to return to Isla Sorna, only to have events turn out worse than they imagined. The plot is stripped down enough for the action to get moving quickly; and get moving it does. Like all great "B" movies, character development and plot are subservient to really cool special effects, and this film delivers in spades. Johnston (Jumanji, Honey I Shrunk The Kids) knows how to mount a great set piece, and goes all-out here with several scenes that just mount and mount in terms of sheer audaciousness. Watch for the scene in "the birdcage" with the Paradactyls, emerging eerily from the mists on a metal bridge, snatching the kid and attempting to feed him to it's young. This movie may perhaps become a modern version of a classic "B" ("Mighty Joe Young", "The Valley of the Gwangi", "This Island Earth"). Excellent effects, slightly-hammy screenplay, ridiculous premise; but hugely fun and always watchable.
Rating: Summary: Pretty Decent Review: Though not quite as good as the first two, JPIII is nonetheless a decent time-killer of a movie. Clocking in very briskly at less than ninety minutes, the premise is pretty much a slight variation on what it previously was--humans getting stuck on an island that they ultimately wish they hadn't got stuck on. Though the humans always take a very distant back seat to the dinos, original star Sam Neill is always a welcome sight, returning here to guide a couple in search of their missing son. William H.Macy and Tea Leoni are completely wasted as the parents, and the few moments in which they attempt remnants of a relationship are forced and not well-written. As Neill's protege, Alessandro Nivola serves as the film's eye candy(and very well I might add), though to this credit, he does attempt some surface fleshing out of his character in the limited time he's on screen. Of course, the stars here are the dinos, and as is typical the special effects are first-rate--they even assign some slight distinguishing features to those nasty raptors. Overall, a pleasant enough diversion, though the producers might want to consider closing this park up for good this time.
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