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Jurassic Park III
Third instalment of the Michael Crichton-inspired, Steven Spielberg-orchestrated dinosaur franchise. A reliably spectacular, familiarly formulaic adventure romp
With The Lost World: Jurassic Park holding the record for the biggest-grossing opening weekend ($92.7 million) it's no surprise Universal are milking the franchise. People just love those dinos. Dr Alan Grant (Neill, returning to his Jurassic Park role) has vowed never to return to Isla Nublar, setting of the first two films, but is tricked into flying to Isla Sorna, "site B", by Paul (Macy, not taking things too seriously) and Amanda Kirby (Leoni). Their son Eric (Morgan, well cast) has accidently been stranded on the no-go island (he's survived, like Newt in Aliens). As soon as they land, Grant et al are attacked by a giant spinosaurus, a huge dino unearthed by the filmmakers to top the previous boss beast, t-rex. With its crocodile face and giant fin, spinosaurus looks a bit goofy, but he soon proves his mettle, besting a t-rex in a one-on-one scrap. This is the first of the film's serious set pieces; it looks incredible and is a great homage to beast-fights of yesteryear (from the 1925 The Lost World and King Kong to One Million Years B.C.). Sadly, it's over far too quickly, as the film must go on. There's little time to draw breath here, as the survivors RUN! and CLIMB! The action is interspersed by pithy comments like "Trust me, on this island there is no such thing as safe" and refreshing running gags like a satellite phone's ring tone being heard every time the spinosaurus is near (it ate the guy, see). There are also encounters with 'talking' Raptors, flying pteranodons and sundry other dinosaurs created using sophisticated puppets and the astonishing CGI you've come to expect from the franchise. Jurassic Park III feels like a more modest picture than its precursors. This is ironic considering the budget was $20 million bigger than the $70 million spent on The Lost World: Jurassic Park. With Spielberg in his exec producer back seat, director Joe Johnston (responsible for the frankly preposterous Jumanjii) employs a subtly different tone, stripping out the nefarious corporation back story and incorporating a more knowing attitude (Grant wryly refers to "genetically engineered theme park monsters"). An efficient, surprisingly palatable, enjoyable summer movie. Verdict An efficient and surprisingly palatable finale to the Jurassic franshise. |
