The Lost World: Jurassic Park

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This article is about the 1997 sequel to Jurassic Park (film). For other uses, see The Lost World.
For the video games, see The Lost World: Jurassic Park (video game).
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Produced by Kathleen Kennedy
Gerald R. Molen
Colin Wilson
Written by Michael Crichton
David Koepp
Starring Jeff Goldblum
Julianne Moore
Vince Vaughn
Pete Postlethwaite
Vanessa Lee Chester
Arliss Howard
Richard Attenborough
Music by John Williams
Cinematography Janusz Kaminski
Editing by Michael Kahn
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date(s) May 19, 1997
Running time 129 minutes
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English
Budget $73,000,000[1]
Gross revenue $618,638,999
Preceded by Jurassic Park
Followed by Jurassic Park III
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (commonly referred to as The Lost World) is a 1997 American science fiction film and the second Jurassic Park film as part of the Jurassic Park franchise. The film succeeds Jurassic Park directed by Steven Spielberg, loosely based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. The film centers on the island of Isla Sorna, an auxiliary site for the main Jurassic Park island, where dinosaurs have taken over and live in the wild. Ian Malcolm leads a team to document the dinosaurs in their native habitat, while an InGen team attempts to capture them for a second Jurassic Park in San Diego.

After the release of the original Jurassic Park book and the success of the first film, Crichton was pressured not only by fans, but Spielberg himself, for a sequel novel. After the book was published in 1995, production began on a film sequel.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Four years have passed since the disaster at Jurassic Park, and John Hammond has lost control of InGen to his ruthless nephew, Peter Ludlow. Despite having signed a non-disclosure agreement about the events of the first film, Ian Malcolm goes public with his story. Unfortunately for him, his stories are not widely believed, threats of legal action prevent him from producing any evidence, and his academic reputation is destroyed.

Ludlow plans to create a Jurassic Park arena in San Diego, using captured dinosaurs from Isla Sorna. These dinosaurs are from Site B, an auxiliary facility used to hatch eggs before the dinosaurs were transferred to the main Jurassic Park facility at Isla Nublar. The island was abandoned after the failure of the park and after a hurricane wiped out most of the facilities, and the creatures have been living in the wild ever since. Hammond requests Malcolm's help in stopping Ludlow and preserving the dinosaur's natural habitat. He initially refuses, but after learning that his girlfriend, paleontologist Sarah Harding, is already on the island, he goes along but instead for a rescue mission.

The team consists of Eddie Carr, the engineer who built the solar-powered Mercedes SUVs and the mobile laboratory trailer the team will use, and wildlife documentary producer Nick Van Owen. Shortly after arriving on the island, they find Sarah and escape a Stegosaurus herd. When they return to camp, they find Kelly, Malcolm's daughter, stowed away on the trailer. He tries to contact the boat to take them home, but they are interrupted by the arrival of the InGen team.

Using their custom vehicles and equipment, the rival team quickly captures several species, including Parasaurolophus, Stegosaurus, Gallimimus, Pachycephalosaurus, Triceratops, and a swarm of Compsognathus. At night fall, Nick reveals an alternate mission: free any captured dinosaurs. He and Sarah sneak into the InGen camp to free the dinosaurs and cut the fuel lines on their jeeps. The freed dinosaurs cause a huge commotion, compounded by the exploding vehicles.

Meanwhile, Roland Tembo, the leader of the InGen team, is hunting for his prize trophy, a male Tyrannosaurus, using a T. rex baby to lure in its parents. When he returns to the camp, Nick frees the baby T. rex, taking it back to their trailer so Sarah can set its broken leg. Eddie and Kelly hide in a tree stand, while Malcolm returns to the trailer. As Tembo intended, the T. rex parents come searching for their son, and after getting it from Sarah and Nick, throw one half of the hinged trailer over a cliff in the process, with Malcolm, Nick, and Sarah inside. Eddie throws down a rope and tries to pull the trailer back up using one of the SUVs, but is killed when the T. rex returned. The trailer falls, but its occupants survive by holding on to the rope and are helped up by the InGen team. With all of the communications equipment destroyed in the attacks, both groups team up to reach the old InGen compound's radio station, right through a Velociraptor nesting site, while Dr. Harding suspects the T. rex parents will continue pursuing them.

On the way, Dieter Stark, Tembo's second in command, is eaten by Compsognathus. Just before reaching the InGen compound, a large number of the InGen team are attacked and eaten by Velociraptors and the Tyrannosaurus', mostly due to the fact that Van Owen disabled Tembo's rifle so that he was unable to stop the dinosaur until after most of the team had been killed. Oddly, Van Owen's action is portrayed in a positive light (he takes the bullet he stole from Tembo's gun out of his pocket at the end of the film and smiles at Sarah). Malcolm and his friends pass through the field unharmed, but are attacked by Velociraptors and go into hiding. All three raptors are either killed or distracted, and the team make a run for the building, where they contact a rescue helicopter. As they fly away, they see that Tembo has finally caught an adult male Tyrannosaurus, preparing to ship it and the baby back to the mainland. When the ship carrying the dinosaurs arrives in San Diego, it crashes into the dock. A boarding party then finds out the gruesome reason why there was no one to slow it down. The entire crew is dead and eaten, which is largely unexplainable, seeing that the only dinosaur on the ship was a T-Rex, and therefore much too large to fit into intact human-sized quarters, though other dinosaurs may have snuck onboard. While searching for survivors, a guard opens the cargo hold and unleashes the Tyrannosaurus, who storms into the city.

Malcolm and Sarah rush to the Jurassic Park arena to get the baby T. rex, who was brought separately by plane. As the adult runs through the city, causing immense damage, they bait it with its baby, luring it back into the ship's cargo hold. Ludlow, after all this still believing that a dinosaur park will work, attempts to take the baby out of the cargo hold. When Malcolm and Sarah close the dinosaurs in, Ludlow is trapped as well and eaten. As Malcolm, Sarah, and Kelly watch TV at home, the ship sails back to the Island. John Hammond says in an interview that the island must be preserved to allow the dinosaurs to survive.

[edit] Cast

Main article: List of characters in Jurassic Park
  • Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm: A mathematician and chaos theorist. After barely surviving the Incident on Isla Nublar, Malcolm is more cynical and jaded as a result of his experiences. He remains the voice of reason concerning InGen's plans.
  • Julianne Moore as Dr. Sarah Harding: A behavioral paleontologist who is said to be at the top of her field. Sarah is tough and independent, which makes things difficult for her boyfriend, Dr. Malcolm.
  • Vince Vaughn as Nick Van Owen: A well-traveled and experienced "documentarian," photo journalist and environmentalist.
  • Pete Postlethwaite as Roland Tembo: A big-game hunter who, although capable of violence, adheres to his own strict moral code.
  • Vanessa Lee Chester as Kelly Curtis Malcolm: Malcolm's teenage daughter from a failed marriage, who often feels estranged and alienated from her father. She tries to get closer to Malcolm by stowing away in the trailers. She is the first and only person to kill one of the raptors in this film, thanks to her acrobatic skills.
  • Arliss Howard as Peter Ludlow: Hammond's conniving nephew. A greedy and manipulative businessman first, last and always.
  • Richard Attenborough as John Hammond: The former CEO of InGen who takes steps to redeem himself and preserve Isla Sorna. So far, Hammond is the only primary character to not be attacked by carnivorous dinosaurs.
  • Peter Stormare as Dieter Stark: A sadistic hunter, and the second-in-command of the InGen harvesters under control of Roland Tembo.
  • Harvey Jason as Ajay Sidhu: An experienced tracker from India, who is the immensely loyal and long-time hunting partner of Roland Tembo.
  • Richard Schiff as Eddie Carr: A sardonic "field equipment expert" who heroically gives his life to save his friends.
  • Thomas F. Duffy as Dr. Robert Burke: The InGen Hunter's pompous Paleontologist who is proven to be incorrect more than once.

[edit] Production

After the release of the original Jurassic Park book, Michael Crichton was pressured by fans for a sequel novel. Having never written a sequel, he initially refused, until the success of the first Jurassic Park film prompted Steven Spielberg himself to request one.[2] After the book was published in 1995, production on the sequel film began in September 1996.[3]

The Mercedes-Benz W163 used in the movie
The Mercedes-Benz W163 used in the movie

The Lost World was filmed at Eureka, San Diego, and Kauai. Although the ending takes place in San Diego, only one sequence is actually shot there, where the InGen helicopter flies over the wharf and banks towards the city. The other sequences were all shot in northern California.[4]

Spielberg suggested the Tyrannosaurus rex attack through San Diego be added to the film story, inspired by a similar attack scene of a Brontosaurus in London in the 1925 film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.[5]

Many elements from the original Jurassic Park novel that were not in the first film were used for Lost World. The opening sequence of the vacationing family's young daughter being attacked by dinosaurs was inspired by a scene where a Procompsognathus escapes to Costa Rica and attacks young children,[6] and Dieter Stark's death is analogous to John Hammond's compy-related death in the novel. Also, Nick, Sarah, Kelly, and Burke being trapped behind a waterfall by the female T. rex is taken from the first novel, where Tim and Lex are trapped behind a man-made waterfall with the T. rex attempting to eat them.

According to Jack Horner part of the waterfall scene was written in as a favor for him by Spielberg. Burke greatly resembles Horners' rival Robert Bakker. In real life Bakker argues for a predatory Tyrannosaurus rex while Horner views it as primarily a scavenger. So Spielberg wrote Burke into this part to have him killed by the Tyrannosaurus as a favor for Horner. After the film came out Bakker, who recognized himself in Burke and loved it, actually sent Horner a message saying "See, I told you T. rex was a hunter!".[7]

Mercedes-Benz's new sport-utility vehicle, the M-class, had not yet been introduced and made its first appearance in the film.[8] As a result, on the original VHS copies of The Lost World: Jurassic Park, a Mercedes-Benz ad appears before the film.[9]

[edit] Dinosaurs on screen

See also: Biological issues in Jurassic Park

Unlike the first movie, The Lost World also featured extinct reptiles other than dinosaurs, pterosaurs, represented by a pair of Pteranodon.

[edit] Release

Following four years of growing anticipation and hype, The Lost World: Jurassic Park broke many box office records upon its release. It took in $72,132,785 on its opening weekend ($92.6 million for the four-day Memorial Day holiday) in the US[10], which was the biggest opening weekend at the time,[11] surpassing the previous record-holder Batman Forever at $52.8 million. It held onto this record for four and a half years, until the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in November 2001. The Lost World took the record for highest single-day box office take of $26,083,950 on May 25,[12] a record held until the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It also became the fastest film to pass the $100 million mark, achieving the feat in just six days.[13] However, its total US box office gross fell below the total of the original film. The film eventually ended up grossing $618,638,999 worldwide,[1] becoming, at the time, the highest grossing film of 1997, and the fifth highest-grossing film of all time, behind Titanic, the original Jurassic Park, Independence Day, Star Wars and E.T. The Extra-terrestrial. The film made its VHS debut on November 4, 1997, and was first released on DVD on October 10, 2000.[14]

The film was also released in a package with Jurassic Park.[15] The DVD has also been re-released with both sequels on December 11, 2001 as the Jurassic Park Trilogy (right) [16] and as the Jurassic Park Adventure Pack on November 29, 2005.[17] The soundtrack was released on May 20, 1997. On the same day it was first released to DVD, a deluxe limited edition box set was released that included Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, exclusive soundtracks for both films made exclusively for the set, two lenticulars, 8 8x10 stills from both films, and a certificate of authenticity signed by all three producers of the set, all inside a collector case.[18]

[edit] Reception

The T. rex wreaking havoc received an MTV Movie Award nomination for "Best Action Sequence"
The T. rex wreaking havoc received an MTV Movie Award nomination for "Best Action Sequence"

The Lost World is ranked as rotten on Rotten Tomatoes with a 52% positive rating, with 27 out of 51 critics giving it positive reviews.[19] It also has a 59% on Metacritic.[20] It received much of the same criticism as the original Jurassic Park, with praise for the special effects but accusations of flat characterization. Roger Ebert said, "It can be said that the creatures in this film transcend any visible signs of special effects and seem to walk the earth, but the same realism isn't brought to the human characters, who are bound by plot conventions and action formulas."[21]

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times saw improved character development over the original, saying, "It seemed such a mistake in Jurassic Park to sideline early on its most interesting character, the brilliant, free-thinking and outspoken chaos theorist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) with a broken leg, but in its most inspired stroke, The Lost World brings back Malcolm and places him front and center," calling it "a pleasure to watch such wily pros as Goldblum and Attenborough spar with each other with wit and assurance."[22] The dinosaurs were even more developed as characters, with Stephen Holden of the New York Times saying, "The Lost World, unlike Jurassic Park, humanizes its monsters in a way that E.T. would understand."[23] Entertainment Weekly remarked in 2008, "Mr. T-rex was cool in the first Spielberg flick, sure, but it wasn't until [it was in] San Diego that things got crazy-cool. It's the old 'tree falling in the woods' conundrum: Unless your giant monster is causing massive property damage, can you really call it a giant monster?"[24]

The movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Visual Effects[25] and for "Best Action Sequence" in the MTV Movie Awards 1998 for the T. Rex rampage through San Diego.[26] It was also nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film, Best Director, Best Young Actress for Vanessa Lee Chester, Best Special Effects, and Best Supporting Actor for Pete Postlethwaite.[27] For its short comings, it was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property, Worst Re-Make or Sequel, and Worst Screenplay.[28]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). Box Office Mojo (1997-10-12). Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
  2. ^ The Lost World. MichaelCrichton.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
  3. ^ The LOST WORLD JURASSIC PARK. British Film Institute. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
  4. ^ Filming Locations for The Lost World: Jurassic Park. The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
  5. ^ The Lost World. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
  6. ^ "A TALE OF TWO 'JURASSICS'", Entertainment Weekly, 1993-06-18. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. 
  7. ^ Gritton, Lance. Personal interview. 14 Apr 2007.
  8. ^ The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) Cast and Credits. Yahoo, Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
  9. ^ Mercedes-benz. Seattle Luxury. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
  10. ^ The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). Box Office Mojo (1997-10-12). Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
  11. ^ Biggest Opening Weekends at the Box Office. Box Office Mojo (2007-06-26). Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
  12. ^ Top Grossing Movies in a Single Day at the Box Office. Box Office Mojo (2007-06-26). Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
  13. ^ Fastest Movies to $100m. The Numbers (2007-06-26). Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
  14. ^ IGN staff. "Jurassic Park", IGN, 2000-06-16. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 
  15. ^ Jurassic Park / The Lost World: The Collection. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
  16. ^ Jurassic Park Trilogy. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
  17. ^ IGN DVD. "Jurassic Park Adventure Pack", IGN, 2005-11-17. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 
  18. ^ Amazon.com. "Jurassic Park/The Lost World limited boxset - Amazon.com", Amazon.com, 2005-11-17. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 
  19. ^ The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
  20. ^ Lost World: Jurassic Park The Lost World: Jurassic Park: Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
  21. ^ Roger Ebert. "The Lost World: Jurassic Park", Chicago Sun-Times, 1997-06-06. Retrieved on 2007-07-07. 
  22. ^ Kevin Thomas. "The Lost World: Jurassic Park", Los Angeles Times, 1997-05-23. Retrieved on 2007-07-07. 
  23. ^ Stephen Holden. "The Lost World: Jurassic Park", New York Times, 1997-05-23. Retrieved on 2007-07-07. 
  24. ^ Marc Bernadin. "Attack of the Giant Movie Monsters!", Entertainment Weekly, 2008-01-17. Retrieved on 2008-01-21. 
  25. ^ Academy Awards Database. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (2006-06-26). Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
  26. ^ 1998 MTV Movie Awards. MTV (1998-06-04). Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
  27. ^ Past Winners Database. Los Angeles Times (1998-06-10). Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
  28. ^ 1997 RAZZIE Nominees & "Winners". Razzie Awards (2005-12-04). Retrieved on 2007-07-07.

[edit] External links

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Films directed by Steven Spielberg
1970s
The Sugarland Express (1974)  · Jaws (1975)  · Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)  · 1941 (1979)
1980s
1990s
Hook (1991)  · Jurassic Park (1993)  · Schindler's List (1993)  · The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)  · Amistad (1997)  · Saving Private Ryan (1998)
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