The Lost World: Jurassic Park **** (1997, Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Richard Attenborough, Pete Postlethwaite) – Classic Movie Review 363

In 1997, Steven Spielberg turns out a less good but still highly entertaining sequel to his 1993 dinosaur adventure megahit Jurassic Park. Jeff Goldblum is back as chaos theorist mathematician Dr Ian Malcolm, and provides the standout performance among some very good actors, the dino action is richly enjoyable and the special effects are breath-taking.

Richard Attenborough is also back as the slightly bonkers, rich old Scottish doctor John Hammond, who has populated a second island with dinosaurs, and in the story this time he sponsors a second expedition there.

The effort slightly shows this time, in a script straining at the seams and a lumbering production that can’t keep things always quite taut or tense enough.

But it’s still careful, often exciting piece of work and is only really a slight disappointment if compared with the original 1993 Jurassic Park. Original co-screenwriter David Koepp carves out an over-blown but literate and intelligent screenplay based on Michael Crichton’s novel The Lost World.

Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards also return as Hammond’s grandkids Tim and Lex, and Julianne Moore, Arliss Howard, Pete Postlethwaite, Vince Vaughn, Vanessa Lee Chester, Peter Stormare, Harvey Jason and Richard Schiff are useful additions to the cast.