"The Lost World" is as close to critic-proof as you can get in the
movie business. It is a sequel to one of the biggest box office hits
of all time, and even better than the original. For one thing, we
don't have to waste a lot of time explaining how the dinosaurs came
to be. We can get right to the 'meat' of the matter: dinos eating
people. Jeff Goldblum, from the original "Jurassic Park", has met
with disgrace after trying to go public with the story of Costa Rican
dinosaurs, and is given a shot at redemption. Richard Attenborough
cameos as the venture capitalist John Hammond, but he is supplanted
as the foolish baddie by Pete Postlethwaite, who portrays a hunter
trying to bag a T-Rex. You see, the dinos have managed to overcome
their vitamin deficiency and Hammond's haughty nephew is trying to
export them to zoos. Well, the story wouldn't be complete without a
couple of damsels in distress so Julianne Moore is a fellow scientist
and newcomer Vanessa Lee Chester is cast as Goldblum's daughter.
Stan Winston works his magic with the live action dinos while
Industrial Light and Magic do the same with the full motion ones.
After all, it is the T-Rex that deserves top billing.
When I heard that it ran 134 minutes, I was a little concerned,
but you will not even notice that it runs longer than the average
flick. That is because it is a lot more entertaining than the
average flick. Steve Spielberg is the master of pacing, giving us
just enough time to catch our breath before the next thrill-ride
begins. "The Lost World" is rated PG- 13 and has some scenes that
are not for the squeamish. But considering how violent the content
is, the actual portrayal of violence is moderate. Like the old
fifties adventures, we see the tripping victim and the water turns
red. We don't have to see the flesh being torn away to know it is
gone. That's great film making!
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