NATURALISTS NIGHTMARE-THE PLACE WHERE THE GEESE CHASE YOU!

Unlike well-respected reviewers of this flick, I have to say that I liked this film. If you are a purist and a die-hard fan of the bad science man Michael Crichton, you will find that this movie is LOOSELY based on Crichton's sequel to JURASSIC PARK, and you won't appreciate the film qualities that make this movie an improvement over both the first movie and the combined works of Crichton.
If you wanted more from the dynamic Ian Malcolm that didn't surface in the first movie, and you want an adrenalin rush, this flick will fit the bill. If you want a moralistic take on the avarice of man, this one, as well as it's predecessor, will meet that need. If you think it is hokey (and you are excused if you do) you would be right. It doesn't keep it from being entertaining.

Like the first movie,JURASSIC PARK this one features fantastic animation, and non-stop action. It is freed from the kid-based sentimentality which is both the hallmark and the downfall of many of Spielberg's best efforts. (There is a kid. She is not the focus of imminent danger except in one scene, where she absolutely shines)

Because the audience is universal, we are also free of the direct gore that permeates a genre not suitable for kids. If you believe the movie makers (and I do) the gore was downplayed, although the act of killing was unquestionable. In the worst of the killing scenes, the death was implied not shown. I consider this an asset, where the gore mongers may not. (For example, in one scene the Tyrannosaur parents rip a guy in two. In another, a guy is eaten by the pack of "Compy"s, little voracious lizards) In only three or four scenes do people die that didn't seem to deserve it.

SCIENCE and ANIMATRONICS

A lot of attention was given to the detail and the extended habits, based on work of paleontologists for this movie. I can't tell you how much of the parenting activities of dinosaurs may be a research based fact, but it is an interesting surmise, and plays well in the movie. I have a hard time believing that this bizarre world should be preserved, but that is just me. I had a hard time believing the science that created it, and I have a hard time wondering why this expense could ever have been justified. That is a philosophical difference between me and the creator of ER, and I will leave it at that. The journey into the making of the LOST WORLD on the DVD version is worth the extra time, and I heartily recommend it. It gives you some insight into how each scene has to be completely visualized before it can be filmed, and Spielberg's attention to detail is what makes it work. I bow before the master, and hats off to Stan Winston for his efforts.

OTHER ASSETS

A score by John Williams, the fantastic photography and the choice of some very fine actors weight the balance in favor of entertainment. In this movie, Ian Malcolm HAS character, and his role as hero and rescuer is not lost on me, as a fan of Jeff Goldblum (Its a flaw). While we sacrifice the one-liners that gave humor to the first movie, the story moves along a lot better in the sequel. Freed of the wide-eyed wonder at the impossible creation, we can get into the gut-wrenching action on this one. I don't waste so much mind energy worrying about genetics here; the island is a done deal and all we have to do is experience it.

THE PLOT

Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) is summoned to John Hammond's (Richard Attenbourough) home. INGEN, the company that produced JURASSIC PARK, has been taken over by Hammond's nephew, Ludlow (Arliss Howard). Hammond is a born again naturalist and wants to preserve site "B". (Never mentioned in the first movie) Site B is where the dinosaurs have been able to "run free" and have created their own ecology. Hammond, because of guilt or true interest in preserving the ecological "niche" is sending a team in to document the habits of the creatures on the island. He wants Malcolm to go along. The team consists of a photographer, (a.k.a. activist with a back-up plan)an equipment expert and a paleontologist, Sarah Harding, Ian Malcolm's girlfriend (Julianne Moore). Ian goes, but he is going to rescue Sarah.

Unknown to the good guy "Naturalists" team, a second team is on the island, headed by Ludlow himself. His team includes Roland Tembo (Pete Postelwaithe) a modern version of a big game hunter, who adds an element of class to the effort. It also includes a second in command Dieter (Peter Stormare, the stone cold killer in FARGO) and others. Their goal is to bring back some of the creatures for another theme park, and there are HITARI-like sequences showing them chasing and trapping the innocent dinosaur herds.

When Malcolm arrives on the island, he makes a few discoveries. First Sarah, blissfully filming the parenting habits of the Triceratops, needs to be rescued from a swinging tale, and secondly, Kelly, his adolescent daughter from a previous relationship has stowed away on the trailer. The EVIL TEAM, in order to get to the T Rex parents, steals the infant, and breaks its leg, tying it out to bait the parents. The NATURALISTS steal back the infant, set its leg and give it back to the parents, but the damage is done, and the T Rex parents come after them. In the most agonizingly long sequence in the movie, a T REX tries to throw the trailer, with our heroes inside (Nick, Ian and Sarah) over the cliff. In trying to rescue them, Eddie is the first to go in the "make a wish" scene.
The hapless heroes are rescued by the B Team, and they hence have to make their way to escape by their combined efforts. There are some narrow escapes, and much of the team is destroyed. The NATURALISTS in the movie, except for Eddie, all survive. The ending is different from the book, and although it seems a little out of character, it plays well to an audience who sees the carnivorous dinosaurs as the good guys.

RECOMMENDATION:

I recommend the movie, before you read the book, if possible. The book is a different story and Crichton's attention to detail makes it a worth while experience on its own..but let the movie take you Spielberg's direction. Expect the best in all the visuals, and in the excitement of watching the action. Leave your mature disdain for fantasy in the closet and be prepared to be entertained.