When "Jurassic Park" hit theaters in 1993, audiences were able to see dinosaurs as they had never seen them before. The special effects in that film were nothing short of revolutionary. It quickly became one of the most successful movies in cinematic history.
Now, eight years and one sequel (1997's abysmal "The Lost World") later, "Jurassic Park III" comes to a theater near you. Sadly, it's just another sub-par follow-up.
Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) is a struggling paleontologist. He is working on a site in Montana and travelling the country at the same time. He lectures on college campuses and the like to raise money for his projects. But mostly the guests just want to know about his experiences fighting the dinos.
Grant and his team, led by his right hand man Billy (Alessandro Nivola), are currently studying the brain of the raptor. They are beginning to believe that raptors possessed a sophisticated language and were the smartest animals to ever walk the earth.
One afternoon Paul (William H. Macy) and Amanda (Tea Leoni) Kirby pay a visit to the site in Montana. They are serious extreme athletes, claiming to have climbed K2 among other things, and are looking for some excitement on their anniversary. They want Grant to accompany them on a trip over Isla Sorna, the island off of Costa Rica where dinosaurs still roam.
Grant refuses, wanting nothing to do with that island or real dinosaurs, but Paul and Amanda offer him a sum of money that he can't refuse. Soon, the three of them and a couple of guides are flying over the island.
To Grant's shock and dismay, Paul gives the pilot an order to find a place to land on the island. Needless to say, Paul and Amanda are not who they claim to be and have a very good reason to want to visit the island. This doesn't make their situation any easier, seeing as there are a lot of hungry dinosaurs roaming around.
It doesn't take anyone a long time to figure out that landing was a mistake, but before they can complete an abrupt take-off, a dinosaur gets in their way. The plane crashes and they find themselves stranded with the dinos. Now it becomes a question of who will get eaten and who will not.
Thanks to a lackluster script by Peter Buchman and the writing team of Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor ("Election"), you'll find yourself rooting for the dinosaurs. The characters are all paper-thin and you don't care about them or whether or not they become dino dinner.
At barely 90 minutes long, over 30 minutes shorter than the first two films in the series, there is no attempt to establish character or get to know these people.
Taking over for Steven Spielberg, who produces this time around, director Joe Johnston ("Jumanji") blows a big opportunity. Perhaps the breadth of the production was too much for him. Regardless, the result is a mess.
About all "Jurassic Park III" has going for it are good special effects. Some of the dinosaurs are truly amazing and make for some decent action sequences.
Overall, however, it feels rushed. The studio probably knew they had a stinker on their hands, so they cut as much as they could and will dump it into theaters, hoping they can rake in piles of money before anyone notices how awful it is. Don't be fooled.
Grade: D
"Jurassic Park III" opened in theaters everywhere on Wed., July 18.
