It is a given that the sequel is seldom better than the first installment. In rare cases the second installment is superior but in the case of Jurassic Park the overwhelming criticism affirms that the original is the best. What astounds me is the disdain critics have for The Lost World: Jurassic Park. On sites like Rotten Tomatoes the reviewers retort as if they had expected to see film with the depth and complexity of Inception. The Lost World gets a lousy wrap because it is entirely different from It's predecessor. In Jurassic Park, the setting is a theme park with fences, enclosures, and paddocks to be trapped in with the hungry dinosaurs. In The Lost World the setting is the wild, empty plains, and patches of woodland. Steven Spielburg's sequel is not meant to duplicate the success of the original's brilliance. Nay, in contrast it is meant to deviate and depict the dinos and endangered humans in a different circumstance. In JP, the terror lies inside buildings or on the borders of the fence line. You fear that a carnivore could creep up on you while you are taking a stroll down the hall or perhaps while you have some dessert in the Vistor Center. In the Lost World, the fear lies in the brush, the unexpected but more realistic sense that prehistoric predators might be lurking nearby like a lion to devour you. This creates a different sensation of fear altogether. Trapped inside like in JP, you feel clausterphobic and caught in man made structures where you can be chomped on. On Site B you are lured into a false sense of security. The Carnivores are near the core of the island and you never know when a dinosaur will cross your path. You are blinded by the trees and foliage; God made structures that are no longer familiar thanks to our concrete dwellings. In JP, recognizing a raptor is nearby or the T-Rex is stomping about is easier because we are in our element, we can sense the tremors of the Rex's trek on asphalt and hear the echo of the raptor's snort in a kitchen. In the wild these senses are dulled because we hear crickets, birds, and are distracted by watching our own footing.
Site B is the natural setting in which dinosaurs would have roamed and thus it makes them seem more like the animals in Africa and less like "genetically-engineered-theme-park-monsters." I think the incident on Isla Nublar captivates us more because it contrasts the prehistoric with the modern world. You are seeing the dinosaurs cross into our time, and invading our creation. Isla Sorna feels more like the Arthur Conan Doyle epic and less like bringing dinosaurs back to life. The Lost World: Jurassic Park is darker, but not more disturbing. It retains an alien feel to anyone who hasn't be in the wild with predators. TLW contains It's own unique terror, but not the trauma of the first installment. The Lost World suffers only because it is compared to It's predecessor. It is incapable of replicating the sheer suspense of the raptors in the kitchen or T-Rex wrecking It's own paddock. JP is the rejection of the modern world by the prehistoric predators. TLW:JP is the acceptance of a lost world stuck in the Jurassic or Cretaceous by those same creatures.
Some critics have argued that it is the Lost Word attempts to surpass JP with It's suspense and thrills. There are Two Rexes this time, three raptors, and a stomping disaster in San Diego. Two Tyrannosaurs is actually just showing the natural pair bonding that would happen in the wild. More raptors is showing the pack theory Paleontologists have argued for decades and the San Diego Incident was just Spielberg having some fun and possibly realizing that the dinosaurs draw the most frightening feelings in us when they are juxtaposed next to stop lights and other iconography from our metropolitan world.
Of course there is the narrative of capitalism versus naturalism. Ian Malcom and his team are the naturalist animal rights group and the Hunters led by Roland are the capitalist industrialists who work for InGen. While I agree with reviewers that I'm tired of Hollywood preaching their ideologies and political agendas, I don't really think The Lost World really swayed anyone towards naturalism. In fact, you aren't inclined to protect creatures that try to make a meal out of you. I myself found Roland and his desire to hunt the greatest of predators more appealing than Nick's nauseating naturalistic nosiness. The only sympathy elicited towards the dinosaurs is found in the Baby T-Rex and frankly he isn't all that cute, I mean just ask Ludlow.
What baffles me further is the praise for Jurassic Park III over The Lost World. JPIII is by far less compelling than Ian's adventure on Isla Sorna. Alan Grant and his synical demeanor has not the wit or charm of Ian. Granted, JPIII does have the Pterodons which were suppose to be TLW. Still the addition of flying dinosaurs didn't make the third installment in the JP Series more special than the The Lost World. In fact, while the Velociraptors stole the show in JP, and came back with a vengeance in The Lost World, they were absolutely revolting in Jurassic Park III! The idea of having predators that put lions and bears to shame talk to each other and hop around like birds was a major mistake. Instead of shaking at the shriek of the raptor, you stand there wondering how you can negotiate your surrender in raptornese.
I don't dislike Jurassic Park III, It's actually quite a descent threequel and had great potential. However, I think it is quite unfair to pass over The Lost World and label it the disappointment when at It's release it broke records at the box office. The truth is nothing can surpass the first Jurassic Park. It has chemistry, charisma, and charm that neither sequel can replicate. It was made at the perfect time, with the perfect cast and the perfect special effects. But despite the praise I have for the first and best, I urge you to see The Lost World Jurassic Park. Give it chance and think of it in terms not of comparison to the original, but as an opposite. It isn't meant to be same film, it thrives when you open your mind and realize this is a different experience. It's not the concrete jungle that enslaves the dinosaurs, it is the jungle for which they were intended.
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