Returning raptors make for decent sequel

Julien R. Fielding

"Jurassic Park III" charged into theaters July 18, racking up about $80.9 million in five days.

Although the basic premise remains the same as the first two - bioengineered behemoths threaten human intruders - audiences will be glad to discover mathematical genius Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) has deferred center stage to paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill), who reluctantly returns as both a potential dinotreat and captain of a reconnaissance mission.

Laura Dern, who also sat out "The Lost World," returns for a cameo as paleontologist Ellie Sattler, now a mother of two.

Although Grant prefers his dinosaurs dead and calcified, he's forced to rethink his proclivities when funds for his dig in Montana begin to run out.

Promising to pay out any amount needed, Paul Kirby (William H. Macy) and his wife Amanda (Tea Leoni) convince the specialist to act as their tour guide on a plane ride over Isla Sorna, the secret dinosaur breeding ground 87 miles south of the original Jurassic Park.

But when the plane descends to the island, Grant realizes this isn't your average tourist outing and that the couple have far more dangerous adventures planned for the paleontologist and his assistant Billy (Alessandro Nivola.)

"Jurassic" purists will lament the absence of writer Michael Crichton and director Steven Spielberg, who found himself too preoccupied with "A.I: Artificial Intelligence" and "The Minority Report." (Noticeably absent, too, are sweeping crane shots and close-ups of agog actors.)

Having a new helmsman isn't too jarring, however, since director Joe Johnston ("Jumanji," "Honey I Shrunk the Kids") is a former Spielberg employee, having worked on a few of the "Young Indiana Jones" projects. As the film's executive producer, Spielberg undoubtedly offered some creative suggestions.

While Crichton proved innovative in 1993 with "Jurassic Park," his script for "The Lost World" four years later proved he was burning out. (We're still waiting for something new from this one-time writing machine.) Attempting to salvage the franchise from ruins and jockeying into Crichton's position are Omaha-native Alexander Payne, his creative companion Jim Taylor and first-timer Peter Buchman. It's rumored that the original script for "Jurassic Park III" proved too complicated for Johnston, so he threw it out, sometimes getting pages just days before they were to be shot.

Who could be surprised by that revelation?

The script, which basically reworks much of what's gone on before, also contains some real throwaway discourse. When asked if the ransacked lab was where the scientists made dinosaurs, Grant replies with deep indignation, "This is where (scientists) play God." Wince.

Other scenes are about as sap-filled as a Maple tree and ruin the impact of what most audience members come for - chomping and stomping.

Still other moments are beyond the realms of believability - a paragliding sequence comes immediately to mind. But hey, this is sci-fi adventure and as long as it looks good, few should complain.

Thanks to monster creator Stan Winston and the geniuses at Industrial Light and Magic, the dinosaurs provide ample thrills.

Tyrannosaurus rex goes three for three and the glorious raptors, the Iago's of the digital world, return for more surprises. (Personally, I think the next film should be called "Raptors in Paradise: Humans as Hamburgers.")

New faces include the crocodile-mouthed spinosaurus, a dinosaur with a hankering for planes and people and flying fleets of pteradactyl. And you thought the adults were nasty.

Although the actors have some pretty abysmal dialogue, some of them almost convince us it's Elizabethan prose. Neill rarely has an off-day, even in John Carpenter's stinkers, so it's no shock to discover he's about the best this film has to offer. Coming in second, though, is the always terrific Michael Jeter, who plays man-for-hire and raptor treat Udesky.

Nivola plays the sidekick with grace and Macy provides the film with a few laughs. Leoni has the unfortunate role of the worried mother, so naturally she does some amazingly stupid things. Considering her willingness to be thrown about, threatened and stalked, we try to forgive her.

Despite a rushed ending and some other script flaws, "Jurassic Park III" isn't as bad as it could be, especially considering how much an original idea usually degenerates by the third outing. Compared to the first film, it's second rate; compared to "The Lost World," though, it's a masterpiece.

Think of it this way - it's only 90 minutes of your life that, thanks to editor Robert Dalva, moves like flood waters through a low-lying town.

Returning raptors make for decent sequel was originally published in The Daily Nonpareil on 26 July, 2001. © Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil LLC