Jurassic Park III

04/26/2017 17:17

Film: Jurassic Park III

Year: 2001

Director: Joe Johnston

Writer: Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor

Starring: Sam Neill, William H. Macy and Téa Leoni

 

Review:

This film begins near the second island off the island of Costa Rica, the island where the dinosaurs for Jurassic Park were bred. We have a young man, played by Trevor Morgan, who is on vacation with Mark Harelik. They are parasailing near the island in hopes to see dinosaurs. What they are doing is illegal and we see that the guys driving the boat are killed by something in the mist. The boat crashes, but before it does, the two release themselves. They drift on to the island.

We then see the main character from the original film, Sam Neill. He is playing with a child and trying to explain dinosaurs to him. We then see his girlfriend from the original, Laura Dern. She has another child in her arms. We then realize that they broke up and she is married now. Neill is over for dinner.

After this, we see Michael Jeter getting things ready. With him are Bruce A. Young and John Diehl. They blow up an old airplane with a gun.

Neil goes to a conference and talks about some new things they have discovered about raptors. He finishes and everyone wants to ask questions about the first park or the fiasco in San Diego. He does get a couple of questions not relevant to that. He then returns to the dig he is working on. He has an assistant played by Alessandro Nivola. They are then interrupted by William H. Macy and Téa Leoni.

Macy and Leoni take them out to dinner. They are rich and they state that for their honeymoon, they have been given clearance to fly over the second island. They want Neill to be their guide. He refuses until he is informed that Macy will pay whatever it takes and help keep his dig going if he will take them. Neill agrees.

We then see that flying the plane is Jeter and Young. Diehl sits in the back. It turns out they are planning to land, which Neill didn’t agree to. He is knocked out. When he comes to, he hears Leoni yelling for something with a bullhorn. It is then we learn that Morgan is her and Macy’s son. They brought Neill to help them find him. The problem is that he has been lost here for 8 weeks.

They are immediately attacked by a new dinosaur, named Spinosaurs for this film. It is larger than a Tyrannous-Rex, it has a fin on is back and it is long snout. They try to take off in their plane, but it destroys it. Macy has a satellite phone, but he doesn’t reach anyone. Spinosaur attacks the airplane and kills some of the crew. Those that survive flee right into a T-Rex. They lose them both when they fight each other, with the Spinosaur winning.

Neill is even more upset when he learns that Macy isn’t rich. The couple is divorced and lied about everything. Neill is determined to make it to the coast and get off the island. They stumble upon a nest of the raptors. We learn much later that Nivola steals two of the eggs, hoping to fund the dig for however long he can. They are chased by the raptors and make their way for a compound on the island.

Neill ends up finding Morgan alive. He gets separated in the process. Can he get this boy back safe to his parents? Can they escape all of the dinosaurs that are after them and make it to the coast? Will they be able to get off even if they do?

I have to say that this one is a little bit better than the one previous, but not by much. I give this one a slight edge because even though it is fictional, Spinosaur is pretty cool. I do believe something similar to it has been found in nature, but the film took liberties to make something big, faster and stronger than namesake T-Rex. I like they brought Neill back for this one and I like that including him they are continuing to learn more about the ever deadly raptors. The story isn’t bad for the most part. I really like some of the other concepts that are used, including the aviary with the Pterdons. The supporting acting is good and the interactions with the dinosaurs are as well.

One of my biggest issues with this film is that I didn’t find it believable how Morgan got trapped on the island. I felt it was a little farfetched. It also seems unlikely that he would survive as long as he did. I’m not saying it couldn’t happen and being a film we do suspend some of our beliefs. Despite all the action, I found this film to be a little bit boring though, which is surprising.

Now with that said, this film is pretty decent still. I would recommend seeing this one as a part of a series. If you are going to watch one, the original is still the one to go with. The acting is good in this one as well as the action and some of the concepts they included. The story is a little bit unrealistic for me, especially how Morgan gets trapped as well as how this family is funding the operation. Not the best in the series, but still worth at least a viewing.

 

My Rating: 6 out of 10