Jurassic Park III (2001) Universal/Sci-Fi-Action-Adventure RT: 92 minutes Rated PG-13 (intense sci-fi terror and violence) Director: Joe Johnston Screenplay: Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor Music: Don Davis Cinematography: Shelly Johnson Release date: July 18, 2001 (US) Cast: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, John Diehl, Bruce A. Young, Laura Dern, Taylor Nichols, Mare Harelik, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Blake Michael Bryan. Box Office: $181.1M (US)/$368.7M (World)
Rating: **
With Jurassic Park III, the magic is gone! POOF! I didn’t feel the same sense of wonder that I did with the vastly superior first movie back in ’93. Of course, that could have to do with Steven Spielberg sitting this one out, turning over the directorial reins to Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Jumanji).
As an avowed big kid when it comes to summer movies, I wanted much more than Jurassic Park III has to offer which isn’t all that much. The “WOW!” factor has been replaced by a “been-there-done-that” feeling. Quite frankly, it’s dull. At a scant running time of just 92 minutes, this shouldn’t be the case. It should have been more fun. It should have been more thrilling. It’s neither. Spielberg’s absence is definitely felt.
While we’re on the subject of absent friends, Jurassic Park III is NOT based on a Michael Crichton novel. It’s an original screenplay written by Peter Buchman (Eragon) and Election co-scribes Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. Don Davis takes over for John Williams as composer. Only a few hints of Williams’ classic score remain. Shelly Johnson (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II) is no match for original cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. The dinosaurs aren’t even that thrilling this third time around. My interest waned at several points. It feels very routine after eight years and two movies.
Dr. Alan Grant (Neill, The Final Conflict) returns in this installment which finds him still digging for dinosaur remnants. Apparently, things didn’t work out with Ellie (Dern in a cameo) seeing as how she’s married to somebody else. While on a dig with his assistant Billy (Nivola, Face/Off), Grant is approached by a wealthy couple, Paul (Macy, Boogie Nights) and Amanda Kirby (Leoni, Deep Impact), with a proposal. They agree to fund his research in exchange for giving them an aerial tour of Isla Sorna (aka Site B), the island from The Lost World. He accepts mainly out of desperation for money, but soon regrets it.
It turns out the couple wants him to help find their 14YO son Eric (Morgan, The Glass House) who went missing eight weeks earlier while parasailing over the island. Would you be surprised if I told you that the Kirbys aren’t wealthy? I didn’t think so. The prehistoric creatures waste no time in attacking the visitors. Two crew members are killed right off the bat. The others- Grant, Billy, the Kirbys and mercenary pilot Udesky (Jeter, Patch Adams) flee into the wild. So begins the search for the missing boy. So begins the hunt for human prey. Get the picture? Thought so.
Jurassic Park III isn’t without its good points. The movie’s best scene has the survivors trapped inside an enormous bird cage that houses a flock of pterodactyls. It’s the first time these flying creatures factor into the Jurassic Park series. There’s also a funny bit involving a lost satellite phone and where the group eventually finds it.
For the most part, I wasn’t really into Jurassic Park III. The special effects are rather ordinary. The storyline is just okay, better suited to a cheap B-movie than a major Hollywood production. It’s redundant rather than scary. It’s 90 minutes of people being chased by giant dinosaurs and vicious little raptors. The abrupt conclusion perfectly illustrates the term dues ex machina.
The characters are fairly dull and one-dimensional. Grant, when not playing Indiana Jones (he even has the hat!), pontificates on the perils of tampering with nature. Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard it all before. The casting of Jeter as a mercenary is just strange. He’s so not a rugged tough guy. Leoni is awful in this movie. She’s so annoying. Macy fares a little better, but can’t do much with his thinly-written character.
Basically, we’re talking about a throwaway movie here, a B-level movie with a huge price tag ($93 million). Not exactly what I call money well spent. Universal should have quit while they were ahead. The only ones that might like Jurassic Park III are grade schoolers just old enough to see their first PG-13. The only area in which it succeeds is putting the Jurassic Park franchise on the endangered species list.
