Jurassic Park 3 was a shorter and less entertaining of the three. I thought this sequel might be good because JP2 was good but I was wrong! I have picked some notes while watching this movie. Usually Jurassic Park films are 2 hours long, this one is some 40 minutes less! and does not quite contain the same fun and horror it did on previous jp's. DR. Grant returns which is a suprise. It didn't have it's entertaining parts though i must admit. JP3 had amazing special effects, most probably the best out of the three. I have heard that Jurassic Park 4 will be released in 2004. Should I say this one will be a bad sequel as well?
1,419 Reviews
Amusing Dino Adventure Without The Sophistication or Craftsmanship of Spielberg's Originals
jaredpahl5 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I must admit, straight away, that Jurassic Park is one of my favorite movie franchises of all-time. I have a special place in my heart for Steven Spielberg's one-two punch of Jurassic Park and The Lost World. Both films represent, to me, the absolute zenith of blockbuster filmmaking. More than just the game-changing special effects, it was smart writing, endearing characters, and a savory buffet of craftsmanship that made those films stand out from the crowd. For the third Jurassic Park movie, the directorial torch was passed to Joe Johnston, and predictably, the result is a film that seems like it comes from another universe. Jurassic Park 3 is nowhere near the level of the first two Jurassic Park movies, and I suppose for those less enthusiastic about the series, that may be a dealbreaker. For me? Well, I was able to get past it. The clear step down in quality may take some getting used to (maybe even a couple of viewings), but I found that once I made peace with the fact that JP3 isn't an A-caliber blockbuster, what I was left with was a good B-caliber blockbuster; A breezy little summertime thrill ride with some fun dinosaur action. And come on, who doesn't love dinosaurs?
Was Jurassic Park 3 really a necessary sequel? Was there some story waiting to be told? Some unanswered questions or themes to explore? Of course not. You can smell the studio's fingerprints all over Jurassic Park 3's script. The story is best described as a question, "How do we get Alan Grant back to a dinosaur-infested island?" The writers, Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor, answer this question, but after that, they've got nothing. After Grant is duped by a divorced couple into visiting Site B in order to find their missing son, the film is just a chase picture, or maybe you could call it a wander picture, because there really is no urgency to the group's plan. Just get off the island, is about the extent of it. Tea Leoni and William H. Macy play the divorced couple, and they are good as typical Midwestern, suburban parents. Sam Neil's return as paleontologist Alan Grant is one of the few welcome sights in the character department. Neil does some classy work, and it is nice to see him back after he sat The Lost World out. The other characters, with the exception of the kid, are basically dino food from the beginning, and I do mean the beginning.
Jurassic Park 3 wastes little time getting to what we all paid to see, dinosaurs eating, chasing, and just downright harassing humans. From the very start of the film, with a cartoony title card that shows a raptor claw slashing "///" through the Jurassic Park logo, it's apparent that this Jurassic Park does not take itself near as seriously as the first two do. There is not much effort given to building tension, which was at least half the appeal of Spielberg's movies. No time spent preparing us for the eventual running... and screaming. No, it's just all-out action from the very moment Grant arrives on the island. The dinosaurs themselves have taken the leap from lifelike animals to movie monsters. They chase and eat and roar. Why? Because they're dinosaurs, that's why. You won't hear any talk of maternal instincts here. Jurassic Park 3 aims for the basic visceral thrills of the series, and Johnston hits that target. Watching people run from dinosaurs is a lot of fun, no matter the context, but Johnston and company do construct some truly rousing set-pieces. The Spinosaurus vs T-Rex fight is a neat little 'Why Not?' moment, and the trip into the Pterodactyl cage is bigger in scale than anything from the previous two films. You don't get much in the way of tension in JP 3's action scenes, but they move along nicely, and they're well mounted for sure. The special effects, while not quite on the same level as its predecessor's (despite coming out four years after), are still effective. When it comes to realizing extinct creatures in three dimensions, ILM and Stan Winston are still a quantum leap in front of everybody else.
Jurassic Park 3 is a textbook definition of 'disappointment'. It's a sequel that lacks the passion, spark, and creative talent of its predecessors. I hated it the first time I saw it, but as time goes by, I find it harder and harder to dislike. It works like a thrill ride at Disney World or Universal Studios. A quick pre-ride set up, and then it's time to strap in for non-stop dinosaur action. Jurassic Park 3 doesn't claim to offer more than those basic thrill ride pleasures, but those pleasures are enough for me. For summer matinée fare, you could do much worse.
72/100
Was Jurassic Park 3 really a necessary sequel? Was there some story waiting to be told? Some unanswered questions or themes to explore? Of course not. You can smell the studio's fingerprints all over Jurassic Park 3's script. The story is best described as a question, "How do we get Alan Grant back to a dinosaur-infested island?" The writers, Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor, answer this question, but after that, they've got nothing. After Grant is duped by a divorced couple into visiting Site B in order to find their missing son, the film is just a chase picture, or maybe you could call it a wander picture, because there really is no urgency to the group's plan. Just get off the island, is about the extent of it. Tea Leoni and William H. Macy play the divorced couple, and they are good as typical Midwestern, suburban parents. Sam Neil's return as paleontologist Alan Grant is one of the few welcome sights in the character department. Neil does some classy work, and it is nice to see him back after he sat The Lost World out. The other characters, with the exception of the kid, are basically dino food from the beginning, and I do mean the beginning.
Jurassic Park 3 wastes little time getting to what we all paid to see, dinosaurs eating, chasing, and just downright harassing humans. From the very start of the film, with a cartoony title card that shows a raptor claw slashing "///" through the Jurassic Park logo, it's apparent that this Jurassic Park does not take itself near as seriously as the first two do. There is not much effort given to building tension, which was at least half the appeal of Spielberg's movies. No time spent preparing us for the eventual running... and screaming. No, it's just all-out action from the very moment Grant arrives on the island. The dinosaurs themselves have taken the leap from lifelike animals to movie monsters. They chase and eat and roar. Why? Because they're dinosaurs, that's why. You won't hear any talk of maternal instincts here. Jurassic Park 3 aims for the basic visceral thrills of the series, and Johnston hits that target. Watching people run from dinosaurs is a lot of fun, no matter the context, but Johnston and company do construct some truly rousing set-pieces. The Spinosaurus vs T-Rex fight is a neat little 'Why Not?' moment, and the trip into the Pterodactyl cage is bigger in scale than anything from the previous two films. You don't get much in the way of tension in JP 3's action scenes, but they move along nicely, and they're well mounted for sure. The special effects, while not quite on the same level as its predecessor's (despite coming out four years after), are still effective. When it comes to realizing extinct creatures in three dimensions, ILM and Stan Winston are still a quantum leap in front of everybody else.
Jurassic Park 3 is a textbook definition of 'disappointment'. It's a sequel that lacks the passion, spark, and creative talent of its predecessors. I hated it the first time I saw it, but as time goes by, I find it harder and harder to dislike. It works like a thrill ride at Disney World or Universal Studios. A quick pre-ride set up, and then it's time to strap in for non-stop dinosaur action. Jurassic Park 3 doesn't claim to offer more than those basic thrill ride pleasures, but those pleasures are enough for me. For summer matinée fare, you could do much worse.
72/100
Jurassic Park 3 is as Inventive as it's title.
jaredmartin-464-7117111 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Jurassic Park 3 was released four years after the Luke warm reception of Spielberg's (underrated) The Lost World. Spielberg opted to not return to helm another Jurassic film, and directing duties were passed over to Joe Johnston. Jurassic Park 3 see's the return of Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant, from Jurassic Park. Laura Dern also returns as Ellie Sattler, but sadly in a less prominent role.
The story for JP3 is quite simple, Grant is lured by "adventurous" couple Paul, & Amanda Kirby, played by William H. Macy & Tea Leoni, to fly over Isla Sorna, with Grant acting as their guide, for money. However the Kirby's are not rich, and lied to Grant so he could help them find their missing son Eric, who wen't missing weeks ago in a parasailing accident near the island. Of course things go wrong, the plane crashes leaving the Kirby's, Grant, his colleague Billy, and a few others stranded on the island. JP3 can only be enjoyed as a trilling dinosaur spectacle, but there isn't much of anything new, or interesting.
There are some positives aspects in this film, Sam Neill is a fine actor, and he brings credibility to the film, and is still believable as the Grant character. While the rest of the characters aren't all that fleshed out, the film is well acted, with William H. Macy, and Sam Neill being the standouts. There's a few new dinosaurs, Spinosaurus being the main one. Spinosaurus is a neat dinosaur, and the roar for Spinosaurus is also well executed, and is distinctly different sounding from the now famous T- Rex roar. The animatronic dinosaurs/CGI are once again well executed by Stan Winston's team, and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). JP3 is the first film in the series to combine CGI dinosaurs along with practical ones in the same shot, and the blending between the two is well done. The Spinosaurus attack on the river is a thrilling scene, taking place in water, which hadn't been done. There is also a thrilling Pteranodon sequence, offering a ariel attack which hasn't been seen yet in the franchise. The scene is dimly lit, with fog, and creates the best sense of suspense in the movie. The music in the scene is probably my favorite bit of new music in the film. John Williams didn't score JP3, instead composer Don Davis best known for his work in The Matrix films, provides the music, and does a good job, creating new music that still fits stylistically within the franchise.
Though there are positives in JP3 there are many negatives as well. One of the biggest ones I had was the screenwriters not having Grant, and Ellie as a couple. Instead they have a friendship type relationship, and Ellie has a child (with some random guy) who call's Grant "the dinosaur man". It just seems stupid to not have Grant be with Ellie after the events of the first film. Grant's character arch of not wanting children changes after he saves Lex, and Tim, and is seemingly ready to settle down with Ellie, which now seems wasted. The dumbest thing about it is it adds nothing to the characters, or the overall film, and was a stupid decision on the writers part. Grant has a dream on the plane nearing the island, and turns to see a raptor that says "Alan". The scene is very cheesy, and really is just plain silly, right up there with the gymnast scene in TLW. The Spinosaurus T-Rex fight is neat, but having the T-Rex (a fan favorite) lose, and die, just didn't sit right with many fans, myself included.
The characters (while well acted), aren't all that interesting, or all that likable, the Kirby's put peoples lives in danger to find their son, and Billy, decides it would be a good idea to steal raptor eggs to help fund their research back home. There are also many continuity issues in the film, like why the island doesn't look the way it did in TLW, or why the raptors look radically different (some have feather-like quills on their head) from how they did in the pervious films. Where the Spinosaurus was during the events of TLW is suspicious too, the only clue given in the film is when Grant says that Spinosaurus wasn't on Ingen's list. Perhaps the worst part of JP3 is it's ending, which feels insanely rushed, and anti-climantic, almost as if the filmmakers said "This is going on too long, lets wrap it up", but with a runtime just over 90 minutes, the abrupt conclusion seems strange, with the previous films being over two hours long.
Jurassic Park 3 despite is faults, and there are multiple ones, is still an enjoyable flick for what it is, but it's a huge step down in terms of story, and character, and is just an unnecessary edition to the franchise. The story isn't very interesting, or inspired, and the only thing new in the film are the look of the raptors, and a few new dinosaurs. It's explained during a dinner scene with Grant, and Ellie that the raptors were far more intelligent than imagined, and could talk to each other, but much of this could be assumed in the previous films. Spinosaurus makes for a cool looking successor to T-Rex, but seems more like a movie monster than an animal, compared to T-Rex who while running around chasing/eating people, had moments in both Jurassic Park, and The Lost World that showed a naturalistic side of them, like caring for the infant T-Rex. The only real advances in Jurassic Park 3 are technical ones, but effects aren't what makes a film great, it's the story, and characters that drive a film, and that wasn't strong enough in this entry of the Jurassic Park series.
The story for JP3 is quite simple, Grant is lured by "adventurous" couple Paul, & Amanda Kirby, played by William H. Macy & Tea Leoni, to fly over Isla Sorna, with Grant acting as their guide, for money. However the Kirby's are not rich, and lied to Grant so he could help them find their missing son Eric, who wen't missing weeks ago in a parasailing accident near the island. Of course things go wrong, the plane crashes leaving the Kirby's, Grant, his colleague Billy, and a few others stranded on the island. JP3 can only be enjoyed as a trilling dinosaur spectacle, but there isn't much of anything new, or interesting.
There are some positives aspects in this film, Sam Neill is a fine actor, and he brings credibility to the film, and is still believable as the Grant character. While the rest of the characters aren't all that fleshed out, the film is well acted, with William H. Macy, and Sam Neill being the standouts. There's a few new dinosaurs, Spinosaurus being the main one. Spinosaurus is a neat dinosaur, and the roar for Spinosaurus is also well executed, and is distinctly different sounding from the now famous T- Rex roar. The animatronic dinosaurs/CGI are once again well executed by Stan Winston's team, and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). JP3 is the first film in the series to combine CGI dinosaurs along with practical ones in the same shot, and the blending between the two is well done. The Spinosaurus attack on the river is a thrilling scene, taking place in water, which hadn't been done. There is also a thrilling Pteranodon sequence, offering a ariel attack which hasn't been seen yet in the franchise. The scene is dimly lit, with fog, and creates the best sense of suspense in the movie. The music in the scene is probably my favorite bit of new music in the film. John Williams didn't score JP3, instead composer Don Davis best known for his work in The Matrix films, provides the music, and does a good job, creating new music that still fits stylistically within the franchise.
Though there are positives in JP3 there are many negatives as well. One of the biggest ones I had was the screenwriters not having Grant, and Ellie as a couple. Instead they have a friendship type relationship, and Ellie has a child (with some random guy) who call's Grant "the dinosaur man". It just seems stupid to not have Grant be with Ellie after the events of the first film. Grant's character arch of not wanting children changes after he saves Lex, and Tim, and is seemingly ready to settle down with Ellie, which now seems wasted. The dumbest thing about it is it adds nothing to the characters, or the overall film, and was a stupid decision on the writers part. Grant has a dream on the plane nearing the island, and turns to see a raptor that says "Alan". The scene is very cheesy, and really is just plain silly, right up there with the gymnast scene in TLW. The Spinosaurus T-Rex fight is neat, but having the T-Rex (a fan favorite) lose, and die, just didn't sit right with many fans, myself included.
The characters (while well acted), aren't all that interesting, or all that likable, the Kirby's put peoples lives in danger to find their son, and Billy, decides it would be a good idea to steal raptor eggs to help fund their research back home. There are also many continuity issues in the film, like why the island doesn't look the way it did in TLW, or why the raptors look radically different (some have feather-like quills on their head) from how they did in the pervious films. Where the Spinosaurus was during the events of TLW is suspicious too, the only clue given in the film is when Grant says that Spinosaurus wasn't on Ingen's list. Perhaps the worst part of JP3 is it's ending, which feels insanely rushed, and anti-climantic, almost as if the filmmakers said "This is going on too long, lets wrap it up", but with a runtime just over 90 minutes, the abrupt conclusion seems strange, with the previous films being over two hours long.
Jurassic Park 3 despite is faults, and there are multiple ones, is still an enjoyable flick for what it is, but it's a huge step down in terms of story, and character, and is just an unnecessary edition to the franchise. The story isn't very interesting, or inspired, and the only thing new in the film are the look of the raptors, and a few new dinosaurs. It's explained during a dinner scene with Grant, and Ellie that the raptors were far more intelligent than imagined, and could talk to each other, but much of this could be assumed in the previous films. Spinosaurus makes for a cool looking successor to T-Rex, but seems more like a movie monster than an animal, compared to T-Rex who while running around chasing/eating people, had moments in both Jurassic Park, and The Lost World that showed a naturalistic side of them, like caring for the infant T-Rex. The only real advances in Jurassic Park 3 are technical ones, but effects aren't what makes a film great, it's the story, and characters that drive a film, and that wasn't strong enough in this entry of the Jurassic Park series.
Why not go all the way
Blindman-224 July 2001
I went to see JP3 last night to vet it before I take my 6 year old daughter. She is desperate to see it having seen JP and the Lost world and generally loving dinosaurs. I am a great movie fan so have my own opinions on the film but first I'll address the suitability of this movie for young viewers. The original film and Lost World are true 'family movies' containing elements for everyone - decent story, good acting, great (groundbreaking) effects and humour etc. There's nothing wrong with kids being scared periodically, being scared is part of the whole monster movie experience. All that said, JP3 is too 'full on' for one as young as 6 and I think I'll try to get her to wait for DVD, to tone down the whole experience. She saw the first two at home and wont be expecting the sheer sound and visuals of this movie at the cinema. I would advise other parents the same, at least with kids this young.
As for my opinion of the film - well, we've seen it all before. I've read many comments and agree with most. Its lame storyline is its down fall and this could've been so much better. In my opinion a far better film would have carried a 15 certificate at least. One they could have made for adults only, and really explored new territory and therefore could not be compared to the previous two. A huge audience loves scary films and monster movies so why not go for it with a proper modern day horror. Throw in a good conspiracy theory plot about INGEN and some realistic profanity and gut wrenching effects. In short give people what they really want. JP3 does niether for either age group.
For your children, I reccommend the BBC's series 'Walking with Dinosaurs' it's informative and has near the same quality of effects.
See for yourself.
As for my opinion of the film - well, we've seen it all before. I've read many comments and agree with most. Its lame storyline is its down fall and this could've been so much better. In my opinion a far better film would have carried a 15 certificate at least. One they could have made for adults only, and really explored new territory and therefore could not be compared to the previous two. A huge audience loves scary films and monster movies so why not go for it with a proper modern day horror. Throw in a good conspiracy theory plot about INGEN and some realistic profanity and gut wrenching effects. In short give people what they really want. JP3 does niether for either age group.
For your children, I reccommend the BBC's series 'Walking with Dinosaurs' it's informative and has near the same quality of effects.
See for yourself.
Works on the basis that you don't expect something remotely as fascinating as the original, but still hunger for a shallow 90 minute thrill ride. *** (out of four)
Movie-1212 August 2001
JURASSIC PARK 3 / (2001) *** (out of four)
By Blake French:
"Jurassic Park 3" is not as good as the first but a whole lot better than the second. It's also the first film in the series that is not based on a novel by Michael Crichton. That's basically "JP3" in a nutshell. It's not necessarily a great movie, nor does it break any new grounds of adventure or take many risks, but it does take advantage of all the creative ideas. You will not hear anyone in the audience complain that the movie isn't inventive, because these writers, Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor, really have an imagination.
The story takes place eight years after the incident at Jurassic Park. Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) still works as a paleontologist on dinosaur dig sites in Montana with his young assistant Billy (Alessandro Nivola). He's offered a good sum of money by a wealthy couple (William H. Macy and Tea Leoni) who want Grant to guild them on a flight over Isla Sorna-also owned by the dinosaur cooperation. Sam agrees, but once over the island, something goes wrong and he's once again stuck on the dinosaur infested territory fighting for his life.
"Jurassic Park 3" is complied with stunning brevity. The dialogue is concise and doesn't wonder. The character's relationships are instantly obvious. It's very clear that this film is shorter, cheaper, and more simple than its predecessors. That is not such a bad thing. The second Jurassic Park was terrible-an all star cast placed in situation and situation where they run from big monstrous creatures. Although "Jurassic Park 3" is more or less the same formula, it gets sassy and fresh. Eye-popping special effects involve everything from a bird-dinosaur attempting to feed a human to its babies to a massive battle between a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a new breed of lizard called Spinosaurus. Some of these scenes do not really work. Amazingly, many succeed.
I have various complaints about the movie. There are not enough violent encounters to keep the audiences interested throughout. Unlike the first two films, the dinos in "JP3" only eat a handful of characters and they occur in the opening half hour. You can probably guess the characters who meet a graphic demise; anyone who is billed in the film's credits that you have heard of will probably live. I also think the movie needs more thrills. It seems as if the producers are more interested in proving to the audience that these dinosaurs are really smart rather than focusing on lean, clean terror.
Regardless of the pictures many problems, during a summer movie season jam-packed with special effects extravaganzas that don't work ("The Mummy Returns," "Pearl Harbor," "Planet of the Apes," "The Fast and he Furious," and "Swordfirsh" to name a few) finally comes one that does. I recommend "Jurassic Park 3" on the basis that you don't expect something remotely as fascinating as the original, but still hunger for a shallow 90 minute thrill ride.
By Blake French:
"Jurassic Park 3" is not as good as the first but a whole lot better than the second. It's also the first film in the series that is not based on a novel by Michael Crichton. That's basically "JP3" in a nutshell. It's not necessarily a great movie, nor does it break any new grounds of adventure or take many risks, but it does take advantage of all the creative ideas. You will not hear anyone in the audience complain that the movie isn't inventive, because these writers, Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor, really have an imagination.
The story takes place eight years after the incident at Jurassic Park. Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) still works as a paleontologist on dinosaur dig sites in Montana with his young assistant Billy (Alessandro Nivola). He's offered a good sum of money by a wealthy couple (William H. Macy and Tea Leoni) who want Grant to guild them on a flight over Isla Sorna-also owned by the dinosaur cooperation. Sam agrees, but once over the island, something goes wrong and he's once again stuck on the dinosaur infested territory fighting for his life.
"Jurassic Park 3" is complied with stunning brevity. The dialogue is concise and doesn't wonder. The character's relationships are instantly obvious. It's very clear that this film is shorter, cheaper, and more simple than its predecessors. That is not such a bad thing. The second Jurassic Park was terrible-an all star cast placed in situation and situation where they run from big monstrous creatures. Although "Jurassic Park 3" is more or less the same formula, it gets sassy and fresh. Eye-popping special effects involve everything from a bird-dinosaur attempting to feed a human to its babies to a massive battle between a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a new breed of lizard called Spinosaurus. Some of these scenes do not really work. Amazingly, many succeed.
I have various complaints about the movie. There are not enough violent encounters to keep the audiences interested throughout. Unlike the first two films, the dinos in "JP3" only eat a handful of characters and they occur in the opening half hour. You can probably guess the characters who meet a graphic demise; anyone who is billed in the film's credits that you have heard of will probably live. I also think the movie needs more thrills. It seems as if the producers are more interested in proving to the audience that these dinosaurs are really smart rather than focusing on lean, clean terror.
Regardless of the pictures many problems, during a summer movie season jam-packed with special effects extravaganzas that don't work ("The Mummy Returns," "Pearl Harbor," "Planet of the Apes," "The Fast and he Furious," and "Swordfirsh" to name a few) finally comes one that does. I recommend "Jurassic Park 3" on the basis that you don't expect something remotely as fascinating as the original, but still hunger for a shallow 90 minute thrill ride.
Fun!
Boba_Fett11382 June 2003
I expected this to be a very bad movie. I mean Jurassic Park III ??? Comon! It has all been done before how can they possibly come up with a new movie with a believable story. But the movie turned out to be actually pretty good.
One of the reasons why this movie became successful for me was because of the different approach. "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World" took itself very serious and tried to create a somewhat believable story, while Jurassic Park III had far more humor in it and it was obvious that the makers didn't tried to create a breathtaking movie with lot's of tension and a realistic story, but a fun entertaining non-sense movie instead.
The story is also better then I expected, at least it's original and it has some nice moments in it. It's a big plus that finally those dinosaur-birds (sorry, don't remember their name) appear in the movie. The raptors are also cooler then ever. They're not as scary as in the first and second movie, but at least they look better in this one. And that goes for all the dinosaurs. There are some more nice new dinosaurs in this one but I won't mention them all.
It's great to see Sam Neill return as Dr. Alan Grant and same goes for Laura Dern as Dr. Ellie Sattler (although here role is pretty small but yet important) Alessandro Nivola is a great addition to the cast as Billy Brennan. The other characters are more for the comedy elements which works pretty well.
So my conclusion: An entertaining movie that is good for a few laughs and a good movie with some nice scene's and better then ever special effects for the dinosaurs.
I'm actually looking forward to "Jurassic Park IV"!
7/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
One of the reasons why this movie became successful for me was because of the different approach. "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World" took itself very serious and tried to create a somewhat believable story, while Jurassic Park III had far more humor in it and it was obvious that the makers didn't tried to create a breathtaking movie with lot's of tension and a realistic story, but a fun entertaining non-sense movie instead.
The story is also better then I expected, at least it's original and it has some nice moments in it. It's a big plus that finally those dinosaur-birds (sorry, don't remember their name) appear in the movie. The raptors are also cooler then ever. They're not as scary as in the first and second movie, but at least they look better in this one. And that goes for all the dinosaurs. There are some more nice new dinosaurs in this one but I won't mention them all.
It's great to see Sam Neill return as Dr. Alan Grant and same goes for Laura Dern as Dr. Ellie Sattler (although here role is pretty small but yet important) Alessandro Nivola is a great addition to the cast as Billy Brennan. The other characters are more for the comedy elements which works pretty well.
So my conclusion: An entertaining movie that is good for a few laughs and a good movie with some nice scene's and better then ever special effects for the dinosaurs.
I'm actually looking forward to "Jurassic Park IV"!
7/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
Just about your basic adventure chase
aerosparked22 August 2005
To call this movie an extravagant piece of art would be a joke. The plot was extremely hollow, and a majority of the acting was less than stellar. However, I won't deny that I enjoyed the 90+ minutes I spent sitting through this film. There was everything to expect in the typical JP movie: victims with awfully good endurance, a jungle, and some scary dinosaurs.
Truthfully, it felt as if I were watching a different sequel to the original, not a second. The premise was pretty much the same: a survivor of the Jurassic Park incident is forced to return to the island, and when all communication is cut by unfortunate circumstances, it's time to run around like crazy, trying to find a way off the island while escaping vicious dinosaurs at the same time. This time, we get to watch Sam Neill squirm instead of Jeff Goldblum, and instead of doing research, they're looking for a twelve-year-old kid. Not exactly the smartest move, but all is forgiven and forgotten when the dinosaurs are unleashed once more.
If you're expecting something original and spectacular, then you're going to be disappointed. If you're like me, who only expects to see a fun-filled chase through the jungle for an hour or so, then sit back and relax.
Truthfully, it felt as if I were watching a different sequel to the original, not a second. The premise was pretty much the same: a survivor of the Jurassic Park incident is forced to return to the island, and when all communication is cut by unfortunate circumstances, it's time to run around like crazy, trying to find a way off the island while escaping vicious dinosaurs at the same time. This time, we get to watch Sam Neill squirm instead of Jeff Goldblum, and instead of doing research, they're looking for a twelve-year-old kid. Not exactly the smartest move, but all is forgiven and forgotten when the dinosaurs are unleashed once more.
If you're expecting something original and spectacular, then you're going to be disappointed. If you're like me, who only expects to see a fun-filled chase through the jungle for an hour or so, then sit back and relax.
Plot is too simple. Good special effects.
NoName198917 August 2006
This movie is not very good. In fact, the only things that make this film watchable, are the cinematography and the special effects. The dinosaurs look really good.
But, like I said, the rest is not good at all. The acting is not spectacular (except for a few scenes) the dialogs are also not spectacular and sometimes even abominable.
The plot is just an excuse to see people being attacked by dinosaurs.
But, I must say, the majority of the action scenes are quite good and sometimes the film is very exciting.
If you like dinosaurs, and if you don't mind a stupid script, you will enjoy it.
But, like I said, the rest is not good at all. The acting is not spectacular (except for a few scenes) the dialogs are also not spectacular and sometimes even abominable.
The plot is just an excuse to see people being attacked by dinosaurs.
But, I must say, the majority of the action scenes are quite good and sometimes the film is very exciting.
If you like dinosaurs, and if you don't mind a stupid script, you will enjoy it.
Weak
zamlazercorn3 January 2019
A True Disappointment
oscar-stainton20 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
As problematic as 'The Lost World' may have been, it did expand the horizons of the Jurassic Park universe, 'Jurassic Park III' was a huge step backwards. The characters are sub-standard, the story is lazy and shamefully contrived, and the effects aren't as good as either of the previous movies, almost seeming to be a parody of a Jurassic Park film.
The plot, as thin as it is, centres around the rescue of a boy named Eric who ended up stranded on the now restricted Isla Sorna, and the survival of the rescue team led by Alan Grant. Alan is lured to Isla Sorna by seemingly rich businessman Paul Kirby on the promise of cash to fund his dig. The plane lands and Amanda Kirby, Paul's wife, attracts the attention of Spinosaurus which causes the plane to crash and devour members of the crew. The rest of the movie is a series of chase scenes involving the Spinosaurus and the Velociraptors, interrupted by cloying domestic drama between the Kirbys reuniting with Eric and coming back together. The climax itself is unsatisfying, requiring a military deus ex machina that just feels tacked on.
In all fairness, Sam Neill does a good job at bringing a jaded Alan Grant to the screen, working with what little he had. But his character is ruined by undoing his arc in the first film about learning to love kids and marrying Ellie, here Ellie is married to another man with two children. The writers could have prepared something special involving Alan and Ellie's relationship and their place in the world with live dinosaurs on the planet; it was insulting to undo all that development. His scenes in the prologue had potential, showing Alan's struggle to keep palaeontology alive and rekindle his love of dinosaurs. But it all amounts to nothing.
The film has only a few worthwhile action scenes, specifically the Raptor attacks and the group's encounter with a colony of Pteranodons in a giant aviary, a memorable scene conveyed with an eerie and mysterious atmosphere. Some of the musical cues are melodic and charming, but I yearn for John Williams's talent. At times, the visual effects for the Raptors are actually quite good, but the rest are incredibly rushed and don't allow the audience to soak it in like in the first film.
Due to the weak writing and wasted characters there are the many stupid moments throughout the movie. Barely twenty minutes into the film, Alan has a dream about a talking raptor on the flight to Sorna, it's intended to be scary and foreshadow the Raptors' capability of speech but it comes off as childish and goofy. (Real life raptors weren't even capable of human-level speech patterns). The ever annoying Amanda Kirby seems to exist only to scream, bicker and run away, never contributing anything but maudlin or moronic moments. William H. Macy is completely wasted. The rest of the characters are bland and forgettable. Some outright stupid moments include a satellite phone being heard from the belly of a Spinosaurus, said Spinosaur is shown as being able to break a fence designed to contain dinosaurs yet cannot break down a rusty metal door, a ridiculous cameo of Barney (I wish I was joking!!), and a cheap regurgitation of the dino dung scene from the first film.
Even the dinosaurs themselves have been ruined; the CGI herbivores are pushed to the background with little screen time, and the carnivores don't behave like real animals, like in the previous films. The animatronics are clunky and the CGI is too obvious. The movie tries to recreate the sense of awe and wonder from the first film, but it feels forced and artificial.
The most obnoxious change is the addition of the Spinosaurus. While I accept that it was larger than T-Rex, Spinosaurus was not a rampaging movie monster that hunted human-sized morsels like a serial killer. This leads into the infamous duel between the Rex and the Spinosaur, and it's a problem because the T-Rex was an integral part of the previous films and a childhood favourite. The fight itself was overly brief and anticlimactic. The T-Rex was set up as a predator with both ferocity and nobility, having it dispatched in such a way feels like a cheap shot. It was just a botched attempt to showcase a dinosaur that hadn't earned it's stardom like the Raptors.
What frustrates me the most about 'Jurassic Park III' is that there was potential to make up for some or more of the shortcomings of 'The Lost World'. Instead it's the shallowest and the least adventurous film of the entire trilogy, there's too much focus on the domestic drama. While the first two films dealt with themes of science, technology, playing god, and man vs. nature, 'Jurassic Park III' took the franchise away from exploring such themes, choosing to be safe and marketable and lacking in substance.
The plot, as thin as it is, centres around the rescue of a boy named Eric who ended up stranded on the now restricted Isla Sorna, and the survival of the rescue team led by Alan Grant. Alan is lured to Isla Sorna by seemingly rich businessman Paul Kirby on the promise of cash to fund his dig. The plane lands and Amanda Kirby, Paul's wife, attracts the attention of Spinosaurus which causes the plane to crash and devour members of the crew. The rest of the movie is a series of chase scenes involving the Spinosaurus and the Velociraptors, interrupted by cloying domestic drama between the Kirbys reuniting with Eric and coming back together. The climax itself is unsatisfying, requiring a military deus ex machina that just feels tacked on.
In all fairness, Sam Neill does a good job at bringing a jaded Alan Grant to the screen, working with what little he had. But his character is ruined by undoing his arc in the first film about learning to love kids and marrying Ellie, here Ellie is married to another man with two children. The writers could have prepared something special involving Alan and Ellie's relationship and their place in the world with live dinosaurs on the planet; it was insulting to undo all that development. His scenes in the prologue had potential, showing Alan's struggle to keep palaeontology alive and rekindle his love of dinosaurs. But it all amounts to nothing.
The film has only a few worthwhile action scenes, specifically the Raptor attacks and the group's encounter with a colony of Pteranodons in a giant aviary, a memorable scene conveyed with an eerie and mysterious atmosphere. Some of the musical cues are melodic and charming, but I yearn for John Williams's talent. At times, the visual effects for the Raptors are actually quite good, but the rest are incredibly rushed and don't allow the audience to soak it in like in the first film.
Due to the weak writing and wasted characters there are the many stupid moments throughout the movie. Barely twenty minutes into the film, Alan has a dream about a talking raptor on the flight to Sorna, it's intended to be scary and foreshadow the Raptors' capability of speech but it comes off as childish and goofy. (Real life raptors weren't even capable of human-level speech patterns). The ever annoying Amanda Kirby seems to exist only to scream, bicker and run away, never contributing anything but maudlin or moronic moments. William H. Macy is completely wasted. The rest of the characters are bland and forgettable. Some outright stupid moments include a satellite phone being heard from the belly of a Spinosaurus, said Spinosaur is shown as being able to break a fence designed to contain dinosaurs yet cannot break down a rusty metal door, a ridiculous cameo of Barney (I wish I was joking!!), and a cheap regurgitation of the dino dung scene from the first film.
Even the dinosaurs themselves have been ruined; the CGI herbivores are pushed to the background with little screen time, and the carnivores don't behave like real animals, like in the previous films. The animatronics are clunky and the CGI is too obvious. The movie tries to recreate the sense of awe and wonder from the first film, but it feels forced and artificial.
The most obnoxious change is the addition of the Spinosaurus. While I accept that it was larger than T-Rex, Spinosaurus was not a rampaging movie monster that hunted human-sized morsels like a serial killer. This leads into the infamous duel between the Rex and the Spinosaur, and it's a problem because the T-Rex was an integral part of the previous films and a childhood favourite. The fight itself was overly brief and anticlimactic. The T-Rex was set up as a predator with both ferocity and nobility, having it dispatched in such a way feels like a cheap shot. It was just a botched attempt to showcase a dinosaur that hadn't earned it's stardom like the Raptors.
What frustrates me the most about 'Jurassic Park III' is that there was potential to make up for some or more of the shortcomings of 'The Lost World'. Instead it's the shallowest and the least adventurous film of the entire trilogy, there's too much focus on the domestic drama. While the first two films dealt with themes of science, technology, playing god, and man vs. nature, 'Jurassic Park III' took the franchise away from exploring such themes, choosing to be safe and marketable and lacking in substance.
Underrated pure fun popcorn Action film!
ivo-cobra87 May 2016
Jurassic Park III (2001) is a pure, fun, popcorn, Action Film and the third entry of the Jurassic Park trilogy. It is an awesome underrated Action flick a million ways better than the new movie Jurassic World (2015)!!!!!!!!
The third entry of Jurassic park Trilogy is very underrated solid action flick. I will take third Jurassic Park III movie over Jurassic World! Just like a pure, fun, popcorn, Action Film, I will take this one. They brought Sam Neill back as Dr. Alan Grant back. The film was a rescue mission, it was fast paced and it was short than the second flick. I still love The Lost World: Jurassic Park equal as the first flick Jurassic Park, but this flick grow on me and I love it and I have changed my mind. I love this flick I love it to death. I will rather watch this flick than forgettable Jurassic World! I love this flick to death and it is my third favorite film in the Jurassic park trilogy. As the first time I saw this film, I wasn't fan about it, but I keep watching it and I liked it, this movie grow on me. The film was fast paced, it went really fast around, it was an action film, it wasn't an epic adventure like was the first movie Jurassic Park (1993) it was actually an action flick an a rescue mission.
Plot: Adventure runs wild when renowned palentologist Dr. Alan Grant agrees to accompany a wealthy adventurer and his wife on an aerial tour of Isla Sorna, InGen's former breeding ground for prehistoric creatures. But when they're terrifyingly stranded, Dr. Grant discovers that his hosts are not what they seem, and the island's native inhabitants are smarter, faster, fiercer and more brutal than he ever imagined in this heart-stomping thriller.
The film was directed by Joe Johnston who also directed The Rocketeer, I haven't seen that flick in ages yet, The Pagemaster, Jumanji and Captain America: The First Avenger that I am fan of that film. After the success of Spielberg's Jurassic Park, Joe Johnston expressed interest in directing a sequel. Spielberg instead gave Joe Johnston permission to direct the third film in the series, if there were to be one. I don't think the director did a terrible job, I think that this movie more lacked on a script writers, so is not Joe Johnston fault for directing this film for using more CGI in the film.
I love Sam Neil as Dr. Alan Grant and I love that he goes on an Island Isla Sorna, where man is up against dangerous predators in the ultimate battle for survival. This movie takes no prisoners and pulls no punches. It takes the idea of the original, puts an interesting twist into the plot, injects it with good FX, good acting and a decent budget, and you have something far superior to the original.
I like all- new dinosaurs and the special effects CGI, more practical effects are in there, they did not bothered me or that it was directed from someone else and not Steven Spielberg himself. I like the CGI in this film.
A wealthy couple with Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) land on a island Isla Sorna and all the mercenaries are killed off, I like that in the film that the mercenaries are killed off.
This film is very quickly paced, is not boring film and it is not a dull movie, it does not drag a long, is very interesting to me and it is a good action film. Jurassic park III is MILES way better to me than Jurassic World, I will rather watch this film than the new one. The first time I reviewed this film I hated it, but now I loved it a lot.
I am fine with the FX of the Spinosaurus, I like Spinosaurus, I thought it was pretty cool.
Btw the kid in this movie wasn't annoying and I think he really did a good job, he was smart and recourses, he was useful in this movie, he survived that length of time by himself & saved Alan against Spinosaurus, so yea I like that and I like this film. I don't think it was terrible or forgettable at all.
I really did not like that Laura Dern can't return with her character in a cameo scene, but still I liked that they made her a happy married woman with the kid and I still like that Alan and Ellie are still in contact together, that is decent in the film.
Also Michael Jeter from Drop Zone (1994) as a mercenary is in here, John Diehl from Miami Vice is in it and Bruce A. Young from The Sentinel and Basic Instinct (1992) is in it, as a third mercenary.
Overall: The ranting for this film I am giving is an 8.5/10 I love this film and In my opinion is the last good Jurassic film, a very hated and underrated.
Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American adventure science fiction film. It is the third installment in the Jurassic Park film series. The film stars Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, and Michael Jeter. It is the first film in the series not to have been directed by Steven Spielberg, nor based on a book by Michael Crichton (though numerous scenes in the film were ultimately taken from Crichton's novels Jurassic Park and The Lost World).
8.5/10 Grade: B+ Studio: Universal Pictures Starring: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, John Diehl, Bruce A. Young, Taylor Nichols, Laura Dern Director: Joe Johnston Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Larry Franco Screenplay: Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor Rated: PG-13 Running Time: 1 Hr. 32 Mins. Budget: $93.000.000 Box Office: $368,780,809
The third entry of Jurassic park Trilogy is very underrated solid action flick. I will take third Jurassic Park III movie over Jurassic World! Just like a pure, fun, popcorn, Action Film, I will take this one. They brought Sam Neill back as Dr. Alan Grant back. The film was a rescue mission, it was fast paced and it was short than the second flick. I still love The Lost World: Jurassic Park equal as the first flick Jurassic Park, but this flick grow on me and I love it and I have changed my mind. I love this flick I love it to death. I will rather watch this flick than forgettable Jurassic World! I love this flick to death and it is my third favorite film in the Jurassic park trilogy. As the first time I saw this film, I wasn't fan about it, but I keep watching it and I liked it, this movie grow on me. The film was fast paced, it went really fast around, it was an action film, it wasn't an epic adventure like was the first movie Jurassic Park (1993) it was actually an action flick an a rescue mission.
Plot: Adventure runs wild when renowned palentologist Dr. Alan Grant agrees to accompany a wealthy adventurer and his wife on an aerial tour of Isla Sorna, InGen's former breeding ground for prehistoric creatures. But when they're terrifyingly stranded, Dr. Grant discovers that his hosts are not what they seem, and the island's native inhabitants are smarter, faster, fiercer and more brutal than he ever imagined in this heart-stomping thriller.
The film was directed by Joe Johnston who also directed The Rocketeer, I haven't seen that flick in ages yet, The Pagemaster, Jumanji and Captain America: The First Avenger that I am fan of that film. After the success of Spielberg's Jurassic Park, Joe Johnston expressed interest in directing a sequel. Spielberg instead gave Joe Johnston permission to direct the third film in the series, if there were to be one. I don't think the director did a terrible job, I think that this movie more lacked on a script writers, so is not Joe Johnston fault for directing this film for using more CGI in the film.
I love Sam Neil as Dr. Alan Grant and I love that he goes on an Island Isla Sorna, where man is up against dangerous predators in the ultimate battle for survival. This movie takes no prisoners and pulls no punches. It takes the idea of the original, puts an interesting twist into the plot, injects it with good FX, good acting and a decent budget, and you have something far superior to the original.
I like all- new dinosaurs and the special effects CGI, more practical effects are in there, they did not bothered me or that it was directed from someone else and not Steven Spielberg himself. I like the CGI in this film.
A wealthy couple with Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) land on a island Isla Sorna and all the mercenaries are killed off, I like that in the film that the mercenaries are killed off.
This film is very quickly paced, is not boring film and it is not a dull movie, it does not drag a long, is very interesting to me and it is a good action film. Jurassic park III is MILES way better to me than Jurassic World, I will rather watch this film than the new one. The first time I reviewed this film I hated it, but now I loved it a lot.
I am fine with the FX of the Spinosaurus, I like Spinosaurus, I thought it was pretty cool.
Btw the kid in this movie wasn't annoying and I think he really did a good job, he was smart and recourses, he was useful in this movie, he survived that length of time by himself & saved Alan against Spinosaurus, so yea I like that and I like this film. I don't think it was terrible or forgettable at all.
I really did not like that Laura Dern can't return with her character in a cameo scene, but still I liked that they made her a happy married woman with the kid and I still like that Alan and Ellie are still in contact together, that is decent in the film.
Also Michael Jeter from Drop Zone (1994) as a mercenary is in here, John Diehl from Miami Vice is in it and Bruce A. Young from The Sentinel and Basic Instinct (1992) is in it, as a third mercenary.
Overall: The ranting for this film I am giving is an 8.5/10 I love this film and In my opinion is the last good Jurassic film, a very hated and underrated.
Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American adventure science fiction film. It is the third installment in the Jurassic Park film series. The film stars Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, and Michael Jeter. It is the first film in the series not to have been directed by Steven Spielberg, nor based on a book by Michael Crichton (though numerous scenes in the film were ultimately taken from Crichton's novels Jurassic Park and The Lost World).
8.5/10 Grade: B+ Studio: Universal Pictures Starring: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, John Diehl, Bruce A. Young, Taylor Nichols, Laura Dern Director: Joe Johnston Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Larry Franco Screenplay: Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor Rated: PG-13 Running Time: 1 Hr. 32 Mins. Budget: $93.000.000 Box Office: $368,780,809
Not much story, at least the effects are good
Leofwine_draca8 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I can't say my hopes were high about seeing this film - after all, actor William H. Macy publicly proclaimed that the script was "made up as we went along" and second sequels rarely work. But, being a sucker for monster fare, I wearily trudged along to the cinema and parted with my hard-earned cash seeking a good time. I got what I paid for with this enjoyable, if lame-brained, old-fashioned adventure yarn with plenty of action and minimal plot.
Forget the stultifying first sequel, THE LOST WORLD, as JURASSIC PARK III kicks into high gear with lots of impressive special effects and plenty of dangerous situations for our characters to get themselves into. While not as classy or intelligent as the first film in the series, JURASSIC PARK III offers the audience lots of loud roaring, explosions, people being eaten, and chases which is all a good monster movie should really offer. There's plenty of adrenaline-pumping adventure as our movie "heroes" attempt to hide and escape from a whole plethora of dinosaurs, old and new, including the tried-and-trusted velociraptors (who can now talk), plus new creatures like pterodactyls and spinosaurus which keep things fresh and interesting.
For a PG film, the movie has a slightly hard edge with a bit of blood and mayhem and a couple of guys getting chomped for good measure, although by now the clichéd formula is strictly aiming to be family fare. Sadly, there isn't any plot other than a contrived method to get all the people on the old island again, although on the plus side this means there isn't any dragging at the beginning - the action starts straight away and never lets up.
Sam Neill thankfully returns to the series (he was sorely missed in the last instalment) and steals the show as the mild-mannered Alan Grant; once again putting in a totally honest and likable performance, a great old-fashioned hero character. William H. Macy - a strong character actor in the likes of FARGO - is however wasted as a parent searching for his son, as he has nothing to do other than act the wimp and bond slightly with his ex-wife in slightly nauseous sentimental scenes. Tea Leoni (DEEP IMPACT) plays his wife, and once again sickened me with her terrible performance of a totally stupid and obnoxious character who does insanely stupid things like shout for her son with a loudspeaker. Alessandro Nivola (the baddie's brother in FACE/OFF) is actually quite good and subtle though as Neill's assistant, although somewhat bland with it. Trevor Morgan is the child actor who isn't irritating, while the supporting cast of "red coats" (you know, the guys in STAR TREK who you just knew were there to get bumped off) are fairly unmemorable - and there's no character building in the movie. Laura Dern's return is a cheat, little more than a cameo appearance for name value only.
Sadly the series shows strong signs of being dumbed down for a modern audience, with the scientific bits being explained carefully for the stupidest viewer. Similarly, scenes in which the actors search through excrement for a vital object or hear a mobile phone ring inside a dinosaur just seem to be silly. Aside from Neill, most of the characters do unfeasibly stupid stuff, like one guy stuffing a raptor egg into his backpack to make some cash. To make matters worse the stupid people are the ones to survive, whilst personally I would have liked to see Leoni and Nivola get torn in half by the spinosaurus.
Dumb actions aside, JURASSIC PARK III offers up some most excellent CGI work which is definitely an improvement over the stuff used in THE LSOT WORLD, even if overly familiar now and the shock/wonder value of the original JURASSIC PARK has disappeared. Expect lots of over-the-top situations (the dino/crane fight in particular got me), stunts, cool violence, and action in a slim but satisfying package, and JURASSIC PARK III delivers in spades. For the undemanding thrill-seeking audience, expect no more than a constant stream of well-directed action.
Forget the stultifying first sequel, THE LOST WORLD, as JURASSIC PARK III kicks into high gear with lots of impressive special effects and plenty of dangerous situations for our characters to get themselves into. While not as classy or intelligent as the first film in the series, JURASSIC PARK III offers the audience lots of loud roaring, explosions, people being eaten, and chases which is all a good monster movie should really offer. There's plenty of adrenaline-pumping adventure as our movie "heroes" attempt to hide and escape from a whole plethora of dinosaurs, old and new, including the tried-and-trusted velociraptors (who can now talk), plus new creatures like pterodactyls and spinosaurus which keep things fresh and interesting.
For a PG film, the movie has a slightly hard edge with a bit of blood and mayhem and a couple of guys getting chomped for good measure, although by now the clichéd formula is strictly aiming to be family fare. Sadly, there isn't any plot other than a contrived method to get all the people on the old island again, although on the plus side this means there isn't any dragging at the beginning - the action starts straight away and never lets up.
Sam Neill thankfully returns to the series (he was sorely missed in the last instalment) and steals the show as the mild-mannered Alan Grant; once again putting in a totally honest and likable performance, a great old-fashioned hero character. William H. Macy - a strong character actor in the likes of FARGO - is however wasted as a parent searching for his son, as he has nothing to do other than act the wimp and bond slightly with his ex-wife in slightly nauseous sentimental scenes. Tea Leoni (DEEP IMPACT) plays his wife, and once again sickened me with her terrible performance of a totally stupid and obnoxious character who does insanely stupid things like shout for her son with a loudspeaker. Alessandro Nivola (the baddie's brother in FACE/OFF) is actually quite good and subtle though as Neill's assistant, although somewhat bland with it. Trevor Morgan is the child actor who isn't irritating, while the supporting cast of "red coats" (you know, the guys in STAR TREK who you just knew were there to get bumped off) are fairly unmemorable - and there's no character building in the movie. Laura Dern's return is a cheat, little more than a cameo appearance for name value only.
Sadly the series shows strong signs of being dumbed down for a modern audience, with the scientific bits being explained carefully for the stupidest viewer. Similarly, scenes in which the actors search through excrement for a vital object or hear a mobile phone ring inside a dinosaur just seem to be silly. Aside from Neill, most of the characters do unfeasibly stupid stuff, like one guy stuffing a raptor egg into his backpack to make some cash. To make matters worse the stupid people are the ones to survive, whilst personally I would have liked to see Leoni and Nivola get torn in half by the spinosaurus.
Dumb actions aside, JURASSIC PARK III offers up some most excellent CGI work which is definitely an improvement over the stuff used in THE LSOT WORLD, even if overly familiar now and the shock/wonder value of the original JURASSIC PARK has disappeared. Expect lots of over-the-top situations (the dino/crane fight in particular got me), stunts, cool violence, and action in a slim but satisfying package, and JURASSIC PARK III delivers in spades. For the undemanding thrill-seeking audience, expect no more than a constant stream of well-directed action.
Has it's heart in the right place but it's with a doubt the weakest entry in the series.
midnighttheater8 July 2015
It's hard to really put this movie down cause despite it's problems and there is many, it has it's heart in the right place. The aim I guess that the people behind the scenes were aiming for was a family movie with a bit of suspends and while there is a family movie to be had here, it also tries to be a Jurassic Park film and unfortunately it fails as both to a degree.
It fails as a family movie cause the script is not strong enough to support the story. Despite the venom thrown at William H Macy and especially Tea Leoni, both are very appealing actors and they do work hard to make it all work but the script just handicap their efforts to make it possible. It fails as a Jurassic Park film cause it lacks the tension, suspense and the story points that made the first two films in the series ( Jurassic Park And The Lost World) so well made and memorable. Not to mention the fact that they felt like fully formed movies with a beginning, middle and end. Jurassic Park 3 just feels like a Saturday morning serial. Not bad but nothing like the other films in the series. There is one scene in the film that almost manages to bring a little tension which is the bird cage scene but even that ends up flat compared to any of the scenes in the other films of the series. The other major problem is the fact that While Sam Neill works his ass off to make this film watchable, the script does the most disservice to the character of Alan Grant, whose happy ending from the original Jurassic Park was not only ruined thanks to this movie but has his character dumb down in order to fall for the dumb stuff that happens in this film. Despite all of this, Sam Neill is working overtime to make you care. Too bad the script did not.
As I said before, it has a lot of heart thanks to it's actors but thanks to a bad script, Jurassic Park 3 is with out a doubt the weakest entry in the series.
It fails as a family movie cause the script is not strong enough to support the story. Despite the venom thrown at William H Macy and especially Tea Leoni, both are very appealing actors and they do work hard to make it all work but the script just handicap their efforts to make it possible. It fails as a Jurassic Park film cause it lacks the tension, suspense and the story points that made the first two films in the series ( Jurassic Park And The Lost World) so well made and memorable. Not to mention the fact that they felt like fully formed movies with a beginning, middle and end. Jurassic Park 3 just feels like a Saturday morning serial. Not bad but nothing like the other films in the series. There is one scene in the film that almost manages to bring a little tension which is the bird cage scene but even that ends up flat compared to any of the scenes in the other films of the series. The other major problem is the fact that While Sam Neill works his ass off to make this film watchable, the script does the most disservice to the character of Alan Grant, whose happy ending from the original Jurassic Park was not only ruined thanks to this movie but has his character dumb down in order to fall for the dumb stuff that happens in this film. Despite all of this, Sam Neill is working overtime to make you care. Too bad the script did not.
As I said before, it has a lot of heart thanks to it's actors but thanks to a bad script, Jurassic Park 3 is with out a doubt the weakest entry in the series.
Enough plot holes to fit a herd of T-Rex's through...
kurt-386 September 2001
Warning: Spoilers
Jurassic Park III is perhaps the best example of why excellent actors (Sam Neill and William H. Macy have both turned in stellar work in other movies) cannot revive a dead script no matter how much they try, and they do. But there are too many plot holes, outright acts of lunacy, and utter impossibilities for them to overcome.
***SPOILERS***
1) A plane crash usually causes a great deal of injury. Let's see...the plane's wings get torn off, the plane hits a tree, the dinos attack the plane. Does anyone get killed? Well, no, the pilot gets eaten, but the plane crash seems to affect utterly no one.
2) Everyone's favorite carnivore, the T-Rex, has only a cameo in this movie. (I guess the T-Rex must have a better agent than the raptors.) In his place is Spinosaurus, aka "The one with the fin." Spinosaurus wasn't on InGen's lists, we learn in this movie. So how the heck did it get here? The timeline in the JP movies could be anywhere from 10 years to fifteen, there's simply no way a new life form could evolve in that short amount of time. This was a plot development that went nowhere. I was waiting to hear that InGen was developing 'military' dinosaurs for third-world military use; that there was some sort of black-ops project, SOMETHING interesting to explain why Mr. Fin took the Head Baddie spot away from the T-Rex. I would've settled for a geneticist at InGen designing it on his own, 'under the table'. (After all, if *I* knew how to make dinosaurs, I'd probably whip up a few super-carnivores myself.) A possible subplot (perhaps have some Third World baddies who contracted with InGen for their very own Spinosaur and are now trying to get it, for example, at the same time Our Heroes are looking for their boy) could've been made here. How did the Spinosaur get there? Was it a 'black-ops' dinosaur deliberately designed by InGen to eat soldiers? Was it a 'private' project gone horribly wrong? Was it working for a pizza delivery service? We don't know, it just gets dropped.
3) The aforementioned Spinosaur apparently came equipped with its own copy of the script and cloaking technology that the Air Force would envy -- he manages to get from here to there without being seen or heard by the humans (difficult indeed for a creature 70 lbs + and God only knows how many tons) and tracks them down very efficiently. Even when he's eaten the annoying cell phone.
4) The raptors have gone from a Lord-of-the-Flies mentality to a rather high moral stance. When the humans give them back the raptor eggs, they simply take them and after hearing Sam Neill attempt to speak with his handy-dandy raptor-voicing-chamber, they let them live. Apparently the raptors have been flipping through old copies of 'The Rights of Man'. Um, no. What was scary about the raptors from the get-go was their human-level intelligence combined with their complete LACK of human-style morality. Plus, some continuity issues here -- if they couldn't talk in the first two movies, how is it they've developed a whole language of their own now.
5) The kid is awfully well nourished for someone who's been spending eight weeks on an island surrounded by killer T-rex's (and Mr. Fin, of course), raptors, and untold small predators. He arms himself with 10-to-15 year old gas-grenades which work fine, apparently. I'm sorry, that kid would've been eaten within a few hours in reality.
***SPOILERS***
1) A plane crash usually causes a great deal of injury. Let's see...the plane's wings get torn off, the plane hits a tree, the dinos attack the plane. Does anyone get killed? Well, no, the pilot gets eaten, but the plane crash seems to affect utterly no one.
2) Everyone's favorite carnivore, the T-Rex, has only a cameo in this movie. (I guess the T-Rex must have a better agent than the raptors.) In his place is Spinosaurus, aka "The one with the fin." Spinosaurus wasn't on InGen's lists, we learn in this movie. So how the heck did it get here? The timeline in the JP movies could be anywhere from 10 years to fifteen, there's simply no way a new life form could evolve in that short amount of time. This was a plot development that went nowhere. I was waiting to hear that InGen was developing 'military' dinosaurs for third-world military use; that there was some sort of black-ops project, SOMETHING interesting to explain why Mr. Fin took the Head Baddie spot away from the T-Rex. I would've settled for a geneticist at InGen designing it on his own, 'under the table'. (After all, if *I* knew how to make dinosaurs, I'd probably whip up a few super-carnivores myself.) A possible subplot (perhaps have some Third World baddies who contracted with InGen for their very own Spinosaur and are now trying to get it, for example, at the same time Our Heroes are looking for their boy) could've been made here. How did the Spinosaur get there? Was it a 'black-ops' dinosaur deliberately designed by InGen to eat soldiers? Was it a 'private' project gone horribly wrong? Was it working for a pizza delivery service? We don't know, it just gets dropped.
3) The aforementioned Spinosaur apparently came equipped with its own copy of the script and cloaking technology that the Air Force would envy -- he manages to get from here to there without being seen or heard by the humans (difficult indeed for a creature 70 lbs + and God only knows how many tons) and tracks them down very efficiently. Even when he's eaten the annoying cell phone.
4) The raptors have gone from a Lord-of-the-Flies mentality to a rather high moral stance. When the humans give them back the raptor eggs, they simply take them and after hearing Sam Neill attempt to speak with his handy-dandy raptor-voicing-chamber, they let them live. Apparently the raptors have been flipping through old copies of 'The Rights of Man'. Um, no. What was scary about the raptors from the get-go was their human-level intelligence combined with their complete LACK of human-style morality. Plus, some continuity issues here -- if they couldn't talk in the first two movies, how is it they've developed a whole language of their own now.
5) The kid is awfully well nourished for someone who's been spending eight weeks on an island surrounded by killer T-rex's (and Mr. Fin, of course), raptors, and untold small predators. He arms himself with 10-to-15 year old gas-grenades which work fine, apparently. I'm sorry, that kid would've been eaten within a few hours in reality.
Final chapter from trilogy that provides exciting and sweeping amusing and entertainment
ma-cortes7 January 2008
This enjoyable third entry , plenty of spine-tingler thrills and emotion, deals about archaeologist Alan Grant(Sam Neill) and his pupil archaeologist(Alessandro Nivola). Grant is deceived by a marriage(William H Macy and Tea Leoni) and along with a mercenaries group(Michael Jeter, Bruce A. Young, John Diehl) return to Dinosaurs island looking for their son(Trevor Morgan).When the plane crashes on the island populated by the Dinos, the humans try desperately to escape of the colossal carnivorous . The group is chased through lush jungle by fanged creatures from the cretaceous period and genetically engineered formerly.
The Dinosaurs are ,once again, the authentic protagonists, they're again marvellous terrifyingly awesome and almost completely convincing, combining elements from previous films . Actors give vigorous physical performances dodging the Dinos, this time appear, an impressive Spinosurious fighting against Rex, a giant Dino-birds and , of course, the intimate Tyrannosaurious and Velocirraptor made by means of incredible combination of computer generator-ILM, Industrial Light Magic- and animatronics models- Stan Winston studio-. Simple dialogue and plain tale, the story is more exciting and inventive than second outing, Lost World, though inferior to first entry, Jurassik Park . The film packs a quite potent soundtrack by Don Davis, remaking the classic score by John Williams. Atmospheric and colorful cinematography reflecting the luxurious jungle by Shelly Johnson. The motion picture is professionally directed by Joe Johnston. The film will like to the previous films enthusiastic, but no for small kids by violent, realistic and gory attacks by monsters animals.
The Dinosaurs are ,once again, the authentic protagonists, they're again marvellous terrifyingly awesome and almost completely convincing, combining elements from previous films . Actors give vigorous physical performances dodging the Dinos, this time appear, an impressive Spinosurious fighting against Rex, a giant Dino-birds and , of course, the intimate Tyrannosaurious and Velocirraptor made by means of incredible combination of computer generator-ILM, Industrial Light Magic- and animatronics models- Stan Winston studio-. Simple dialogue and plain tale, the story is more exciting and inventive than second outing, Lost World, though inferior to first entry, Jurassik Park . The film packs a quite potent soundtrack by Don Davis, remaking the classic score by John Williams. Atmospheric and colorful cinematography reflecting the luxurious jungle by Shelly Johnson. The motion picture is professionally directed by Joe Johnston. The film will like to the previous films enthusiastic, but no for small kids by violent, realistic and gory attacks by monsters animals.
Perfectly entertaining
rivertam268 March 2020
I feel like this movie gets a bad rap mostly because of it's superior predecessors. But the movie is perfectly entertaining and is successful with it's modest expectations. This time around a couple con Dr. Alan Grant into coming back to dinosaur island to get their missing son. The movie is fast and furious and just a touch silly. It's a very entertaining B movie with awesome practical and CGI effects, decent performances and an intense, unrelenting pace.
3.5/5
3.5/5
There's a new bird in town...
mark.waltz4 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
It's back to the original now abandoned island for Sam Neill, having missed the situation in San Diego and not regretting it, but instantly regretting his agreement to go there thanks to the generous offer of William Macy. Neill thinks that they are just circling the island, but when they land, he's furious. There's something there now bigger than a T-Rex, and the fear on the face of the first victim displays great panic. That leads to their plane crashing and thus stranding them there. A rolling plane that's lost its front and back is merely like a rubber ball for a dinosaur nearly twice the size of a T-Rex, and the battles between it and other dinosaurs are fierce.
It turns out that Macy and his ex-wife (Téa Leoni) are searching for their son (Trevor Morgan) who disappeared paragliding and used Neill to get to the island. It's a pretty lame set-up but the thrills are still quite potent. No sooner do they escape the raptors and the mega dino, they have to face a dinosaur that only made a cameo previously: a pterodactyl! The flying carnivore only wants to feed her babies so you can't blame her, but the chase sequence in the giant bird cage (not seen in the first film) is scary and silly with some special effects that are as unbelievable as those used in "The Day After Tomorrow" and "2012". It is obvious that there is somebody other than Steven Spielberg in the director's chair even though Spielberg was producing.
Poor Michael Jeter gets the worst of it here, but I could have had his story over the dull family soap opera that dominates a lot of films like this. Macy is completely irritating, and Leoni's character is ridiculously stupid. Young Trevor Morgan comes off a lot better than his parents, maybe a metaphor for the fact that even the nasty man-eaters are better parents than humans. Alessandro Nivola does make a likable secondary hero even though he was the one who stole the raptor's eggs which could have lead to some chomping conclusions.
Maybe one day we'll get a Jurassic Park that deals with the vegetarians that isn't as lame as the 1985 pre-"Jurassic Park" film "Baby". This one culminates with a ringing cellphone pulled out of dino dung and Neill forced to talk on it. I can just hear the eew's coming from the theater with that visual, but fortunately, I can't describe the film as that unfortunate substance that they had to investigate. The ending is one of those where the audience exclaims "Oh I can't believe they did that!".
It turns out that Macy and his ex-wife (Téa Leoni) are searching for their son (Trevor Morgan) who disappeared paragliding and used Neill to get to the island. It's a pretty lame set-up but the thrills are still quite potent. No sooner do they escape the raptors and the mega dino, they have to face a dinosaur that only made a cameo previously: a pterodactyl! The flying carnivore only wants to feed her babies so you can't blame her, but the chase sequence in the giant bird cage (not seen in the first film) is scary and silly with some special effects that are as unbelievable as those used in "The Day After Tomorrow" and "2012". It is obvious that there is somebody other than Steven Spielberg in the director's chair even though Spielberg was producing.
Poor Michael Jeter gets the worst of it here, but I could have had his story over the dull family soap opera that dominates a lot of films like this. Macy is completely irritating, and Leoni's character is ridiculously stupid. Young Trevor Morgan comes off a lot better than his parents, maybe a metaphor for the fact that even the nasty man-eaters are better parents than humans. Alessandro Nivola does make a likable secondary hero even though he was the one who stole the raptor's eggs which could have lead to some chomping conclusions.
Maybe one day we'll get a Jurassic Park that deals with the vegetarians that isn't as lame as the 1985 pre-"Jurassic Park" film "Baby". This one culminates with a ringing cellphone pulled out of dino dung and Neill forced to talk on it. I can just hear the eew's coming from the theater with that visual, but fortunately, I can't describe the film as that unfortunate substance that they had to investigate. The ending is one of those where the audience exclaims "Oh I can't believe they did that!".
Crash landing on the island of Jurassic creatures large and small.
michaelRokeefe27 July 2001
Are you ready? This is a modest sequel to the original blockbuster dino thriller. This hackneyed story is an improvement over part two. The newest assortment of creatures are what fill the seats anyway. The special effects are tremendous. This is a beautiful movie to watch.
An estranged couple from Oklahoma(William H. Macy and Tea Leoni) use false pretenses to persuade the noted Dr. Alan Grant(Sam Neil)to help search and find their young son(Trevor Morgan). My favorite scenes are the plane crash and watching Macy's character fumble for change to operate a candy machine in a deserted lab.
Also in the cast are Michael Jeter, Laura Dern and Alessandro Nivola. Dinosaur fans will be greatly pleased. Macy is near perfection. Leoni is extra easy on the eyes. Don't wait to rent, you owe it to yourself to see it on the wide screen and do your part in this blockbuster summer.
An estranged couple from Oklahoma(William H. Macy and Tea Leoni) use false pretenses to persuade the noted Dr. Alan Grant(Sam Neil)to help search and find their young son(Trevor Morgan). My favorite scenes are the plane crash and watching Macy's character fumble for change to operate a candy machine in a deserted lab.
Also in the cast are Michael Jeter, Laura Dern and Alessandro Nivola. Dinosaur fans will be greatly pleased. Macy is near perfection. Leoni is extra easy on the eyes. Don't wait to rent, you owe it to yourself to see it on the wide screen and do your part in this blockbuster summer.
below average movie
Jones-4114 July 2001
Before watching the movie, I expected some new and cool graphics. That never happened. The graphics is the same as always and in fact, some parts in the movie is surprisingly disappointing, because of the poor animations. The acting in the movie is acceptable and good, but the story is VERY boring! It's very predictable all the way and there's no real "WOW" scenes. All in all a "below average movie", which won't be remembered for very long. I gave it 3.
"It's gonna be a walk in the park."
classicsoncall6 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Not being a big fan of movie sequels, I've watched the Jurassic Park films in totally random order with no sense of continuity from one to the next. As a stand alone film, this third movie in the franchise was generally OK, though with it's shorter length and emphasis on action it was rather apparent that the film makers were relying on the success of the first two pictures to make a go of it with this one. The dinosaurs make their presence felt almost immediately, and there's an array of creatures either seen or mentioned that I'd never heard of before, like a 'suchomimus', a 'baryonyx' and a 'spinosaurus aegypticus', so if they appeared on screen, I'm no one the wiser. Actually the 'spinosaurus' had a descriptive enough name, so the walking dinosaur with a large fan on it's back was probably that one. Let's face it, with a franchise like this, the series can probably go on forever if the writers can get creative enough with it. For my part, when I'm looking for a little diversion I can count on a few stand-byes, among them martial arts flicks, Japanese monsters and the occasional dinosaur movie. If I want to think, I go for something else.
How Stupid Could You Be?
toseale31 July 2022
Leaving every basic survival instinct behind, Jurassic Park III becomes the first movie in the Jurassic Park trilogy to include a majority amount of characters with no common sense. Almost every key choice in this movie is done poorly or with very horrible writing, and the things that could make the ride a whole lot smoother are what coincidentally end up having a problem. But hey, at least there's dinosaurs eating people again, right? The dinosaurs don't even look the same. They're absolutely ridiculous. But it does include bigger, scarier ones, so that's a small bonus. There really isn't much to this movie, and it can't even be described as being so bad it's good. If Steven Speilberg wasn't directing, it shouldn't have been done.
Much Better Than Its Reputation; Short & Fun
ccthemovieman-115 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
First of all, this final episode in the Jurassic series did not deserve all the bad reviews it got when it was released. In fact, it was a lot more enjoyable than the stupid second JP. Did it equal the first? No, of course not. The original story was easily the best of the three, but I found this an enjoyable movie and far better than what I had been led to believe.
The filmmakers were smart in making this a short film. People had seen plenty of the dinosaurs by now so let's no overdo it...and they didn't with an film just under an hour-and-a-half (not including the final credits.).
That made this short-and-sweet. We saw some new reptiles, had a few scares, enjoyed the beautiful jungle scenery (filmed in Hawaii) and - bang - it's over. The characters were fine, nobody totally annoying as in the second film. The lulls featured a family getting back together and finding their missing teen. Nothing wrong with that.
A good story unfairly maligned and nice, short evening of entertainment.
The filmmakers were smart in making this a short film. People had seen plenty of the dinosaurs by now so let's no overdo it...and they didn't with an film just under an hour-and-a-half (not including the final credits.).
That made this short-and-sweet. We saw some new reptiles, had a few scares, enjoyed the beautiful jungle scenery (filmed in Hawaii) and - bang - it's over. The characters were fine, nobody totally annoying as in the second film. The lulls featured a family getting back together and finding their missing teen. Nothing wrong with that.
A good story unfairly maligned and nice, short evening of entertainment.
Highly underrated
loppy-893845 August 2020
Bad. Very Bad.
The Terminator30 July 2001
I can't really say much other than this is a far cry from the original. After the lacklustre JP2 - The Lost World, I was expecting something better here but instead I was greeted with incredibly bad special effects and blatantly annoying characters. The whole film lacks direction and suspense and in the end I was hoping for the CG dinosaurs to rip the cast to pieces to prevent a fourth installment. I give it 1 out of 10, seriously.
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