I know what you’re thinking. Well, not literally, but I’m guessing it goes something like this: “Jurassic Park 3??….What’s the point? Sure, the first one was fun, but “Lost World” really blew, and this has gotta be worse, right?” Well folks, the good news is that “JP3” is definitely better than “The Lost World”. It even has some pretty darn good actors on board, and yes, a boatload of new and improved dinosaurs. But…does all that make “JP3” worth plunking down your $8 or $9?

Rather than trying to rehash any of the previous & now tired premises of the first 2 Jurassic movies, “JP3” instead takes a different route. Back from the first film, Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neil) is hacking away in the lecture circuit, discovering new scientific wonders about his love of digging up old dinosaur bones. Too bad the only things anyone ever wants to talk to him about are the dinosaur disasters that took place on Isla Nuba & in San Diego. However, when Grant’s assistant Billy (Alessandro Nivola, best remembered as Nicolas Cage’s freaky little brother in “Face/Off”) agrees to have dinner with an adventure seeking couple, Grant’s life changes drastically. Again.

Paul & Amanda Kirby (the great William H Macy & the great to look at Tea Leoni) explain to Billy & Grant that they’ve done it all-climbed mountains, jumped out of planes, they’ve even booked seats on the first ride to the moon. Now they want to do something totally new—take a guided flight tour over Isla Sorba (the other Dinosaur island) to see the remaining dinosaurs with the best possible guide—Dr. Grant, of course. Grant’s reaction is an absolute no at first—however, after having a blank check dangled in front of him, Grant figures that there are worse ways to make a quick buck.

As they’re all flying over the island, it becomes clear to Grant that a guided flight tour is not what the Kirbys had in mind at all—rather, they planned on landing on the island. Of course, Grant freaks out, explaining that it’s a death wish, but he soon stops complaining after Cooper (John Diehl), one of Kirby’s hired hands, knocks him out.

In addition to Cooper, the Kirbys brought a long a few others, including Udesky (played by the great Michael Jeter). Needless to say, these guys are the first to be chomped on by the less than accommodating dinos. But back to the story. Once they’re on the island, the Kirbys explain themselves. They’re married, but separated. In fact, on an adventure vacation to Costa Rica a few months ago, Amanda & her new boyfriend took Amanda & Paul’s son Eric (Trevor Morgan) along. Eric & the boyfriend went on a “Dinosaur Parasail” ride, right next to Isla Sorba. The speedboat wrecked, snapping the parasail cord & sending the two guys right onto the dinosaur-filled island. This, of course, is the real reason the parents hired Dr. Grant—to help them navigate through the island to get their son back, if he’s still alive.

From here, the film plays out just like you think it will, with non-stop dinosaur laden action sequences. I think the computer graphics are better than the last film, but you’re not going to see anything that mind blowing, that for sure. What’s nice is that director Joe Johnston (Jumanji) decided to go with the whole brevity thing—the film rips by, barely clocking in at 90 minutes. What this does is get you loaded up on dinosaur action without having to sit through the painful monologues or worse yet—Jeff Goldblum monologues—from previous films. The plane crash scene is particularly cool, and will have you at the edge off your seat. In fact, I have to hand it to Johnston-he certainly isn’t pretending to make an art film, he’s just going for it, cramming action down your throat without a whole lot of pointless plot tangents. Sure, Laura Dern has a tiny part thrown in for good measure, but she hasn’t been working too much lately, so we’ll forgive her that.

The bottom line is this: the sheer talent of Macy, Nivola, Jeter, and to an extent, Neil, make “JP3” pretty fun. However, their talent can’t make the film elevate above being pretty much a glossy rehash of previous technology. “JP3” will not change your life, nor will it be your favorite movie of the year. But it might just be your favorite movie of the summer if you manage to catch the matinee on a hot day. And your expectations aren’t that high. And you didn’t see “The Anniversary Party”. And you….well,…you get the point.


On the Splitscale: 5.5/10


Recommended:
No