From a commercial point of view, Jurassic Park III was quite successful. The U.S. box office was nearly $200 million, twice that of the budget, and a fourth film is now in the works.

From a critical point of view, Jurassic Park III is about as bad as the prior sequel, The Lost World. Executive Producer Steven Spielberg knows what the audience wants: scared humans chased and cornered by ferocious carnivores. It's like the Christians and the lions, although production values have improved since the Roman Empire.

The story begins with Dr. Grant (Sam Neill), our hero from the first movie, trying to raise funds for a fossil dig. Although as a purist he despises the genetically enhanced dinosaurs on Isla Sorna (a.k.a. Monster Island) he is conned into paying them a visit by an estranged married couple, Paul (William H. Lacy) and Amanda Kirby (Tea Leoni).

They're looking for their son Erik (Trevor Morgan), whose misguided 'uncle' took him to the island for an adventure. Will Paul and Amanda find their son in time? Will their past love for each other be rekindled? Will any or all them, along with humorless Dr. Grant, be eaten by a variety of hungry dinosaurs?

Even if you haven't seen the movie, it's a safe bet that you can answer all three questions correctly. While a few disposable characters seem destined to be dino treats, the story's predictability robs it of all suspense.

Jurassic Park III is not a film for perceptive dialogue or engrossing characters. It is an escapist action/adventure movie, and to that extent, it delivers. Our wilderness family and their bad-tempered guide are always prey for one dinosaur species or another, whether it be raptors, pteredons, or a spinosaurus.

The problem is that the characters are so lacking in interest that I was rooting for the dinosaurs. Dr. Grant winces as if he has a bad toothache. Amanda and Erik are such stereotypes that half of their lines seem to be screams for each other: "Mom?" "Erik!"

Noted thespian William H. Macy comes out best, if only because he is given the film's one memorable line. "The third car wasn't totaled, I only told you it was so I could buy an SUV." Confession is good for the soul, after all.

As the surprisingly short (circa 90 minute) film winds to a conclusion, the the scenes become increasingly dubious. Our intrepid protagonists journey upriver in a motorized boat that is conveniently left behind by the island's since-devoured founders.

They are able to hear a cellular phone that is ringing from inside a mountain of dino doo-doo on the shore. They actually get to, and remove, the phone before it stops ringing. This is really gross, and stupid as well, since they have left the relative safety of the river boat.

They are promptly surround by hissing and salivating raptors, who pause for dramatic effect. The siege is relieved by Dr. Grant blowing a tune into a replica of a raptor fossil. Perhaps he was inadvertently telling the raptors that he hadn't showered in several days, and has dino doo-doo all over him. That would ruin anyone's appetite. (38/100)

k@filmsgraded.com, filmsgraded.com


Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older