Missing our dog Katy who had to be put down on Saturday :-(
Missing our dog Katy who had to be put down on Saturday :-(
Member since:08.07.2000
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A sunny Wednesday afternoon may not be the sort of time you’d expect to be scared witless, but we were. From the time the lights went down and the trailers finished, we were transported elsewhere. It was only some ninety minutes later that we resorted to being Mum and two kids in row four of the Multiplex. We’d been on one hell of a ride!
I admit it, I love dinosaurs – big ones, little ones, slow lumbering vegetarians and frighteningly quick carnivores. I loved the first two Jurassic Park films and was desperate to see this one. Of course, I had to drag some kids along with me to make it a legitimate use of hubby’s money, so my almost eleven year old daughter and nine year old son came too. We all loved it – but I’m pleased I didn’t take the younger two, they would have been frightened and crying, they wouldn’t have lasted the duration.
This is not a gory film, no severed heads or dangling arms. There are a few moments that
make you go ‘ugh!’ but most just make you jump. This is more thriller than horror, less blood and guts and more cat and mouse.
So, what’s the story? Well, there is one, for starters, which is a vast improvement over some films of this kind. Basically, an accident deposits cute kid, Eric, alone on a beautiful island. However, this isn’t paradise, this is Isla Sorna, Research Site B, home of the big dinos – and lots of ickle ones too.
Eric’s separated parents (Yep, you’ve guessed where that storyline’s going already!) bribe the palaeontologist Dr. Alan Grant into going on a rescue expedition with them, lending his expert guidance on a potentially deadly trip. This is not your average outdoor activity weekend!
The plot sounds rather contrived written on paper, but it worked for me, I believed it totally, in the dark with that huge screen filling my field of vision and the surround-sound effects. Although I did indulge in a little game of ‘spot the disposable characters’ – I got most of them right (Let’s face it, cute kids always survive! Remember to take one along if you ever go on an expedition to a big island populated by dinosaurs!), but one of the ‘maybe’s surprised me.
The acting is excellent throughout – Sam Neill and Laura Dern reprising their roles from the earlier films. This time, we also have William H. Macy and Tea Leoni as the Kirbys, Trevor Morgan as their son and Alessandro Nivola as the-quite-handsome-if-you-squint-a-bit Billy.
We all know the special effects are amazing, we’ve seen the films or the trailers for them. The dinosaurs are wonderfully believable, each flicker of an eye and ripple of sinew convincing and stunning. This time, we have the first appearance of Pterodactyls and they are beautifully filmed, I was sitting in amazement thinking that’s how they probably would have looked and marvelling at how real they looked.
The incidental music was a little bit predictable at times. I spotted the ‘reunion’ music (arms outstretched, run across the fields into each other’s embrace) and my daughter said she knew there was a Scary Moment coming up, because of the musical effects.
This time, there is much more comedy than in the previous two movies. Look out for the mobile phone, for instance, it leads a rather interesting life! There are several moments that we actually laughed out loud at – and I think we were supposed to! The juxtaposition of Barney the lurid purple and green TV dino from hell against the ‘real’ version was inspired too.
But basically, this is the kind of film where you spend the whole ninety minutes on the edge of your seat, nibbling your fingernails and holding in your desperate wee, so you don’t miss a second. This is more than exciting, this is brilliant. It draws you in within the first five minutes, the rollercoaster ride starts even before you have time to put your seatbelt on and finishes before you want it to.
This is a wonderful film, for anyone over eight or so. If you have any kind of interest in dinosaurs, you’d be mad to miss it and if you enjoy a film that is fast-paced, thrilling and tension filled, you’ve got to go too. See it while it’s at the cinema, it won’t be the same on a 12” portable.
Trust me…
You really will believe a dino can fly…
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
I took my dinosaur mad five year old son to see this film last week. He ended up siting on my knee and holding my hand. He was scared which was very unusual for him. I also had to assure him the rest of the film would be ok after he had asked several times to go as he had seen enough. This was a brilliant film but really not for very young children as I found out! Effects are awesome! Great opinion take care Zorena
Helcur9 13.08.2001 12:05
Great opinion, I'll have to go and see it now. I loved the first 2 Jurassic Park films and after reading your op I'm sure I'll enjoy the 3rd.
one47 10.08.2001 22:42
I must see JP3... I must see JP3... I must see JP3... I must see JP3... I must see JP3... Great op :-)
Steve
As long as you expect nothing more,Jurassic Park IIIis a satisfying popcorn adventure. A ... more
little cheesier than the first twoJurassicblockbusters, it's a big B-movie with big B-list stars (including Laura Dern, briefly reprising herJurassic Parkrole) and...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Surpassing expectations to qualify as an above-average sequel,Jurassic Park IIIis nothing ... more
more or less than a satisfying popcorn adventure. A little cheesier than the first two Jurassic blockbusters, it's a big B movie with big B-list stars (including ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Surpassing expectations to qualify as an above-average sequel,Jurassic Park IIIis nothing ... more
more or less than a satisfying popcorn adventure. A little cheesier than the first two Jurassic blockbusters, it's a big B movie with big B-list stars (including ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Adventure runs wild when renowned palaeontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) agrees to ... more
accompany a wealthy adventurer (William H. Macy) and his wife (Tea Leoni) on an aerial tour of Isla Sorna, InGen's former breeding ground for prehistoric creatures. ...
Advantages: Flapping, running, roaring, hunting, singing, dancing dinos that look more real than you do. Disadvantages: The weighty philosophical monologues on the nature of survival, humanity's power to tamper, evolution, and the social/ethical implications of genetic engineering are bit heavy going sometimes.
RichardW 13.08.2001 (13.08.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Jurassic Park 3 (DVD)
![Jurassic Park 3 [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78089635.jpg "Jurassic Park 3 [DVD] [2001]")
![Jurassic Park 3 [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78509469.jpg "Jurassic Park 3 [DVD] [2001]")
Aug 2nd, 2001
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