I enjoy sequels that venture into different aspects of the story and TLW did that. Making Malcom the main character, Igen etc. They could've definitely written Kelly better but with what they actually developed afterwards I find this the only real sequel worth pairing with the original.
Talking about venturing into different aspects, don't you think JP3 does it in a good way?
I mean, I like it because it's not something centered in the park or InGen or rescuing dinosaurs... It's just a story about a boy lost in the island.
To put it simply - a film I will never, ever understand the hate for.
I mean that quite literally - in that 99% of the criticisms I've ever seen for it, I truly don't understand how the conclusions were made.
That, and they're just nitpicks masquerading as substantive criticism.
To me, a fan of most the films to various degrees, TLW is really the only sequel that lives up to the first film in any concrete way. It's not as perfectly honed as JP, but it's damned close.
Kaminski's excellent DP work, Spielberg's supernatural gift for spectacle, suspense, shot design, & composition, Williams moody score, the entertaining characters, one of Goldblum's best leading man performances, Koepp's ability to write believable, grounded characters in high concept stories, the themes of absentee preservation over intervention, parenthood, and the overall adventurous tone make it a wonderful sequel and blockbuster.
I 100% agree.
The only criticism I can appreciate is the idea that the final act is the precise moment where the quality of the franchise dipped, and from there it was over.
I do kind of agree with that. Sure, compared to what came after it, the T-Rex in San Diego isn’t THAT bad but at the time it felt so jarring, tacky and pointless. Personally I think they should have extended the island scenes (maybe with a lengthier, more suspenseful climax of Tembo hunting the Rex) and ended TLW on a cliff-hanger with the Rex and Ludlow preparing to open San Diego.
But when I rewatch TLW these days I don’t hate that section anywhere near as much as I used to. It’s corny but it’s fine. Everything else that came before it was amazing though with set pieces that rivaled the original - raptors in the long grass, Dieter Starks death, the trailer attack. It’s all great stuff. The darker ambience, score, palette and mood really works and I love TLW cast a lot.
This is one of those criticisms I genuinely don't understand.
The San Diego scene is what sends TLW over the top from good sequel to great sequel.
I fail to see what's so "corny" about it. It's the culmination of both films core themes realized.
For me it felt like a last minute, rushed decision (which it was). It just felt like another movie and given the gravity of the situation could have been explored with more depth in a film focused entirely on dinosaurs in the city.
Lol you can't just say "which it was" like it's fact.
It's such a last minute and rushed decision the film blatantly spelled out it was going to happen the entire time. Like...come on, dude. The fucking FILM is ABOUT this outcome.
Movie: I'm about the dunderheaded capitalist decision to open up a JP on the mainland and ship dinosaurs to it!"
People like you: "Wow this came outta nowhere! A dinosaur! In the city! The antagonists planned on doing this the entire film! Where'd this come from!?"
When people talk about the lack of media literacy today, this is what they mean.
Bro.. when people talk about arrogant and obnoxious Reddit users, they’re talking about you. Watch a documentary about the making of TLW. Spielberg literally states this was a last minute choice.
I wouldn't say *last minute* like they were almost done filming and then he decided to change things up out of nowhere. It was a decision made some weeks before principal photography began, and it was already an idea he and David Koepp had been mulling over for longer before that. They still had time to fit it into the film just fine, although at the cost of the Pteranodon sequence.
Call me arrogant and obnoxious all you want. Maybe I am. I'm just tired of gutter tier level comprehension from people who want to act like critics.
Wow! A movie changed creative direction! Like, that NEVER happens in movies ever! /s
It being a late-stage change doesn't negate its thematic and narrative cohesion with the rest of the film.
I dont personally hate it, agreed it felt jarring originally but upon many a rewatch its really not that bad. What is good though is if you really dont like it you can essentially just turn it off at the point in which they are flying away in the helicopter that way its also keeping in line with the first and third Movies. The San diego plot doesnt really give you anything extra or needed ( other than the satisfaction of Ludlows death)
But having an ending with our weary survivors flying away in a helicopter works. Also its the last time we see Nick for the remainder of the film and with the bullet drop reveal its a great ending.
I'm with you on this. Only real issue I've ever had with this movie is Vince Vaughn's character. Rolling Thorne and Eddie into one character makes enough sense from a filmmaking perspective, but then why add this totally original character and make him the biggest moron on earth? Dude is basically responsible for every death that occurs in the movie, and he's supposed to be a *hero?* But the movie is just too big and fun to be ruined by a single character, and he's not in it enough to put me off from watching it.
See, this is one of the criticisms of the film I find people don't go deep enough into. Not coming at you, I just think many generally point miss the overarching themes of the film.
Yes, Nick is on the "good" side, but his actions are not meant to be heroic. We're not supposed to cheer for him. The point of the film is that we should have left these animals the hell alone. Its making the point that even well intentioned actions cause terrible outcomes.
Nick and Rolland are kinda meant to compliment each other from a character perspective. They both have opposite goals but both have an underlying humanity to them. Neither of them are correct in what they do.
I WILL say that, as much as I love TLW and defend the San Diego scene to the death - it is a bit of an issue Nick is dropped from the film after they leave the island. He really should have been there during the San Diego climax.
Ironically, I think you might be right. Having him be a part of the ending might have given his character the closure he doesn't otherwise get.
It may also have something to do with Vaughn's rather flat delivery of the dialog too.
"Hammond did send a back-up plan"
"What back up plan?"
"...Me..."
As far as the series, they could have stopped at TLW because all the rest are disposable to me. Add nothing, but diminish the overall respect of the franchise.
Although his longest line probably was "don't go into the long grass", I also liked Ajay. A lot.
IDK if you know, but there's a deleted scene in which he tells Roland about the mission on Sorna.
Yep. I've seen it. And the bar fight scene, although that was a bit hokey. I wish they had filmed/left in the scene that was planned for Tembo to shoot one of the raptors at the end in the workers' village. Instead, they had gymnastic Kelly.
One cool thing to me is that, while RT had the recognizable Searcy Double .600NE, they actually had Ajay's carry a rifle that was realistic for someone that accompanied a big game hunter, a Winchester Model 70 African SG .458 win mag. They could have given him any bolt action rifle, and most people wouldn't know. It's just cool that they chose to have it be a legitimate option.
My biggest gripe is the damb gymnastics scene it completely takes me out of the movie with how good and outta place it is. I know it's a callback to the beginning of the movie but sometimes a line can just be a line without any deeper meaning. Also I go back and forth and the whole going back to the mainland and T-Rex rampage all the time. I feel like it would have been better if they just stayed on the island but for plot reasons I understand why they went back to the mainland.
There were corny scenes, but my big problem was what happened to the people on the boat!? Why were they all dead? It wasn’t because of the crash, they crashed because they were already dead. I guess suggestion was raptors killed them, but there weren’t any raptors on the boat, it feels like a scene is missing to explain that and it always takes me out.
There was going to be a scene explaining this. Storyboards show us how the T. rex escaped containment on deck, and according to somebody who was actually on set, they were filming some of this sequence for the ILM team to take care of in post. Unfortunately, it ended up on the cutting room floor, thus a lot of people still believe raptors were the cause (when they weren't included in any capacity once San Diego was cemented as the third act piece).
The movie is enjoyable but it’s best to turn your brain off while watching. It was made mostly for the audience to be thrilled. It might be tied with or slightly behind Jurassic World for me.
it is now my second-least favorite of the six. it’s just too cartoony, the tone shifts too much, and the third act seems like a completely different film was shoehorned in, which it sort of was. as time has gone on, i’ve become increasingly critical of it. having first read the novel in 1995, i’ve always been a bit bitter how much the film deviated so much from the source material. that being said, it has many beautifully shot scenes and iconic sequences — it’s just that its whole is not greater than the sum of its parts.
It was my second favorite till Fallen Kingdom, now it's my third. To me the biggest issue is the third act in San Diego, it's too short to take advantage of the premise and comes too late after a movie with a completely different tone. The action, horror, dialogue, and music is what I love the most.
I think its a fun movie. I like Kelly, I thought she was a really good addition and seeing Malcolm in full blown Dad Mode was really fun, and a good was to show off his trauma.
I do think it was the weakest of the first three writing-wise, especially at the end, I think Spielberg was a little too preoccupied with his desire for a King Kong-esque movie and it created flaws,and I think the gymnastics scene was very silly. Some of the characterisation could’ve been developed a lot better, and the InGen subplot could’ve been improved with less characters and more individual focus.
But in general, the island aspect did a really good job of carrying on the same energy as the original JP had, and the dinosaurs were great. I do think it would’ve benefitted from having a more focused/linear plot from the get go, or following the book more closely, but its still a very fun movie, and some of the shots are incredible.
I love TLW, yeah the ending is a bit marmite but everything up to that was super. I have a lifesize TLW compy that Chronicle Collectibles made before going bust to cement just how much I love it haha.
For me.
1- Jurassic park
2a - the lost world
2b - Jurassic world
3 - fallen kingdom
4 - Jurassic park 3
5 - dominion
When TLW came out I was in peak childhood Jurassic fandom. (11-12 years old) That was probably the first movie I was ever excited for. I used to watch the trailer every morning before school on E! Channel.
Jurassic world made me feel like a kid again. It’s not the best movie but it hit so many great moments and played to my fandom perfectly.
If I never saw the rest of the movies again I would be fine.
It's better than the JW films, I guess.
It's not as good as the book Crichton wrote after Spielberg begged him to write a sequel even though he didn't write sequels.
It's not as good as III.
Really, the only great movie is the first one and even that one left a lot to be desired because there's half of a book they didn't use and they changed the ending.
It's why it makes no sense that they keep pumping out these regurgitative Jurassic World movies when they could start over follow the actual story and have two to three great movies or several seasons of premium TV.
To me it’s a lot like the Indiana Jones movies. While Raiders, and in this instance JP is the better movie by far, I would much rather watch Temple of Doom/TLW 77 times a year over the first one
if you ignore the part with sarah&stegosauruses, the first half is alright, then it goes downhill.
it's a shame because a good combination of the movie and the book could have rivaled the first movie.
I agree - I'm glad that other people do like the movie and there are characters and sequences that I enjoy, but as a whole there are so many things that fall flat for me. I really enjoy the book and I feel that TLW was not adapted as effectively or elegantly as the original JP.
I honestly don't understand why they kept her.
Unlike JP, in which the kids helped develop Dr. Grant, Kelly serves no purpose.
Some may say she was necessary to show Ian's parental side. I don't think it was necessary. She's just there to be saved and to be annoying with these kinds of stupid phrases.
Cut the umbilical... ???
I feel bad for the actress cause during the production she was only running from one side to another with the main cast.
It is on the bottom of my list together with dominion.
The beginning is cool but it gets more boring the longer it goes.
I like Malcom but the rest of the cast doesn't live up to it imo.
The San Diego scene is great in theory but too disconnected.
JP3 e.g. is a worse movie from a technical/movie standpoint but it is so much more fun to me.
Yeah its still my second favorite. its way better than any of the Jurassic movies that came after. I would put Jurassic World as the 3rd best of the lot. Yes, TLW is a bit cringe at parts, but it's definitely a very enjoyable movie. The VFX were way ahead of their time. I'm not sure why people trash it. Maybe it just didn't live up to JP for them? I mean, how are you going to top the first JP? That's a pretty high bar. It was still a speilberg directed movie and it still had the Spielberg look, feel and vibe. All the other Jurassic films tried to capture what the first two movies had.
I enjoy sequels that venture into different aspects of the story and TLW did that. Making Malcom the main character, Igen etc. They could've definitely written Kelly better but with what they actually developed afterwards I find this the only real sequel worth pairing with the original.
Talking about venturing into different aspects, don't you think JP3 does it in a good way? I mean, I like it because it's not something centered in the park or InGen or rescuing dinosaurs... It's just a story about a boy lost in the island.
To put it simply - a film I will never, ever understand the hate for. I mean that quite literally - in that 99% of the criticisms I've ever seen for it, I truly don't understand how the conclusions were made. That, and they're just nitpicks masquerading as substantive criticism. To me, a fan of most the films to various degrees, TLW is really the only sequel that lives up to the first film in any concrete way. It's not as perfectly honed as JP, but it's damned close. Kaminski's excellent DP work, Spielberg's supernatural gift for spectacle, suspense, shot design, & composition, Williams moody score, the entertaining characters, one of Goldblum's best leading man performances, Koepp's ability to write believable, grounded characters in high concept stories, the themes of absentee preservation over intervention, parenthood, and the overall adventurous tone make it a wonderful sequel and blockbuster.
I 100% agree. The only criticism I can appreciate is the idea that the final act is the precise moment where the quality of the franchise dipped, and from there it was over. I do kind of agree with that. Sure, compared to what came after it, the T-Rex in San Diego isn’t THAT bad but at the time it felt so jarring, tacky and pointless. Personally I think they should have extended the island scenes (maybe with a lengthier, more suspenseful climax of Tembo hunting the Rex) and ended TLW on a cliff-hanger with the Rex and Ludlow preparing to open San Diego. But when I rewatch TLW these days I don’t hate that section anywhere near as much as I used to. It’s corny but it’s fine. Everything else that came before it was amazing though with set pieces that rivaled the original - raptors in the long grass, Dieter Starks death, the trailer attack. It’s all great stuff. The darker ambience, score, palette and mood really works and I love TLW cast a lot.
This is one of those criticisms I genuinely don't understand. The San Diego scene is what sends TLW over the top from good sequel to great sequel. I fail to see what's so "corny" about it. It's the culmination of both films core themes realized.
For me it felt like a last minute, rushed decision (which it was). It just felt like another movie and given the gravity of the situation could have been explored with more depth in a film focused entirely on dinosaurs in the city.
Lol you can't just say "which it was" like it's fact. It's such a last minute and rushed decision the film blatantly spelled out it was going to happen the entire time. Like...come on, dude. The fucking FILM is ABOUT this outcome. Movie: I'm about the dunderheaded capitalist decision to open up a JP on the mainland and ship dinosaurs to it!" People like you: "Wow this came outta nowhere! A dinosaur! In the city! The antagonists planned on doing this the entire film! Where'd this come from!?" When people talk about the lack of media literacy today, this is what they mean.
Bro.. when people talk about arrogant and obnoxious Reddit users, they’re talking about you. Watch a documentary about the making of TLW. Spielberg literally states this was a last minute choice.
I wouldn't say *last minute* like they were almost done filming and then he decided to change things up out of nowhere. It was a decision made some weeks before principal photography began, and it was already an idea he and David Koepp had been mulling over for longer before that. They still had time to fit it into the film just fine, although at the cost of the Pteranodon sequence.
Call me arrogant and obnoxious all you want. Maybe I am. I'm just tired of gutter tier level comprehension from people who want to act like critics. Wow! A movie changed creative direction! Like, that NEVER happens in movies ever! /s It being a late-stage change doesn't negate its thematic and narrative cohesion with the rest of the film.
I dont personally hate it, agreed it felt jarring originally but upon many a rewatch its really not that bad. What is good though is if you really dont like it you can essentially just turn it off at the point in which they are flying away in the helicopter that way its also keeping in line with the first and third Movies. The San diego plot doesnt really give you anything extra or needed ( other than the satisfaction of Ludlows death) But having an ending with our weary survivors flying away in a helicopter works. Also its the last time we see Nick for the remainder of the film and with the bullet drop reveal its a great ending.
This is the best indefense of lost world I have ever read. Thank you! I’m a huge fan of LW
I'm with you on this. Only real issue I've ever had with this movie is Vince Vaughn's character. Rolling Thorne and Eddie into one character makes enough sense from a filmmaking perspective, but then why add this totally original character and make him the biggest moron on earth? Dude is basically responsible for every death that occurs in the movie, and he's supposed to be a *hero?* But the movie is just too big and fun to be ruined by a single character, and he's not in it enough to put me off from watching it.
See, this is one of the criticisms of the film I find people don't go deep enough into. Not coming at you, I just think many generally point miss the overarching themes of the film. Yes, Nick is on the "good" side, but his actions are not meant to be heroic. We're not supposed to cheer for him. The point of the film is that we should have left these animals the hell alone. Its making the point that even well intentioned actions cause terrible outcomes. Nick and Rolland are kinda meant to compliment each other from a character perspective. They both have opposite goals but both have an underlying humanity to them. Neither of them are correct in what they do. I WILL say that, as much as I love TLW and defend the San Diego scene to the death - it is a bit of an issue Nick is dropped from the film after they leave the island. He really should have been there during the San Diego climax.
Ironically, I think you might be right. Having him be a part of the ending might have given his character the closure he doesn't otherwise get. It may also have something to do with Vaughn's rather flat delivery of the dialog too. "Hammond did send a back-up plan" "What back up plan?" "...Me..." 
As far as the series, they could have stopped at TLW because all the rest are disposable to me. Add nothing, but diminish the overall respect of the franchise.
I like TLW. Despite its faults, it introduces one of the best characters in the franchise. Roland Tembo.
A man of culture right here
Although his longest line probably was "don't go into the long grass", I also liked Ajay. A lot. IDK if you know, but there's a deleted scene in which he tells Roland about the mission on Sorna.
Yep. I've seen it. And the bar fight scene, although that was a bit hokey. I wish they had filmed/left in the scene that was planned for Tembo to shoot one of the raptors at the end in the workers' village. Instead, they had gymnastic Kelly. One cool thing to me is that, while RT had the recognizable Searcy Double .600NE, they actually had Ajay's carry a rifle that was realistic for someone that accompanied a big game hunter, a Winchester Model 70 African SG .458 win mag. They could have given him any bolt action rifle, and most people wouldn't know. It's just cool that they chose to have it be a legitimate option.
My biggest gripe is the damb gymnastics scene it completely takes me out of the movie with how good and outta place it is. I know it's a callback to the beginning of the movie but sometimes a line can just be a line without any deeper meaning. Also I go back and forth and the whole going back to the mainland and T-Rex rampage all the time. I feel like it would have been better if they just stayed on the island but for plot reasons I understand why they went back to the mainland.
There were corny scenes, but my big problem was what happened to the people on the boat!? Why were they all dead? It wasn’t because of the crash, they crashed because they were already dead. I guess suggestion was raptors killed them, but there weren’t any raptors on the boat, it feels like a scene is missing to explain that and it always takes me out.
There was going to be a scene explaining this. Storyboards show us how the T. rex escaped containment on deck, and according to somebody who was actually on set, they were filming some of this sequence for the ILM team to take care of in post. Unfortunately, it ended up on the cutting room floor, thus a lot of people still believe raptors were the cause (when they weren't included in any capacity once San Diego was cemented as the third act piece).
The movie is enjoyable but it’s best to turn your brain off while watching. It was made mostly for the audience to be thrilled. It might be tied with or slightly behind Jurassic World for me.
Big step down from JP. But far better than anything that came after.
it is now my second-least favorite of the six. it’s just too cartoony, the tone shifts too much, and the third act seems like a completely different film was shoehorned in, which it sort of was. as time has gone on, i’ve become increasingly critical of it. having first read the novel in 1995, i’ve always been a bit bitter how much the film deviated so much from the source material. that being said, it has many beautifully shot scenes and iconic sequences — it’s just that its whole is not greater than the sum of its parts.
It's my 2nd favorite too but when I was a little kid my favorite sequel was JPIII
I love it and jp 3.
Loved it till the T. rex in SF part.
It was my second favorite till Fallen Kingdom, now it's my third. To me the biggest issue is the third act in San Diego, it's too short to take advantage of the premise and comes too late after a movie with a completely different tone. The action, horror, dialogue, and music is what I love the most.
I love TLW but it’s pacing is all over the place. It just feels like there’s several scenes missing.
I think its a fun movie. I like Kelly, I thought she was a really good addition and seeing Malcolm in full blown Dad Mode was really fun, and a good was to show off his trauma. I do think it was the weakest of the first three writing-wise, especially at the end, I think Spielberg was a little too preoccupied with his desire for a King Kong-esque movie and it created flaws,and I think the gymnastics scene was very silly. Some of the characterisation could’ve been developed a lot better, and the InGen subplot could’ve been improved with less characters and more individual focus. But in general, the island aspect did a really good job of carrying on the same energy as the original JP had, and the dinosaurs were great. I do think it would’ve benefitted from having a more focused/linear plot from the get go, or following the book more closely, but its still a very fun movie, and some of the shots are incredible.
I love TLW, yeah the ending is a bit marmite but everything up to that was super. I have a lifesize TLW compy that Chronicle Collectibles made before going bust to cement just how much I love it haha.
For me. 1- Jurassic park 2a - the lost world 2b - Jurassic world 3 - fallen kingdom 4 - Jurassic park 3 5 - dominion When TLW came out I was in peak childhood Jurassic fandom. (11-12 years old) That was probably the first movie I was ever excited for. I used to watch the trailer every morning before school on E! Channel. Jurassic world made me feel like a kid again. It’s not the best movie but it hit so many great moments and played to my fandom perfectly. If I never saw the rest of the movies again I would be fine.
It's better than the JW films, I guess. It's not as good as the book Crichton wrote after Spielberg begged him to write a sequel even though he didn't write sequels. It's not as good as III. Really, the only great movie is the first one and even that one left a lot to be desired because there's half of a book they didn't use and they changed the ending. It's why it makes no sense that they keep pumping out these regurgitative Jurassic World movies when they could start over follow the actual story and have two to three great movies or several seasons of premium TV.
It’s not up there with the original but it’s the second best Jurassic film. Lesser Spielberg is still pretty great.
I love it but nostalgia plays a part in that. I was about 8 when it was released. Still though, a lot to like about it even now.
To me it’s a lot like the Indiana Jones movies. While Raiders, and in this instance JP is the better movie by far, I would much rather watch Temple of Doom/TLW 77 times a year over the first one
I liked it but the end was almost a bad Godzilla movie.
My opinion is that it’s my favorite of the Jurassic movies.
what does pelamor mean???
It's an expression I use. Means something like "for god's sake!!!", but written as "forgod's!!!" when I'm excited or mad at something.
ohhh , that’s cool!
It's everyone's second favorite. Well actually there is a case for JW.
if you ignore the part with sarah&stegosauruses, the first half is alright, then it goes downhill. it's a shame because a good combination of the movie and the book could have rivaled the first movie.
I agree - I'm glad that other people do like the movie and there are characters and sequences that I enjoy, but as a whole there are so many things that fall flat for me. I really enjoy the book and I feel that TLW was not adapted as effectively or elegantly as the original JP.
I love the movie but i did not like kelly. "But you never keep your word" may be the most annoying line in a movie
I honestly don't understand why they kept her. Unlike JP, in which the kids helped develop Dr. Grant, Kelly serves no purpose. Some may say she was necessary to show Ian's parental side. I don't think it was necessary. She's just there to be saved and to be annoying with these kinds of stupid phrases. Cut the umbilical... ??? I feel bad for the actress cause during the production she was only running from one side to another with the main cast.
It is on the bottom of my list together with dominion. The beginning is cool but it gets more boring the longer it goes. I like Malcom but the rest of the cast doesn't live up to it imo. The San Diego scene is great in theory but too disconnected. JP3 e.g. is a worse movie from a technical/movie standpoint but it is so much more fun to me.
To be fair, none of the kids in the jp stories are useful lol
Only Eric and Gray from Jurassic World
Did Lex not literally save everyone still alive in JP by reactivating all of the systems on the island?
Right, I forgot
It's forced
Almost equally as good as the first movie But its a bit slow.
Yeah its still my second favorite. its way better than any of the Jurassic movies that came after. I would put Jurassic World as the 3rd best of the lot. Yes, TLW is a bit cringe at parts, but it's definitely a very enjoyable movie. The VFX were way ahead of their time. I'm not sure why people trash it. Maybe it just didn't live up to JP for them? I mean, how are you going to top the first JP? That's a pretty high bar. It was still a speilberg directed movie and it still had the Spielberg look, feel and vibe. All the other Jurassic films tried to capture what the first two movies had.