(Spoiler Alert!) Were it not for a dose of slightly twisted humor, "Jurassic Park III" would be a completely predictable, boringly linear, typical threequel. However, there are just enough cute little jokes that you are distracted from the tissue-thin plot, cardboard characters, and logical inconsistencies. Basically, the movie goes like this: Young city boy gets lost on island - Group of adults goes to island to look for boy - Eeeeek! A dinosaur eats someone - They find the young city boy's belongings - Eeeeek! A dinosaur eats someone - They find the young city boy -; Eeeeek! A dinosaur eats someone - They make for the shore to get off the island - Eeeeek! A dinosaur eats someone -They get off the island - Happy pterodactyls (or however you spell it) flying off into the sunset in search of greener pastures and lucrative sequels. Very linear, undercooked story, but not a bad start. Unfortunately, that's as far as they take it.
I also found that some distracting demands were put on my suspension of disbelief. For example, when they find the young city boy, he's been on the island alone for two months. Somehow, in this time, he has become a Dinosaur Commando - not only evading the purple people eaters, but surviving by his wits. But okay, I'll deal with it. It's no worse than the unbelivably thin characters inhabited by Sam Niel, William H. Macy (a personal favorite of mine, but again not given much to work with here) and Tea Leoni. The people are in the movie just to give the dinosaurs something to chase and eat. Which is fine, actually.
As I said earlier, the saving grace of the movie is the cockeyed humor. There's a great gag involving a cel phone, and an even funnier juxtaposition of raptors terrorizing humans intercut with Barney the Dinosaur. Beyiond that, I'd say that some of the film's strengths lie in things NOT salvaged from JP1 and JP2 - mostly, the absence of truly irritating children and Laura Dern, who is a lovely woman but completely unbelievable playing a paleo-botanist....especially with the sound of the wind whistling through her empty head.
There's some nice blood and guts for the 13-year-olds and the dinosaurs look neat, if a bit too colorful. But please don't be an idiot like the couple in front of me at the theatre who brought thier 5-year-old to see the movie. JP3 lacks the suspense and sheer horror of the original, but it could still be pretty disturbing to little kids to watch people get thier heads ripped off by what are basically monsters. Otherwise, "Jurassic Park III" is a okay diversion. Given the oddly short running length (about 90 minutes) and watery story and characters, you might want to wait for the bargain matinee.
I also found that some distracting demands were put on my suspension of disbelief. For example, when they find the young city boy, he's been on the island alone for two months. Somehow, in this time, he has become a Dinosaur Commando - not only evading the purple people eaters, but surviving by his wits. But okay, I'll deal with it. It's no worse than the unbelivably thin characters inhabited by Sam Niel, William H. Macy (a personal favorite of mine, but again not given much to work with here) and Tea Leoni. The people are in the movie just to give the dinosaurs something to chase and eat. Which is fine, actually.
As I said earlier, the saving grace of the movie is the cockeyed humor. There's a great gag involving a cel phone, and an even funnier juxtaposition of raptors terrorizing humans intercut with Barney the Dinosaur. Beyiond that, I'd say that some of the film's strengths lie in things NOT salvaged from JP1 and JP2 - mostly, the absence of truly irritating children and Laura Dern, who is a lovely woman but completely unbelievable playing a paleo-botanist....especially with the sound of the wind whistling through her empty head.
There's some nice blood and guts for the 13-year-olds and the dinosaurs look neat, if a bit too colorful. But please don't be an idiot like the couple in front of me at the theatre who brought thier 5-year-old to see the movie. JP3 lacks the suspense and sheer horror of the original, but it could still be pretty disturbing to little kids to watch people get thier heads ripped off by what are basically monsters. Otherwise, "Jurassic Park III" is a okay diversion. Given the oddly short running length (about 90 minutes) and watery story and characters, you might want to wait for the bargain matinee.