Right from the first shot, an aura of genericness that is common to many sequel movies became apparent and persisted through the end. Perhaps it was the lack of touch of Spielberg & Co. that caused this movie to lack a distinctive edge. This is not to say that the authors (not Michael Crichton) did not try to up the ante. The characters do encounter dinosaurs that are bigger and smarter than in the previous movies, but the movie itself seems smaller and dumber. Smaller because we follow the fates of fewer people overall, the action moves through fewer scenarios and the film is over a half an hour shorter than the first two installments; dumber because it stretches its credibility further than the previous movies. Granted, suspension of disbelief comes with the franchise, but there are situations in this movie that violate its internal logic. For instance, only after the group gets stuck on Isla Sorna, the Kirby couple learns that Dr. Grant had never been on that particular Island before. If they did their homework well enough to get the number one paleontologist to accompany them to that destination, then they would have had to come across this detail.
On the positive side, the movie had many suspenseful moments despite having fewer gore scenes, it made a sincere effort to be different by introducing the thematic element of the odd couple and it had quite passable special effects. The effects, though they were fun to watch, did not break any new ground, however (with the possible exception of a fight between two giant carnivores early on). On the contrary, it was surprising to see that this movie probably employed live action effects much more than its predecessors, which, in a sense, is almost a step back.
All in all, this movie will certainly be enjoyable to most fans of the genre, but the fact that this is just a sequel is conspicuous in more than one aspect of the movie.
On the positive side, the movie had many suspenseful moments despite having fewer gore scenes, it made a sincere effort to be different by introducing the thematic element of the odd couple and it had quite passable special effects. The effects, though they were fun to watch, did not break any new ground, however (with the possible exception of a fight between two giant carnivores early on). On the contrary, it was surprising to see that this movie probably employed live action effects much more than its predecessors, which, in a sense, is almost a step back.
All in all, this movie will certainly be enjoyable to most fans of the genre, but the fact that this is just a sequel is conspicuous in more than one aspect of the movie.