| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this movie is not for sensitive kids. Viewers will see plenty of nail-biting chase sequences, several of which culminate in deaths. The violence goes both ways: the humans hunt the dinosaurs while the beasts devour the humans. The human body count is high -- and includes the death of good, bad, and simply unfortunate characters. After some particularly nasty killings, water runs red with blood. A character is picked up, tossed about, and then eaten by two T-Rexes. Terrified characters may make for some terrified viewers. Suspenseful scenes of the hunted kids are particularly intense. And while the genetic theory content is thought provoking, it is mostly science fiction; viewers do learn interesting facts about dinosaurs and get an introduction to chaos theory.
In The Lost World, hunters come to poach a dinosaur and bring it to the mainland for a theme park. When Malcolm's (Jeff Goldblum) team rescues the injured baby T-Rex, the angry parents go on a rampage. The group becomes a moveable feast as it tries to escape from the island. The group is rescued, only to discover that the corporation planning the theme park has returned a live T-Rex to the mainland. Mayhem ensues when the dinosaur escapes into downtown Los Angeles, and Tyrannosaurus Rex is front and center. Its attacks on the armored trailer and on the city of Los Angeles are the action highlights of the movie; the enormous heads in the trailer window are especially thrilling.
THE LOST WORLD has better dinosaurs, and chase sequences that are just as intense as they were in Jurassic Park. Teenagers will more than likely love the thrills and the magnificent beasts.
But lack of character development, disjointed editing, and unnecessarily gruesome deaths somewhat lessen the movies' appeal. And, this is a much nastier movie than Jurassic Park. Dr. Hammond was simply naive and misguided in the original; here, the capitalist forces are utterly immoral. And if the first movie featured several upsetting deaths, nothing is as gruesome as the munching of kind-hearted Eddy -- the graphic deaths feel gratuitous.
Families can talk about sequels. In horror movies, the body count is higher the next time around. Why is this movie so much more gruesome than Jurassic Park? Is this simply an easy way to pump up the action (instead of working on a more compelling script, for example) -- or can you think of another reason?
| Topics: | dinosaurs |
| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Director: | Steven Spielberg |
| Cast: | Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 137 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | May 23, 1997 |
| DVD release date: | October 10, 2000 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | intense sci-fi terror and violence |