The Lost World: Jurassic Park

The original Jurassic Park took in more money than many countries make in their yearly GNP. This blunt fact is the main plot focus behind the sequel. Of course, director Steven Spielberg already has more money than most nations, so why he needs the extra loot is any one's guess.

If this review sounds as if it belongs in The Wall Street Journal, then it has accurately summed up the basic impact of the movie. The Lost World: Jurassic Park has its fair share of thrills and chills. It also has its stumbles. But mostly, the film has no particular reason for existing. The original Jurassic Park had at least some childlike awe and wonder to offer along with the merchandising. The Lost World primarily suggests that Spielberg simply felt the need to increase his already ample bank account. At least this theory would explain why the movie is singularly lacking in spirit and fun.

Dino action is the only thing that The Lost World has to offer. Fortunately, the sequel delivers more gut chomping moments than the original as a T-Rex family puts a Jurassic spin on the old nature-or-nurture debate. Lost World has more dinosaurs than were seen the first time, which also means that the sequel has a larger cast for the inevitable feast.

At the top of the dino menu is Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), the skirt-chasing mathematician who previously came close to being snack food. Malcolm is still upset about the mini-massacre that took place at the original Jurassic Park, but his efforts to go public about the incident resulted in getting him branded as a complete wacko. When Malcolm discovers that there is a second island that was used for breeding (and is still booming with the critters), he is torn between feelings of outrage and a need for redemption.

The realization that his current girlfriend, Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore), is already on the island convinces Malcolm to again confront his primordial fears. Besides, this guy just seems to have a thing about cute paleontologists. Along for the ride is Malcolm's teenage daughter (Vanessa Lee Chester), whose only function is to get herself routinely in peril.

Malcolm and the other members of the team (Vince Vaughn and Richard Schiff) are sent to document how the dinosaurs have adapted to their environment. Apparently the earlier disaster has turned John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) into a Green Peace activist and he wants the surviving dinosaurs to romp in isolated splendor. But Hammond's company is now operated by Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard), his greedy nephew who thinks that San Diego would be a swell spot for a new Jurassic Park. So while
Hammond's team is busy photographing raw nature, Ludlow's boys come swooping in to bag some specimens for display.

Oddly enough, neither team is particularly prepared to achieve their contrary objectives. Malcolm is ready to leave upon arrival while Sarah carelessly meanders among house-sized beasties. Meanwhile, Ludlow's hunters are led by a borderline psycho (Pete Postlethwaite) who is solely fixated on the idea of going one-on-one with a T-Rex. You can almost hear the dinner bell clanging away in the jungle.

The Lost World is packed with superb special effects and non-stop action. In fact, the movie suffers from too much action. Lost World never has time to adequately develop any sense of tension even while the entire cast is running for their lives. None of the characters are ever developed beyond the level of a few stock statements and the plot rarely evolves from A to B. Only the many dinosaurs hold any interest, and after awhile, their eating habits become more boorish than gruesome.

But the real surprise about The Lost World is Spielberg's willingness to create a second-rate copy of his own work. Jurassic Park was by no means a masterpiece (just a standard critter picture with a monster-size budget). Yet the original film did have moments of genuine feelings (e.g. the field of peacefully glazing brontosaurs) and nail-baiting suspense (e.g. the vibrating pools of water indicting the movements of the T-Rex). By comparison, the sequel is the kind of dim and diminished work that one might expect from a lessor filmmaker.

So what is Spielberg's problem? Does he really need the money or is he just spinning some artistic wheels while waiting for inspiration? The most likely answer is that he couldn't say no to a dumb, if oblivious, idea.

Which is a shame. If a lesser director had made Lost World, then we could spend our time dissing the guy for being no Spielberg. As it is, we have to remind ourselves that Spielberg is actually better than this film.

In the Name of the Father

Gerry Conlon was once a petty thief in Belfast, Ireland. Today, he's a liv­ing reminder of one of the more ille­gal and high-handed acts committed in recent years by the British government.

In the mid-1970s, Conlon was ensnared in a web of circumstance that resulted in his conviction for an Irish Republican Army bombing in London and serving 15 years of a life sentence — even though British pros­ecutors knew that Conlon was innocent. It would be bad enough if only Conlon had suffered, but many of his friends and family were unjustly accused as well, including Cordon's father, who died in prison.

The new film In the Name of the Father is based on Cordon's case and details the injustice perpetrated on him. The film is fueled by a who's who of currently hot Irish movie types: Gabriel Byrne as executive producer, Jim Sheridan (creator of My Left Foot) as producer-director and Daniel Day-Lewis as star (it even has Sinead O'Connor on the soundtrack). Given the topic and chief personnel, you can under­stand why such a strong sense of militancy underscores In the Name of the Father. All in all, the movie promises to be as dark as Guinness Ale and as thick as Irish stew. And, for the most part, it is.

The story opens onto a typical day in Belfast in 1974. Heavily armed Eng­lish troops are on the prowl for IRA snipers, and Conlon is just dense enough to pick this day to attempt a roof-top robbery, despite the soldiers' presence. Not surpris­ingly, he's mistaken for a sniper and pursued through "sensitive" areas in which the IRA has secretly stockpiled weapons. The local IRA bosses are forced to relocate the weapons, and decide that Conlon deserves a little kneecapping as payment for the trouble he caused them. Thanks to his father's inter­vention, however, the "discipline" goes only so far, and Conlon is spared from being per­manently crippled.

Conlon's family packs him off to London for a while to keep him out of trouble. But the war in Northern Ireland is heating up, and the IRA decides to take the battle straight to England. Bombs start exploding throughout London, and one attack on a pub kills five people. Conlon chooses this unfortunate period to go skipping back to Belfast, unaware that he's a possible suspect in the bombings and is under surveillance by the British intelligence — until British troops show up in his bedroom one night.

In the Name of the Father is a surprisingly taut recreation of the Conlon case, with strong performances by Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite, as Cordon's father. Emma Thompson's fans, however, may feel cheated by her limited role in the movie.

In the Name of the Father contains some minor flaws, but it's a good, strong film nonetheless - be prepared to walk out of the theater feeling outraged.