Jurassic World is getting a lot of attention lately. Maybe because it now has had the highest global opening weekend in history. But if there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that there are a lot of differing opinions on it. Some people love it, some people just think it’s mindless fun, and some people hate it. But one thing I’m hearing more than anything is that it’s the best Jurassic Park sequel. Love it or hate it, at least it’s better than the last two. But is it really? Or are we just remembering it wrong? Today I’m going to give 5 REASONS why The Lost World is the best Jurassic Park sequel, and not Jurassic World.
- The Lost World is Much Better Than You Remember - When I was a kid, I was on the ‘Lost World is garbage’ bandwagon. Where was the fun? Where were the bright colors? Where was Sam Neill? But now that I’m older I’ve come to a startling conclusion. The Lost World is a way better film than I gave it credit for. I think the reason the movie doesn’t work for so many people is you really have to change your mindset away from the first. Most sequels are a new story, but still feel a lot like the first. This one doesn’t. It couldn’t be more different from the original. It’s a far darker and far more violent film than the first. It’s not as fun. The island has turned from a place of wonder and discovery into a war zone. But is that a bad thing? We can’t really punish Spielberg for trying something new and different. Is that not what we want in sequels? Or do we just want more ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ type sequels where we’ve seen it all before? I’ll go for new and different.
- Jeff Goldblum - Look, the reason Jurassic World worked for me as much as it did is largely due to how great Chris Pratt is. But even so, he can’t compare to Dr. Ian Malcolm. Jeff Goldblum brings such incredible charm to his role that you can’t help but love him. In the first film he’s ‘the cool guy’. He wears all black, he’s smooth with the ladies, he talks about chaos theory and makes it sound good. He’s about as charming as charming gets. In the second, he’s still all those things, but he’s given more depth. He’s not a supporting anymore, he's the lead and the writers give us more insight into him as a person so we care about him even more. We meet his daughter and see him struggle to be a father. We see him fight for his girlfriend’s safety. We see the only reason he’ll go back to this horrible island is just to protect who he loves. Not for a job. Not for money. But for love. Beat that Pratt.
- It’s Smarter - Malcolm’s daughter gymnastics kicking a raptor in the face was dumb. No one’s denying that. But beyond that, it’s a pretty smart film. It’s a film that treats its characters with respect, and gives them proper character motivations for their actions. There’s a story that makes sense. The movie even sees fit to give us something totally different in the third act. And best of all, no one wants to make super raptor soldiers. That’s right. No Captain America Raptors. I think we can all get on board for that.
- The Music - Guys. John Williams does the music. In the latest film, Michael Giacchino’s score is….. fine. It’s ok. It’s unmemorable. The film doesn’t even know how to use the original theme by playing it when we don’t even see any dinosaurs. It plays while we marvel at the park that is a representation of the dark side of consumerism. In The Lost World we get the master the whole way through. What a treat!
- Everyone’s Favorite Dinosaurs are Scary - Jurassic World has a real dinosaur problem. The main monster (it’s a monster not a dinosaur) is so built up to be the biggest and the baddest, that the T-Rex and the Raptors take a backseat. They aren’t scary. They are assets for Christ Pratt. Even in the end *spoilers for Jurassic World* after the dinosaurs kill the monster, all the humans breath a sigh of relief. Because apparently a T-Rex and a pack of Raptors are nothing to worry about? I guess not because they just walk away and don’t attack anyone. When did the King of the Dinosaurs become a gentle Brontosaurus? *end of spoilers* In The Lord World the T-Rex’s mean business. They are out to hunt and kill and it is glorious. The Lost World also uses practical effects very brilliantly which adds to the feeling of the creatures realism greatly. Jurassic World has a big problem with that.
