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Andrew Foxley
Reviews
Jurassic Park III (2001)
A Good Sequel
The expectations for this movie were high - as a big fan of Jurassic Park, and one who thought that The Lost World was something of a disappointment, I was really looking for this movie to deliver. Thankfully, it does.
It's fun, for one thing. We get a Spinosaurus, Pterodactyls, Raptors, and even the odd T-Rex and a few other familiar favourites. The story is intelligent whilst still delivering the dino-attack set pieces the audience is looking for, and the acting is good, on the whole. Sam Neill gets a welcome return to the franchise as Alan Grant ( far better than Jeff Goldblum as the tiresome Ian Malcolm ), with support from William H Macy, Tea Leoni and Alessandro Nivola. Of the supporting cast, Macy steals the show as the out-of-his-depth Kirby.
The novelty value of Jurassic Park's amazing special effects has worn off by now, so the film must rely more on a decent script and good direction to wow audiences. This time, the script gives an intelligent reason for the characters heading out to Isla Sorna ( Site B from The Lost World ), provides some set-pieces which are a little different to those from the previous films, and Joe Johnston does a fine job in the director's chair. I have only one minor complaint about the film, in fact - and this is the fact that the Raptors return, a species of dinosaur I've never found particularly interesting. Nevertheless, at least the script develops them somewhat, and gives them a little more character.
Ultimately, then, a good summer blockbuster, a far better sequel to Jurassic Park than The Lost World was, and a far more conventional JP film than many of the internet-spread rumours would have you believe...
Thunderbirds Are GO (1966)
A Great Adventure for all the Family
International Rescue make their big-screen debut in a fantastic Supermarionation adventure which puts many modern summer blockbusters to shame.
Impressive ( if now dated ) special effects and model sequences, together with a strong script and interesting characters ( and of course, Barry Gray's wonderful music ) make this a real treat.