Our third trip to Jurassic Park is more entertaining than it should be. Steven Spielberg steps away from the director’s chair and hands the eggs over to Joe Johnston; the director responsible for shrinking The Kids. The result is an oversized monster movie that’s formulaic and predictable; main characters being saved in the nick of time and such; but also fun and occasionally funny. “I like the first one more”, but it’s better than The Lost World.
my rating : 4 of 5
2001
The premise is captivating. A huge comet is headed toward Earth and will hit in less than a year, which means most, if not all, people will die. It’s a extinction-level event; an “Ele”, as some unimaginative government official dubs it. But such a thing is hard to take in. Earth hasn’t had one since the dinosaurs, after all. So an MSNBC news reporter named Jenny Lerner carries on with her job, looking as lethargic as ever, as the end of the world grows near.
A decision she makes near that end is stupid, but it’s the boy who discovered the comet while looking thru a telescope in astronomy class who’s the ultimate idiot. His impeding doom is a secondary concern for him. He cares more about the classmate he’s fallen in love with. Time wasted on such trivial silliness instead of more hardcore realism; The President addressing the nation are the best parts; cushions the blow with a layer of schmaltz.
my rating : 3 of 5
1998