BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Director Steven Spielberg takes us back to the scene of Jurassic Park in The Lost World, the blockbuster sequel with even more dinosaurs, more action and more breathtaking visual effects than its record-breaking predecessor. This DVD edition contains exclusive interviews and rare behind the scenes footage. The Lost World remains amonst the most successful films of all time and features an all-star cast including Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore and Pete Postlethwaite. It has been four years since the disaster at Jurassic Park and two groups are in a race against time that will determine the fate of the remote island's prehistoric inhabitants. Take home this classic film that will leave you on the edge of your seat... again!

FILM REVIEW: Given the massive success of the first film, it was inevitable that a sequel to “Jurassic Park” would be made, especially with Michael Crichton having written a novel sequel himself. The film is only very loosely based on Crichton’s sequel novel, that is to say the only concept taken from the book is the idea of a second island where the dinosaurs are not contained in any way. The rest appears to be influenced by director Steve Spielberg himself, especially the Godzilla-style ending. The film, although very entertaining, still suffers from the same issues as the first film (lack of character and depth), but it also doesn’t have the novelty factor either. It’s just as mechanical as the first film, and it’s only really the dinosaur sequences and they’re spectacular translation to the screen that really makes this film worth watching.

This time around, Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldbulm) is invited to John Hammond’s (Sir Richard Attenborough) mansion to discuss the latter’s proposal to go to a second island called Site B, a facility run by Hammond’s company that was kept in secret but serves as an opportunity to study the dinosaurs in a more natural setting. Malcolm only decides to go when he discovers his girlfriend Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) has gone to the island on her own and is horrified of the danger she is in. This is the basic excuse to return to the island and is barely plausible, but once we get to the island we’re treated with more sequences of dinosaurs chasing and eating people, which in all honesty, is what you really come to see a film like this for.

Without the novelty factor of seeing real dinosaurs on screen for the first time, Spielberg and his team try to up the action factor in the dinosaur sequences and actually succeed in many areas, particularly the twin T-Rex attack sequence where they throw a research van with Malcolm and the team over the edge of a cliff. Within this sequence, Sarah Harding falls to the base of the trailer and lands on the rear window and in a spine-tingling sequence, she sees the glass starting to crack under her fingertips. The scenes with the raptors are again quite interesting, especially in terms of interactivity with the raptors having far more to do, especially with contact with the main characters. But perhaps the scene that sets this film apart from its predecessor is the T-Rex Godzilla sequence which climaxes the film where a T-Rex is cut loose in a big city and destroys and eats much of what and who it comes across. With this last sequence, you’ll either enjoy it or find it cringe-worthy; I didn’t mind it as something different. Overall, a number of sequences that were left out of the first novel are introduced in to this film, although it would have been nice to see a pterodactyl sequence which is only hinted at in the final shot of the film.

None of the characterisations are particularly memorable, just as in the first film, save Jeff Goldblum who manages to instil some charm in to his Malcolm character. Attenborough is only in the film in two sequences and his nice old man routine from the first film is actually more endearing this time around probably because we see less of it. Julianne Moore does her best with the lack of depth she has to portray, as does Owen Wilson in a non-comedic role. Pete Postlethwaite does a reasonable job as the game hunter wanting to bag a T-Rex but ultimately he doesn't have much to do either.

“The Lost World: Jurassic Park” is an entertaining film, but the novelty factor is gone and is ultimately just another sequel that’s cashing in on its successful predecessor.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The transfer of this film is much like the one from the first film; there’s some film artefacts in a few shots, and some jumps, but apart from that it’s reasonably good with some good colours and rendering. The soundtrack is spectacular, and again, the sequences involving the T-Rex’s are benchmark worthy, so make sure you crank up the volume! Overall, a decent transfer, but the video could have been better.

EXTRAS REVIEW: There’s quite a good collection of extras here. Like the first film, this disc contains a 50-minute making of documentary which features a number of cast and crew interviews and provides a fascinating insight in to the production. Again, it’s clear that the filmmakers are more interested in the technical aspects of the film and this is reflected in the film’s lack of characterisation and depth. This time there are deleted scenes, artwork, storyboards, models, a look a the world of Jurassic Park and Industrial Light and Magic, production photos, marketing material including trailers and posters, production notes, talent profiles, web links and a dinosaur encyclopedia. Overall, it's a very good collection for a single disc edition.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it.