The Lost World: Jurassic Park – 25th Anniversary!

I feel like I was born at one of the best times possible to be able to enjoy the Jurassic film franchise from the very beginning. At 8 years old in the Summer of 1993 I lived in the theaters seeing Jurassic Park over and over again. Imagine finding out shortly after that a sequel to the film I loved so much was going to be coming out. I was the dorky kid that cut out The Lost World logo from one of the Kenner toy boxes and taped it to my school daily calendar so I could count down the days. I will also never forgot my oldest brother taking me to the local Thursday midnight showing before release. While The Lost World is not my favorite of the sequels, it will always hold a special part in my memories as a child. The giant redwoods and the different look the filmmakers gave Isla Sorna is still one of the most beautiful visuals of the entire series. Also, who doesn’t love a T. rex family instead of just one!

Me and The Lost World: Jurassic Park have a weird relationship. As a fan of the original film, when I first saw this sequel in the theater I actually didn’t like it! I think kid-Derrick expected to go back to Isla Nublar, find out what happened to the dinosaurs there and see the ruins of the Visitor Center (something that would finally happen in Jurassic World). However, instead we went to some other island and saw ruins of things we had never seen before. I also was ready to finally see pteranodons, only to have one cameo at the very last moment of the film (luckily we would see a lot more of them in Jurassic Park 3). As a kid, not having these wishes fulfilled led to an utter disappointment of the entire film. But the merchandise was amazing… leading to a PC game tied to the film called Trespasser – The Lost World: Jurassic Park that explored Isla Sorna in great detail, aided with narration from John Hammond himself. Playing that game, and exploring Sorna on my own while hearing more about it from Hammond, led to a new appreciation for The Lost World. And ever since then, I’ve loved it. It’s a dark, intense thrill ride of a movie with incredible atmosphere and an amazing musical score by John Williams that is one of my favorites. It’s likely the darkest the franchise will ever be from the masterful filmmaker who began the franchise. And Kelly Malcolm literally kicks ass.

I grew up loving The Lost World as much as Jurassic Park and that is still true today. To date, there is no greater sequel than The Lost World. How can you not love it? I’ve heard it’s actually Spielberg’s favorite movie. Who knows?

Though one or two others may come close, The Lost World: Jurassic Park has always been my favorite sequel to Jurassic Park. Since I was very young I have always adored how it ups the ante of dinosaur action, brings new locations and dark moods to the table, and continues the story of Ian Malcolm and the Jurassic franchise in such a unique way. Not to mention the incredible and distinctly unique musical score that accompanies all of this. This film will always be my go-to for an escape from daily life. Steven Spielberg, John Williams, and every actor and crew member involved with this film created something eternally special to so many.