#stanning pachycephalosaurus into the ground these days

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more dino doodles, centered around The Isle Evrima

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James Ronan's Top 5 The Lost World: Jurassic Park Film Moments

The second article in this series counting down my Top 5 film moments looks at the 1997 Jurassic film The Lost World: Jurassic Park. The Lost World: Jurassic Park expanded the Jurassic Park franchise in a major way introducing a new Island: Isla Sorna (Site B), adding backstory to the dinosaurs creation as well as how they survived the Lysine contingency. It also showcased the financial state of INGEN after the events of the first film and added further backstory to what was planned before Jurassic Park with Jurassic Park San Diego.

The film also brought back major characters from the first film: John Hammond, Dr. Ian Malcolm, Lex and Tim whilst providing audiences with characters who also appeared in the 1995 Lost World novel: Dr. Sarah Harding, Eddie Carr and Kelly Curtis. Like Jurassic Park 1993, The Lost World: Jurassic Park provided audiences with an engaging story a brilliant soundtrack and some really fantastic dinosaur movie moments. So let’s break down what moments really impacted me shall we?

5. Why would Hammond send two teams? (The INGEN Round Up Sequence)

33 minutes in and we get our second big main dinosaur sequence after the Stegosaurus attack. ILM stepped up their dinosaur movement work from Jurassic Park with more CGI dinosaur sequences of running, flocking and herding. The cinematography in the this sequence is so brilliant. The camera pans up from behind Roland’s jeep to show the running Parasaurolophus, the camera catches the glare of the sun in this scene which also partially covers the dinosaur. After this the camera pans up to show a whole host of different dinosaurs running away from the hunters who intend to capture them. I think this is one of the best filmed shots in the entire franchise. 

In the round up sequence we are introduced to two new dinosaurs not seen in the first film, the Pachycephalosaurus and the Mamenchisaurus. The Mamenchisaurus showcases a cool sequence with an INGEN hunter passing under it’s body on a motor bike. We then get an epic scene which introduces us to Pachycephalosaurus with the INGEN hunters trying to subdue the dinosaur before it uses it’s domed skull to smash Carter through the INGEN jeep. I really love how dusty the whole round up sequence is. Dinosaur footprints move dust on the ground and later on when the Parasaurolophus is cornered and pulled down it’s body displaces lots of dirt which is great attention to detail.

4. Life will Find A Way

The Lost World: Jurassic Park has a fantastic ending. Not only does it show various different dinosaurs living on Isla Sorna together (the Tyrannosaurus Rex family reunited, a herd of Stegosaurus walking together with a group of flying Pteranodons overhead) showing Life Finding a Way. But it also bookends John Hammonds story throughout the film as well. The video footage of the late Richard Attenborough as John Hammond on the TV interview was the last actual film footage that Richard Attenborough would film for the Jurassic Park series. I think for many Jurassic Park fans the ending of The Lost World is a bitter sweet ending showing the change in character progression for John Hammond who wants to protect the dinosaurs now that Jurassic Park failed and showing that Dr. Ian Malcolm was right that Life would Find a Way, with the audience seeing that a new ecosystem has now developed on Isla Sorna. The movie sequence is  shot in one continuous take which is brilliantly done and Hammonds speech ends the film on a really positive note.

3. Don’t go into the long grass! (Velociraptor Attack Sequence)

Number 3 of my Top 5 film moment’s is probably one of the most visually thrilling sequence in The Lost World. After the camp discussion after the Tyrannosaur attack on the trailers that Velociraptors would be a problem earlier on in the film. The hunters and gatherers run straight into the long grass after being chased by the female Tyrannosaur. I think the most striking scene in this film is that of the Velociraptors moving towards the hunters from both sides. We see how tactical and intelligent the raptors are which was already established in the first film, working as a team together. Even though the sequence is very quick and the group scatters quickly due to the ensuring chaos of being hunted it is very well filmed and gives the audience another dinosaur attack sequence straight after the Tyrannosaur chase. This scene is also the first we get a look at the tiger striped pattern of the raptors which we only see briefly (we get a better look at this design in the worker village). I really love the tiger striped raptor design and even till this day it remains my favourite raptor designs behind the Jurassic Park 3 and Jurassic World raptors.

2. Mommy’s Very Angry (Eddie Carrs Death) 

Many people would agree that this is one of the most thrilling and tense Jurassic Park film moments in the entire franchise. Just when you think that the Tyrannosaurs have left after finding their infant, both Tyrannosaur parents make a very dramatic return, turning the whole gatherers trailer upside down and trying to push it over the cliff. In true Spielberg style there is no music at all in this sequence, it all just happens before our eyes. Tension is quickly built up when Sarah Harding falls onto the glass window, which starts to crack under her weight. Music is gently brought into this sequence amping up the tension and peril of the situation. The Tyrannosaurs then disappear when Eddie Carr returns to save the day. 

What happens in the next sequence is probably one of the most unjust deaths in the entire Jurassic Park franchise, with Eddie Carr succeeding in saving Sarah, Ian and Nick through a rope line from his car but dying at the jaws of both returning T. Rexes. I think one the most incredible things about Eddie Carrs death is just how practical the scene is. Both Tyrannosaur animatronics are right there knocking the car to pieces with the actor inside. When Eddie is lifted out the car the actor (stunt double) is lifted as well and we see this. The film then switches to a CGI shot of the Rexes ripping Eddie in two. Having succeeded with the animatronic performances in Jurassic Park, Steven and Stan Winston Studios really upped the game in terms of what was possible with the animatronics second time around, making the entire trailer attack sequence in the Lost World an exciting, tense and thrilling movie sequence.

1. Jurassic Park: San Diego  (Finding the Infant Tyrannosaur)

I think many people will be surprised by this scene being my Top film moment in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. But on much reflection and on watching this entire scene multiple times it really is my favourite moment and here is why. 1. We get to see the Jurassic Park: San Diego facility properly. Having already seen concept images and a model of the facility during the hunter camp sequence earlier on in the film we get to see the still in development and unfinished Jurassic Park: San Diego amphitheatre which has a very cool design and would have been used to display dinosaurs in shows. The amphitheatre would have been the main dinosaur display arena of Jurassic Park: San Diego and from the images we have seen would have probably been multiuse to display a mixture of herbivores or carnivores.

2. The use of a updated (upbeat/Lost World) Jurassic Park theme. In this sequence we get another updated Jurassic Park theme similar to the one we heard when Nick Van Owen sees the Jurassic Park mural in the INGEN operations base. What this does is bring about a huge amount of nostalgia and reminiscence of Jurassic Park as well as set the tone of entering Jurassic Park: San Diego. 3. The third reason why I love this entire scene is that the amphitheatre is a complete model and the car driving through it is as well, it is not a set with actors on stage at all. Clever models like these are used a lot throughout the Lost World, the SS Venture crashing through the dock is another example. I love how detailed the model of Jurassic Park: San Diego actually is though. 4. Context. The fourth and final reason why this scene is my favourite Lost World: Jurassic Park scene is the context Jurassic Park: San Diego has in terms of the overall backstory of Jurassic Park’s creation and the future that Jurassic Park ultimately will have, which is failure. 

In the original Jurassic Park novel Isla Nublar is not the only Jurassic Park theme park resort that was planned. John Hammond planned on expanding Jurassic Park to Japan with Jurassic Park: Japan which would have been situated on an island near Guam, he also planned on building Jurassic Park: Europe which would have been built on an island of the Azores. Whilst JP 93 and the Lost World are very different story wise I think it is fantastic that Jurassic Park was planned to be built in San Diego before Hammond got the lease for Isla Nublar. The fact that the facility sits unused and unfinished is not only a mirror reflection of Jurassic Park on Isla Nublar, which was abandoned and unfinished but also reflects John Hammond’s dream not being able to be fulfilled. We saw this in the first film with The Petticoat Lane scene and also see it in the Lost World with Nick Van Owen seeing the Jurassic Park Mural in the INGEN operations centre in the worker village. For these reasons the use of Jurassic Park: San Diego is my favourite extension of world building within The Lost World: Jurassic Park and my number one moment from the film. 

Written by: James Ronan