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By BILLY NORRIS
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 23, 2001
Movie: Jurassic Park III
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) returns as the paleontologist who researched dinosaurs on the Jurassic Park islands in the first movie, barely escaping with his life. He is tricked into making another trip to Isla Sorna, where the dinosaurs are running rampant, by a couple (William Macy and Tea Leoni) posing as wealthy adventure-seekers. The couple is really looking for their son, Eric (Trevor Morgan), who crash-landed on the island after a parasailing accident. This wacky expedition turns into a fight for the lives of everybody in the group and a race to escape the island before the dinosaurs eat them alive.
My view: I really wasn't expecting much out of this film, and that's what I got. How many ways can you possibly get attacked by dinosaurs? That was pretty much the premise for number III. This movie was very shallow. There wasn't a lot of convincing emotion expressed here. I also think the PG-13 rating could have been a PG, because there was no bad language, and the dinosaur attacks were so overused it took away any sense of realism.
Favorite part: The parts that were supposed to be scary and surprising were totally predictable, and very funny. I found myself laughing out loud in places where laughs weren't intended.
Least favorite part: Maybe this film would have been better if the plot were thickened up a little bit, and if it lasted longer. At 83 minutes, it was a lot shorter than I expected.
Recommendations: This movie is utterly stupid, so try to resist the urge to go see it just because you liked the first two. We can only hope Jurassic Park IV is not on the way!
Grade: D
Billy Norris, 13, will be in the eighth grade at Seminole Middle School, and is a former member of the Times X-Team.