Recent comments in /f/movies

outbound_flight t1_jeh20sx wrote

The Lost World always felt off to me, even when I was a kid. I think realistically, it was Universal/Spielberg trying to pump the gas and capitalize on the success on the previous one. They famously started production on the film before the book it was based on was even published—a book that they kinda had to convince Crichton to write.

As a result, I think there's a clumsiness about it. Thematically, it kinda retreads notions about pushing science too far and the exploitation of nature, and mostly pushes safari-type imagery as the major change. Plus the ending, which seemed like Spielberg wanting to do King Kong but with a dinosaur.

It doesn't really try to say anything new, characters keep doing silly things to drive the action (Harding scolds the other characters for using water on a fire since it'll attract predators, then brings a baby T-rex back to the camp, and leaves bloody rags hanging in the open... both of which get people killed), and the third act does feel really disconnected. Like you said, a lot of the characters disappear and it doesn't even bother to really explain how the ship's entire crew died without any real damage being shown, and somehow it was still able to arrive at the dock it was destined for somehow... I dunno. The story was a justification to brute force a lot of big set pieces, which is ultimately fine because they're Spielberg set pieces. JP3, at the very least, kinda overtly telegraphed that it was mostly there to deliver on crazy dinosaur action, which worked for me quite a bit.

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asshat123 t1_jeh1w9k wrote

I also think that mouth of Sauron sequence is sort of weird for Aragorn's character. He just lops the guy's head off and says "He was probably lying, let's do this suicide mission anyways."

I feel like it could've worked, but it would've taken more than that sequence to make Aragorn's actions seem reasonable at that point

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riegspsych325 t1_jeh1ov1 wrote

I love a good backup/cavalry arrival. Whether it be a “Hey you guys”, a blaring horn from Rohan, or even a shitty spaceship sneaking up on Vader, I am a sucker for it. Hell, I’ll even take a bunch of sonar-following bats storming a mental institution.

Shit, I might have to watch these soon

12

ddwcommish t1_jeh101u wrote

As narratively disconnected as the San Diego sequence was, that was what I wanted out of Dominion that it failed to execute. The idea of these dinosaurs out in the world instead of on an island was always the endgame of this franchise, and yet Lost World somehow gives us more (and better) chaos amongst civilians than anything the World movies could. So in hindsight I like the Rex in San Diego sequence so much more since it delivered on that potential

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bronet t1_jeh0a1q wrote

People never get that for it to be a snub, it had to be better than at least one of the nominees. So you have to have watched at least one to even start making that claim. And if we're talking snubbed for the win, you have to have watched every movie nominated in that category

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