Is this the end of the road for the dinosaurs?
Now the dinosaurs have returned for a third time with Jurassic Park III.
"After three outings, many deaths, and many, many special effects surely it is beyond the talents of any scriptwiriter to convince anyone to return to Jurassic Park again," wrote BBC News Online's Darren Waters.
But what do you think? Is it a good film in its own right? Do the sequels live up to the original Jurassic Park? Or should they have stopped after the first film?
It's a hard one to call really. I personally don't really watch the films for their storyline, it's the dinosaurs and the aura that goes with them that keeps me wanting more (and on the edge of my seat). Jurassic Park I, II and III have all lived up to the reputation of making the dinosaurs "real".
Comparing the third film to the first, yes, I must admit I don't have quite the same excitement and I really do think a fourth film would be pushing people's tolerance to the limit - even for huge fans such as myself.
Ant Marsh,
England, UK
Better than The Lost World. It was a little shorter than the previous two, but that only served to increase the effect of the action sequences.
The Dinos were more brutal and violent in this one, which made it more realistic. Overall, worth watching, but not an epic by any means.
Daniel White,
Bristol, UK
One word: dreadful! Poor Spielberg, his beautiful creation has been turned to tripe by a terrible script, zig-zagging plot and four-year-old directing.
OK, the dinos are amazing but you learn nothing about them. Even the T-Rex killer didn't have a name!
If you want to see an excellent movie this summer, see Shrek. It has everything Jurassic Park 3 doesn't.
Henry Baker,
UK
Why don't they just shoot the damn things? The unbelievable thing in these films is that no-one would go near the place without having taken elephant rifles and anti-aircraft guns with them.
Also, I find the emphasis on people dying in terrifying and painful ways for laughs deeply unpleasant, especially for children.
M Keith,
UK
Predictable, repetitive, weak, a bit of good acting and better animation does not make up for the overall let-down. Rating 5/10.
GBS,
UK
Jurassic Park III is an excellent film in its own right. The story is credible and the dinosaurs incredible - so realistic. This is a highly enjoyable movie. Don't miss it. Roll on JP4 and don't make us wait another four years for it!
Seamus Martin,
England
We saw Jurassic Park III at the sneak preview on 19th July in Norwich. It's a white knuckle ride from start to finish, and we all enjoyed it. Never have dinosaurs been so realistic. We are a family of four, with two boys aged 9 and 15, and we all agreed it was very enjoyable and far superior to number II. We also agreed that although the special effects are better than number I, the story line is weaker. Definitely worth seeing this summer, but I wouldn't recommend it for younger children.
Wendy Barley,
UK
It's a good film, the children love it. I took my four last night to see it, and although you have an idea of what is going to happen, you still jump in your seat!! It's a good night out.
Carol Scanlon,
N.Ireland
I thought that the special effects were excellent. Dr Grant (Sam Neill) was superb in his role. Sadly, the plot went downhill as the film progressed. The ending was awful, but overall the film was OK.
Jonathan Fuller,
UK
JP III was a pleasantly enjoyable if somewhat silly film. It's not exactly great art, but then it doesn't try to pretend it is. It's an excellent way to spend the evening.
Andrew,
UK
Better than The Lost World - however, considering the writers behind Election were also heavily involved in this third outing, I was expecting a little more in the way of plot and believable characters.
Unfortunately they are even more one-dimensional
than in the first two films. Though the new dinosaurs were faultless the film is also let down by an unimaginative and obviously hastily assembled finale which offers nothing new. The film however still manages to shock and entertain in the right places.
Seth Wainwright,
UK
No longer filmed like a novelty "dinosaurs are cool" film, this is a darker, humans versus monsters film. Plot holes and a laughable attempt at character development, this is a good solid summer film!
Jonathan,
UK
While Jurassic Park III is not as good as part I, I feel it is better than part II. The bird cage scene with the pterodactyls is awesome. I thought the cell phone/satellite phone touch was hilarious. Though it tended to drag on a bit in the middle it was, as usual, a crowd pleaser and an overall fun summer flick.
Amit Tonse,
USA
Jurassic BORE more like! I have seen better Eastern European films!
Ram-Jam Patel,
UK
Very poor editing in movie. Extensive re-use of previously filmed scenes cut in the editing process. A novel approach was in order for this one of the series. Alas, this was not the case.
Sam Neill gave a good but not great
performance. Wish he would do
another Reilly, Ace of Spies!!
Francois de Percy,
France
If soap operas and sitcoms can go on day after day, if babbling advertising campaigns can continue till we wince at the empty words, then I believe we can take some comfort in a few simple, exciting movies, with no earth-shaking implications. Dinosaurs are fun - enjoy the movies, don't overanalyse them.
Ed Hausman,
USA
All in all it is great entertainment, that is well produced (the sound is amazing), humorous, and not too long. It is a film I would happily watch again.
James Hayward,
UK
As a huge dinosaur and cinema lover, I thought this film rocked!
It did exactly what it said on the tin!
Sure, there was no character development and poor dialogue, but it had Pteranodons attacking people and giant carnosaurs fighting!
Still, a little short of the original's jaw dropping originality though.
Mark Edwards,
USA
Come on guys, it's the summer, we're chilling with cool drinks. What could be better than some dinos running about the place?
Quite frankly I have never been to a blockbuster expecting art; they are not the avantgarde wonders of the world. Blockbusters are entertaining, and JP3 is just that.
I went to it to see dinos eating stuff. I saw dinos eating stuff (though not enough...). I'm happy.
Shane Coughlan,
Ireland
The real Jurassic Park was the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs. Everything else before or since has been rubbish.
Phillip,
USA
The special effects as always are stunning, the plot is a bit thin and it follows the 'rules' - anyone who harms one of the 'good guys' has to die - usually horribly. The kid will be 'cute' and will have survived on an island with voracious carnivores for eight weeks when everyone says it's impossible and yes, they will make it out alive. Harmless escapism - but PLEASE, no more sequels!
Francesca,
England
When the original Jurassic Park appeared in '93 I must admit that I was a big fan. However, The Lost World added no new species of dinosaur and was generally a less entertaining copy of the first film. This latest release does add a little more in terms of new dinosaurs but with a script as uninspiring as a George Graham football team.
There are so many chance coincidences, the only thing that really keeps you interested are the special effects. I think Jurassic Park has been stretched further than it should have and the production team should concentrate on more original ideas in the future such as Shrek and Toy Story.
Stuart Charles,
UK
Nowhere near as good as the first one, the moment when the t-rex first appeared in the original was excellent and that suspense can never be beaten!
Richard Derry,
England
The film stinks! All of Spielberg's stuff is rubbish, but this last dollop is at the top of the pile.
Paul Stocks,
USA
They should have stopped after part one. Two and three shattered the image of part one. Hollywood is no more the same. Thank goodness regional films are catching up and are better than American confused movies. Crouching Tiger is a small example to tell you that China will take over Hollywood in a few months.
Sangram,
India
It was a good movie for people who like the old dinosaur movies where the dinosaurs fight each other and eat people. Of course all of the Jurassic movies are useless, but this one has more action than suspense.
Don Mallard,
USA
A poor attempt at cashing in on the success of the first two Jurassic Parks. From the beginning of the film you can tell how predictable it will be. I wish that this film had remained in the Jurassic era as that's where it belongs. A thumbs down to JP3.
Ekrem Musannif,
UK
Jurassic Park: great movie.
Jurassic Park II: hmmm
Jurassic Park III: extinct.
Rob Thomas,
Singapore
A waste of time: no real plot, not very scary, too short (approx. 90 minutes) and a very abrupt ending. The dinosaurs were good especially the raptors but the some looked phony. I enjoyed the original Jurassic Park but the sequels keep getting lamer and lamer.
Peter McCready,
Canada
Had trouble staying awake. A snooze fest, with a few jolts here and there. One knew from the outset what was going to happen - bad boys die, silly people live, despite ones wish that they didn't and as for the boy, the least said the better. My two boys seemed to like it, which I guess is what the show is all about.
Chris,
USA
Very poor indeed.
Gareth Ruiz,
Wales
This film is more realistic but compared to one it is not scary.
J Arulrajah,
UK
One thing is obvious, this isn't a Spielberg film; nonetheless it is solid popcorn fare, with characters which grow on you. Oh - watch out for the bit when...ah, you'll just have to see it yourself...
The Bassman,
Scotland
If you are depressed and in desperate need of cheering up this film is for you. The storyline is limp, predictable and unimaginative. The acting is reasonable, but given the pathetic dialogue it is surprising that an actor of the quality of Sam Neill went through with the project.
We've seen most of these dinosaurs before, there is essentially nothing new. You will, I promise, laugh out loud and possibly even cry during this film;a film that naturally had to have the line "We're going home boys".
Wonderful stuff if you treasure b-movies but otherwise don't waste your money - it'll be on video soon enough.
Andy,
UK
Yes we could see more dialogue and character development from each cast member but that is not what the Jurassic Park films are about. They are about dinosuars. If you want lengthy character dialogue you can watch a film drama such as Shakespeare in Love or some other dialogue-lead film.
I suppose these same critics thought there was too much fighting in a film called Gladiator - when will they learn?
Adam Wilkinson,
England
I'll start by saying straight away that once again it isn't quite perfect and some elements are disappointing but but it is a much more fantastic effort than The Lost World.
The great thing is the characters are very likeable and a lot more like the ones in the original Jurassic Park, showing much more human qualities than the corporate butchiness displayed by the merceneries in the second one.
The best thing about JPIII is that the dinosaurs they chose are great.
This is not a film that will change your life or define a decade like the first one did for some people, but it is a movie that will make you believe that Dinosaurs did rule the earth and that they were the coolest creatures that ever lived. A great entry in a series that was almost extinct but is now full of life, and hopefully will continue to evolve further!
Scott Crittenden,
England
Complete tat. Who wants to waste £10 to see a bunch of third-rate cardboard characters chewed up by some bad special effects?
Richard Clarke,
UK
I'd return to Jurassic Park again. It's far more fun than "Walking with Dino-bores" and just as educational!
William,
UK
Absolutely dreadful. While the effects are amazing,
the plot is non-existent. I've never felt as little empathy for characters
as I did in this film - it is a pity the Raptors didn't take more than
their eggs back! I wonder what Steven Spielberg thought of it?
Gareth,
Northern Ireland
Good genuine fun, I was a little surpised when the film finished, it sort of just stopped for no reason, which baffled me a little.
John,
UK
This was a great film until the last 60 seconds, when it turned into pointless, americanised drivel ending with the good old USA army coming to the rescue again. Could a better ending have not been thought of considering the wealth of quality script writers in the world?
Wake up and realise that we need films with decent endings, as well as a vaguely interesting storyline!
Emma,
UK
Jurassic Park III is excellent fun. It does exactly what it says on the tin. Obviously it has the same faults as the other movies. The characterisation is too meticulous, their emotional journeys are too profound for the casual viewer, but enough about the dinosaurs.
William H Macey is once again great as a gosh-diddley-darn-it type guy.
The subtle subtext hinting at the perils of going onto islands full of great big hungry dinosaurs may help the discerning holiday maker avoid any unecessary cancellations.
And Sam Neil clearly identifies the t-Rex killer as a spinosaur after the first attack.
He is puzzled that it is there as it wasn't on the Ingen agenda. This plot point is, of course, immediately abandoned in favour of a good chase sequence.
Steve Saul,
UK
What amazes me is how this film got a PG rating.
It also amazes me how people can judge how
realistic the dinosaurs are, have they seen real ones?
Poor film, poorish plot, almost rescued by good action, but not quite.
4/10
Ryan Welton,
Scotland
It lacked only one thing. Everything. Even the dinosaurs looked as bored as Mr Neill. The length of the film was a giveaway but the end itself was top drawer Hollywood nonsense. Obviously out of ideas on how to end the movie we were treated to the cop out of the "god bless america" army finale. Mr S, I suggest you bury your head in the sand for about ..65m years. Dreadful.
Barry,
UK
I went into the movie and got a large popcorn and coke and watched it as if I was on a fairground ride, nothing more, nothing less. Not that it was a particularly scary fairground ride but for the short romp that it was, it was worth the $5 and did not overstay its welcome. The kids will love it and the adults don't even need to analyse it!
Spielberg's first was a breakthrough for special effects which are quite the norm these days and I'm sure he doesn't mind JP3, worse has been done to a much better film.
Patrick Hearn,
Canada
It's dreadful. They've taken the boring bits from the second book that they left out of the second film (including the "ooh look there's a boat" cop-out ending) and stuffed them into a dino-sized turkey.
One colsolation: at least it's better than Tomb Raider. Just.
Alf,
UK
Jurassic Park is a film aimed at the youngsters. If they enjoyed it, then good. Some people commenting not scary enough etc. I'm sure you wouldn't want to take your child home crying.
Khuram,
England
Why do people insist on examining the dialogue so much? If you were stuck on an island with dinosaurs, maybe you too would be running around shouting nonsense! The same people who criticise JPIII for its lack of plot seem to also criticise JPII for being too boring due to a ridiculous plot. Go and enjoy the film because it is good, don¿t over-analyse it. It may have an abrupt ending but the film is so enjoyable you¿ll probably watch it again.
MJC,
Northern Ireland
It's like they've remade the same weak plot three times in a row. I think it partly suffers because the 'enemy' doesn't have any depth of character, so it's never anything but "Watch the man run away from the big monster".
Also, at least other mainstream series like James Bond or Star Wars change their settings, gadgets and villains quite a lot, whereas JP has remained almost totally on identical tropical islands, leading to the same people doing the same things with (mostly) the same dinosaurs chasing them past the same trees, often with the same camera shots. I bet with some clever editing you could merge all three films into one. Presumably Jurassic Park IV will be Laura Dern and a party of orphans on a ballooning holiday crashlanding onto a mysteriously familiar island during a hurricane.
This is the kind of film you'd buy to show off your DVD Dolby surround system, but very little else. Future generations just won't bother.
Patrick,
UK
After seeing JP1 probably 17 times and JP2 ten times, I was looking forward to seeing what a fresh director could offer.
I was not disappointed, the fact that it had a shorter running time added so much to the pace and excitement. The addition of new dinos and the welcome return of Sam Neill created interest while maintaining the feel of the film's previous incarnations.
However, not having read the book, (if there is one), I don't know how the story has been changed. Still a great film, a great cast and fabulous dinos!
Phil Clark,
England
Disagree with a lot of comments here. This is by far the worst JP Film. The raptors became too familiar and less threatening. Enjoyed the t-rex versus the even bigger meat eater battle.
Jonathan,
England
I really liked it! Anyone who says that it "lacks bite" (or whatever cliché they care to use) doesn't know how to review a good pop-corn film. This obviously isn't Citizen Kane, but it is the best summer no-brainer by a long way. I give it two thumbs up!
Paul,
Ireland