Jurassic Park 3

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The third installment in Michael Crichton's sci-fi series Jurassic Park knows that it's running out of tricks and so uses the reliable ones: big scary dinosaurs, a lighthearted, fast-moving plot. While lacking the Spielberg touch of the first two, Jurassic Park 3 keeps pace exceptionally well. It helps that the dino-rendering technology is better than ever. A pteranadon-like flying menace numbers among the new additions to Jurassic Park's stone-age menagerie. Not only do the raptors come back, but now the puny humans (led by Sam Neill, reprising his role of Dr. Grant) realize that their cold-blooded reptilian killers are highly intelligent. And as hungry as ever.

The action returns to Isla Sorna off the Costa Rican coast. A married couple (William H. Macy and Téa Leoni) who may fund Grant's research prompt a return to the infested island. A plane crash ensures that the humans soon slip from the top of the food chain. The script, penned by the team behind Election and directed by Joe Jumanji Johnston, sports a few moments of fresh dialogue, although the storyline is designed to maximize antagonistic interspecies encounters. Far from extinct, Jurassic Park 3 provides an entertaining time.