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In need of funds for research, Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) accepts a large sum of money to accompany Paul and Amanda Kirby (William H. Macy and Téa Leoni) on an aerial tour of the infamous Isla Sorna. It isn't long before all hell breaks loose and the stranded wayfarers must fight for survival as a host of new--and even more deadly--dinosaurs try to make snacks of them. Laura Dern, Michael Jeter, Alessandro Nivola and Trevor Morgan co-star. .co.uk Review ------------- As long as you expect nothing more, Jurassic Park III is a satisfying popcorn adventure. A little cheesier than the first two Jurassic blockbusters, it's a big B-movie with big B-list stars (including Laura Dern, briefly reprising her Jurassic Park role) and eight years of advancing CGI technology gives it a sharp edge over its predecessors. While adopting the jungle spirit of King Kong, the movie refines Michael Crichton’s original premise and its dinosaurs are even more realistic, their behaviour more detailed and their variety--including flying Pteronodons and a new villain, the Spinosaurus--more dazzling and threatening than ever. These advancements justify the sequel and its contrived plot--just barely spanning 90 minutes without wearing out its welcome. Posing as wealthy tourists, an adventurous couple (William H Macy, Téa Leoni) convince palaeontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and his protégé (Allesandro Nivola) to act as tour guides on a fly-over trip to Isla Sorna, the ill-ed "Site B" where all hell broke loose in The Lost World. In truth, they're on a search-and-rescue mission to find their missing son (Trevor Morgan) and their plane c is just the first of several enjoyably suspenseful sequences. Director Joe Johnston (October Sky) embraces the formulaic plot as a series of atmospheric set pieces, placing new and familiar dinosaurs in misty rainforests, fiery lakes and mysterious valleys, turning JP3 into a thrill-ride with impressive highlights (including a T-Rex vs. Spinosaurus smackdown), adequate doses of wry humour (from the cowriters of Election) and an upbeat ending that's corny but appropriate, proving that the symptoms of "sequelitis" needn't be al.--Jeff Shannon, .com