At Least There Are No Gymnastics

Movies like Jurassic Park III follow formulas and traditional movie conventions so religiously, it's easier to measure the film based on those aspects rather than assess it as a piece of filmmaking. Audiences know the motions; this film goes through them.

Here's a look at how part three in the enormously successful dinosaur horror series measures up.

Opening cliffhanger: Each film begins with an attack seen off-camera. Here, a young boy (Trevor Morgan) parasailing on Isla Sorna discovers something has happened to the drivers of the boat. Not bad, but nothing like the rousing opener of the original.

Scientific mumbo jumbo: The returning Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) informs us that raptors were far more intelligent than imagined, and could have become a dominant species.

Characters: Perfunctory at best. Neill is a welcome return, as is Laura Dern in a cameo as his former colleague. William H. Macy and Tea Leoni are too talented for their typical "divorced couple" part.

Plot/Story development: Huh?

Gadgets: Keen moviegoers will spot a couple of items that are introduced early on, only to be utilized in key climatic moments. Keep your eyes open.

Inventive ways to die: A raptor snaps a guy's neck, and two dinosaurs duke it out in an all-too brief wrestling match. Otherwise, the usual dino-munching.

Returning dinosaurs: The "T-Rex" still looks great, and the raptors are used agreeably.

New dinosaurs: Main attraction here is a "spinosaurus," which "sounds bigger" than the T-Rex, but the flying pterodactyls provide the film's highlight.

Visual f/x quality: The dinosaurs have a too-animated sheen; Spielberg paid more attention to their eyes, their movement and their terror.

Action factor: Quite efficient, but director Joe Johnston (Jumanji, Honey I Shrunk the Kids) lacks Spielberg's considerable ingenuity for staging, then building, and finally progressing with a real action scene. There's nary a "raptors-in-the-kitchen" level of tension here.

Stupidity quota: Not as bad as the previous film, and a running gag involving a ringing cell phone will have audiences grinning.

Sequel threat: The "ending" of the film plays like a teaser for the likely "Part IV" prospect.

Final verdict: Enjoyably goofy, yet perfunctory entertainment. Jurassic Park III provides audiences with more or less what they expect, with reasonable craft, but leaves you wondering if the story might have been more interesting if a raptor had written the screenplay.