History YMMV / TheLostWorldJurassicPark

* VindicatedByHistory: The film was initially overall well received, but only a short time afterwards was heavily criticized for the plot and characters. For years it was seen as a pretty poor sequel and, while ''Film/JurassicParkIII'' was seen as worse, it remained a relatively popular opinion that ''The Lost World'' was a bad film. Starting around the time of of ''Film/JurassicWorld'' though, people began to change their tone about this film, largely because it had a more ambitious and interesting plot than 'something goes wrong in the park and dinosaurs run amuck', while still keeping the themes of the first film. By the time of ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'', people had greatly warmed up to ''The Lost World'', with some feeling that it was much better than any of the sequels that came after it and was simply a victim of being in the shadow of the first film -- and ''Fallen Kingdom'' coming off as a [[SamePlotSequel quasi-remake]] of ''Lost World'' but with more ridiculous situations and poorer acting (comparisons not helped by ''Lost World'''s lead -- [[Creator/JeffGoldblum an actor]] who has become memetically beloved in the years since its release -- having a glorified cameo in the BookEnds) only strengthened such feelings amongst its defenders.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Some viewers have noted the oddity that some characters just [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse disappear from the movie]] once they all get off the island; particularly Nick and Roland.

** The [[Music/ElvisPresley "Elvis"]] gag in a movie about dinosaurs is a lot funnier come the 2010's now that one artist specialising in thrm is [[https://twitter.com/Tomozaurus?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Tom Parker]], [[NamesTheSame who shares his name]] with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Tom_Parker his manager]]

* VindicatedByHistory: The film was initially overall well received, but only a short time afterwards was heavily criticized for the plot and characters. For years it was seen as a pretty poor sequel and, while ''Film/JurassicParkIII'' was seen as worse, it remained a relatively popular opinion that ''The Lost World'' was a bad film. Starting around the time of of ''Film/JurassicWorld'' though, people began to change their tone about this film, largely because it had a more ambitious and interesting plot than 'something goes wrong in the park and dinosaurs run amuck', while still keeping the themes of the first film. By the time of ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'', people had greatly warmed up to ''The Lost World'', feeling that it was much better than any of the sequels that came after it and was simply a victim of being in the shadow of the first film -- and ''Fallen Kingdom'' coming off as a [[SamePlotSequel quasi-remake]] of ''Lost World'' but with more ridiculous situations and poorer acting (comparisons not helped by ''Lost World'''s lead -- [[Creator/JeffGoldblum an actor]] who has become memetically beloved in the years since its release -- having a glorified cameo in the BookEnds) only strengthened such feelings.

** Ludlow cites Ride/SeaWorld's success as one of the reasons to display dinosaurs in San Diego. Flash forward to a decade worth of sea mammal abuse controversies, up to being forced to discontinue the captivity of orcas altogether, and citing the park to justify ''anything'' now sounds downright asinine.

** For BlackHumor, the fate of Dieter Stark, [[spoiler: likely reduced to LudicrousGibs by the compies]] is this regarding the infamous woodchipper scene from Peter Stormare's previous film, ''Film/{{Fargo}}''. Spielberg even joked that Stark's/Stormare's fate was deserved for this very reason (as well as the fact that Stormare's characters from both films were complete [[{{Jerkass}} jerkasses]]).

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:
** Practically everyone from the side of the "[[DesignatedHero heroes]]" save Malcom, but particularly Sarah and Nick. Not only did they cause practically every death in the film because of their misguided activism, [[UngratefulBastard but they also sabotaged the guys who saved them]] because [[BlackAndWhiteMorality they were hunters]] and also because, apparently, [[SkewedPriorities a T-Rex's life is worth more to them than those of humans]]. (Even after said T-Rex ''ate'' one of their friends.) Thanks to them releasing the dinosaurs from their cages, Ludlow was forced to bring the buck T-Rex into San Diego to get some profit out of the venture, and the creature causes untold destruction and death on his rampage. Combine that with the fact that they [[KarmaHoudini apparently get away scott-free in the end]], their more than questionable mentality that [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters the dinos are victims of the humans]], the sheer idiocy of their actions and the fact that they constantly ignore or chew out [[IgnoredExpert Malcom, a guy who's already suffered a good deal because of the dinos in Isla Nublar]] and you get why some viewers may be RootingForTheEmpire.
** John Hammond is supposed to come across as a benevolent old man who just has the dinosaurs' best interests at heart, but it's pointed out within the film that he's knowingly bankrupting a global conglomerate which no doubt employs thousands of people to do so, for a problem Hammond himself created in the first place because of his pride. Also, given the implications that he's in poor health, his sudden conversion to environmentalism seems more like a rather selfish deathbed confession than a real act of altruism.

* IdiotPlot: Website/SFDebris hated the film for this reason, cited the plot relying on either contrivance or the sheer stupidity of the main characters (''especially'' Nick).

** Practically everyone from the side of the "[[DesignatedHero heroes]]" save Malcom, but particularly Sarah and Nick. Not only did they cause practically every death in the film because of their misguided activism, [[UngratefulBastard but they also sabotaged the guys who saved them]] because [[BlackAndWhiteMorality they were hunters]] and also because, apparently, [[SkewedPriorities a T-Rex's life is worth more to them than those of humans]]. (Even after said T-Rex ''ate'' one of their friends.) Thanks to them releasing the dinosaurs from their cages, Ludlow was forced to bring the buck T-Rex into San Diego to get some profit out of the venture, and the creature causes untold destruction and death on his rampage. Combine that with the fact that they [[KarmaHoudini apparently get away scott-free in the end]], their more than questionable mentality that [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters the dinos are victims of the humans]], the sheer idiocy of their actions (see WhatAnIdiot below) and the fact that they constantly ignore or chew out [[IgnoredExpert Malcom, a guy who's already suffered a good deal because of the dinos in Isla Nublar]] and you get why some viewers may be RootingForTheEmpire.

* ContestedSequel: While the first movie is generally very well liked, opinions on ''The Lost World'' are all over the place, and it might have as many fans as opponents. The upside is that there are more dinosaurs, the action sequences are really exciting, [[https://film.avclub.com/could-the-lost-world-actually-be-better-than-jurassic-p-1798268511 and there's significantly less exposition and sentimentality]]. The downside is that the script is sloppy (topped off by EndingFatigue; see below) and the characters, especially the new ones, are divisive.

** Dr. Robert Burke for some, simply due to a having a BadassBeard, being a reasonable if somewhat inept paleontologist who just happens to be working for [=InGen=] and not making any particularly stupid decisions over than not recognizing that the Tyrannosaurs would follow them.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Tembo attempting to allay concerns about the ''T.rexes'' stalking the group by saying that they just fed fall under this if he was referring to Eddie Carr; a maybe 200 lb human that just got split in half wouldn't even be an appetizer for a pair of 8+ ton carnivores.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Film/TheValleyOfGwangi'', thanks to including ignored warnings to leave prehistoric creatures in their habitat, dinosaurs being lassoed, and a dino rampage at the end. At one point, one of the ''T.rexes'' even scratches its jaw like Gwangi did.

* NeverLiveItDown: Detractors of Nick van Owen ''really'' hate him due to the belief that he caused practically all of the deaths in the film, both on Isla Sorna and in San Diego, via releasing all the dinosaurs in [=InGen=]'s camp, bringing the baby ''rex'' back to the trailers...and finally sabotaging Roland's gun and leaving him unable to kill the ''T.rex'' attacking the joint camp. While the first two acts are very much Nick's responsibility, and while messing with Roland's gun ''was'' an incredibly misguided thing to do considering their present situation, Nick had no idea that Roland shooting the ''T.rex'' would be so vital; and it's worth noting that several of the mercenaries were firing their own guns at the ''rex'' without any apparent effect, and the rest were fleeing for their lives without even trying to fight back. As for the San Diego rampage, it was ''Ludlow'' who made the decision to bring the ''T.rex'' back to the mainland, even though he should have cut his losses at that point, and [=InGen=] who messed with the tranquillisers that caused the bull to run amok.

** Dr. Robert Burke for some, simply due to a having a BadassBeard, being a reasonable if somewhat inept paleontologist who just happens to be working for InGen and not making any particularly stupid decisions over than not recognizing that the Tyrannosaurs would follow them.

** When Tembi mentions that the ''T. rex'' "just fed", was he really referring to Eddie, as Malcolm angrily assumed, or was he alluding to the freshly-killed prey that the baby ''rex'' was eating a piece of earlier?

* AlasPoorVillain: Many felt this way after seeing the way certain members of the "[[UnintentionallySympathetic villains]]" get killed, like Ajay, [[DeathByAThousandCuts Dieter]] or Ludlow. Even if most were jerks and animal abusers, they hardly deserved deaths as horrifying as those.

* VindicatedByHistory: The film was initially overall well received, but only a short time afterwards was heavily criticized for the plot and characters. For years it was seen as a pretty poor sequel and, while ''Film/JurassicParkIII'' was seen as worse, it remained a relatively popular opinion that ''The Lost World'' was a bad film. Starting around the time of of ''Film/JurassicWorld'' though, people began to change their tone about this film, largely because it had a more ambitious and interesting plot than 'something goes wrong in the park and dinosaurs run amuck', while still keeping the themes of the first film. By the time of ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'', people had greatly warmed up to ''The Lost World'', feeling that it was much better than any of the sequels that came after it and was simply a victim of being in the shadow of the first film -- and ''Fallen Kingdom'' coming off as a quasi-remake of ''Lost World'' but with more ridiculous situations and poorer acting (comparisons not helped by ''Lost World'''s lead -- [[Creator/JeffGoldblum an actor]] who has become memetically beloved in the years since its release -- having a glorified cameo in the BookEnds) only strengthened such feelings.

** The [=InGen=] corporation is portrayed as evil because it wants to recapture the dinosaurs from Isla Sorna to recoup its losses from the first film. While they were pretty ruthless, as well as massive {{Jerkass}}es with the exception of two (hunter Roland Tembo and his friend Ajay), their argument that the dinosaurs are their rightful property does have merit. When the protagonists accuse them of destroying the island's 'natural' environment, the CorruptCorporateExecutive points out that they created the dinosaurs and introduced them to the island in the first place, meaning they are just an invasive group of species. The heroes have no response to this. This is one of those cases where [[BothSidesHaveAPoint what's right legally may or may not be what's right morally]], but it's certainly not as cut-and-dried as Malcolm's party (or his detractors) likes to present it. However, Spielberg expects us to see the [=InGen=] team as objectively evil and Malcolm's team as unquestionably good, ruining any opportunity for nuance.

** The male Rex poking his head in tent and then his mate chasing the rest of the group through the thick trees.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: The [=InGen=] corporation is portrayed as evil because it wants to recapture the dinosaurs from Isla Sorna to recoup its losses from the first film. While they were pretty ruthless, as well as massive {{Jerkass}}es with the exception of two (hunter Roland Tembo and his friend Ajay), their argument that the dinosaurs are their rightful property does have at least some merit. When the protagonists accuse them of destroying the island's 'natural' environment, the CorruptCorporateExecutive points out that they created the dinosaurs and introduced them to the island in the first place, millions of years and thousands of miles from their actual long-gone natural habitat. The heroes can only respond to this with Nick trying to start a fight. This is one of those cases where [[BothSidesHaveAPoint what's right legally may or may not be what's right morally]], but it's certainly not as cut-and-dried as Malcolm's party (or his detractors) likes to present it. However, Spielberg expects us to see the [=InGen=] team as objectively evil and Malcolm's team as unquestionably good, ruining any opportunity for nuance.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: The [=InGen=] corporation is portrayed as evil because it wants to recapture the dinosaurs from Isla Sorna to recoup its losses from the first film. While they were pretty ruthless, as well as dicks with the exception of two (hunter Roland Tembo and his friend Ajay), their argument that the dinosaurs are their rightful property does have at least some merit. When the protagonists accuse them of destroying the island's 'natural' environment, the CorruptCorporateExecutive points out that they created the dinosaurs and introduced them to the island in the first place, millions of years and thousands of miles from their actual long-gone natural habitat. The heroes can only respond to this with Nick trying to start a fight. This is one of those cases where [[BothSidesHaveAPoint what's right legally may or may not be what's right morally]], but it's certainly not as cut-and-dried as Malcolm's party (or his detractors) likes to present it. However, Spielberg expects us to see the [=InGen=] team as objectively evil and Malcolm's team as unquestionably good, ruining any opportunity for nuance.

* VindicatedByHistory: The film was initially overall well received, but only a short time afterwards was heavily criticized for the plot and characters. For years it was seen as a pretty poor sequel and, while ''Film/JurassicParkIII'' was seen as worse, it remained a relatively popular opinion that ''The Lost World'' was a bad film. Starting around the time of of ''Film/JurassicWorld'' though, people began to change their tone about this film, largely because it had a more ambitious and interesting plot than 'something goes wrong in the park and dinosaurs run amuck', while still keeping the themes of the first film. By the time of ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'', people had greatly warmed up to ''The Lost World'', feeling that it was much better than any of the sequels that came after it and was simply a victim of being in the shadow of the first film.

** The opening of the film starts with the debut of the iconic Universal logo and theme.

* VindicatedByHistory: The film was initially overall well received, but only a short time after was heavily criticized for the plot and characters. For years it was seen as a pretty poor sequel and while the third film was seen as worse, it remained a relatively popular opinion that it was a bad film. Starting around the time of of ''Film/JurassicWorld'' though, people began to change their tone about the film, largely because it felt more ambitious and interesting plot, while keeping the themes of the first film still. By the time of ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'', people had warmed up to the film greatly, feeling that it was much better than any of the sequels after and was simply a victim of being in the shadow of the first film.

** Practically EVERYONE from the side of the "[[DesignatedHero heroes]]", but particularly Sarah and Nick. Not only did they cause practically every death in the film because of their misguided activism, [[UngratefulBastard but they also sabotaged the guys who saved them]] because [[BlackAndWhiteMorality they were hunters]] and also because, apparently, [[SkewedPriorities a T-Rex's life is worth more to them than those of humans]]. (Even after said T-Rex ''ate'' one of their friends.) Thanks to them releasing the dinosaurs from their cages, Ludlow was forced to bring the buck T-Rex into San Diego to get some profit out of the venture, and the creature causes untold destruction and death on his rampage. Combine that with the fact that they [[KarmaHoudini apparently get away scott-free in the end]], their more than questionable mentality that [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters the dinos are victims of the humans]], the sheer idiocy of their actions (see WhatAnIdiot below) and the fact that they constantly ignore or chew out [[IgnoredExpert Malcom, a guy who's already suffered a good deal because of the dinos in Isla Nublar]] and you get why some viewers may be RootingForTheEmpire.

*** With the ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'' confirmation that Hammond's shift "from capitalist to naturalist" was due to Benjamin Lockwood planning to use the cloning technology they developed together to [[spoiler: clone his deceased daughter, which eventually succeeded]] and the subsequent falling out they had over this, it actually comes off as a downright petty act of retaliation.

* VindicatedByHistory: In an odd flip-flop manner when the film first came out reception was decent, but not great. Then in the early 2000s to 2010s the film was the target of ire, especially in comparison to the first film and then ''Film/JurassicWorld''; so much so that sites of franchise fans often specifically had pages bashing it. But following the release of ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'', many have started to look back more fondly upon this first sequel for still playing on themes from the original while still managing to do something unique and different, with online reviews shifting from bashing on the film for perceived flaws to praising aspects of it lost on earlier reviewers. It's often said that this film, while still preachy and environmentalist, remains an exciting adventure blockbuster that keeps its messaging in the background of the action, whereas ''Fallen Kingdom'' is preachy and environmentalist to the point that it borders on cringy. Part of this probably stems from ''Fallen Kingdom'' being a RecycledScript version of ''Lost World'' down to the title, as [=MaryAnn=] Johanson pointed out in her review of the former. Both have good environmentalist-types go to the island in hopes of protecting the dinosaurs, but greedy industrialists (the ringleader of whom has a personal connection to John Hammond) have other plans for the creatures that involve bringing them to the mainland. Having ''Lost World'''s protagonist appear in the BookEnds of ''Fallen Kingdom'' only makes the similarities harder to ignore. Nowadays the sentiments are typically that it's the second or third best of the franchise.