As Sarah and Nick try to repair the baby Rex’s leg, Ian takes Kelly to Eddie’s “high hide”, but decides to go back once he hears that familiar roar-and when Ian returns, we get not one, but two Rexes, who want their baby back.
Although it’s a bit hard to see in the dark, I like that there’s some considerable differences between the two Rexes-while the female looks pretty much like “Rexy”-her JP/JW “sister”-the male has a somewhat darker color scheme, and a more bulky head with more ridges around the nose.
The group give the baby Rex back, and after a few moments of calm, the Rexes decide to charge the trailer and destroy it, leading to the film’s main action scene pretty much, although it’s a bit too similar, I feel, to the attack from the first film-but with a few key differences.
First is that once half the vehicle goes over the cliff, Sarah falls, but is saved by a window-but one that is rapidly cracking under her weight, in a very tense scene.
Once it gives way Ian is able to save her by grabbing a hold of her “lucky pack” backpack. Eddie, however, tries to go back for his friends, and gives them a rope to pull them back up-but unfortunately, the Rexes decide to come back yet again and share an Eddie meal-causing the whole trailer and Eddie’s vehicle to fall over the cliff, although miraculously Sarah, Ian, and Nick somehow survive.
…and then they’re rescued by the hunters, who quickly reveal that with both their camps destroyed, they’re kind of stuck, and have to go to Ingen worker village at the center of the Island to send out an SOS. Here we’re also given a bit of socio-political commentary on the differences between the groups.
Tembo: “You’re that Earth first bastard, aren’t?”
Ludow: “What’s Earth first?”
Tembo: “Industrial saboteurs”
Nick Van Owen: “Environmentalists!”
Tembo: “Criminals.”
In a way, Tembo’s right, as they’re kind of stuck in this mess largely due to Nick’s actions here. The two decide to combine their efforts to head to the village, although Ludow sort of half-halfheartedly warns that’s where the Velociraptors hang out, and seems just plain bored (and a bit drunk) when Sarah suggests that the Rexes might still pursue them too. Especially since Sarah-who always seems to be so “cautious” about this kind of thing according to herself and Hammond, is wearing a jacket that still has the scent of the Rex infant’s blood on it. Great going, Sarah.
As the teams trek towards the Island center, we get a bit of character development with Ian mocking Ludow’s motives, and some ‘bonding’ of sorts between Nick and Tembo, as he explains his motivations.
Nick Van Owen: You seem like you have a shred of common sense, what the hell are you doing here?
Roland Tembo: Somewhere on this island is the greatest predator there ever lived. The second greatest predator must take him down.
[grins]
Nick Van Owen: [referring to Roland’s gun] You gonna use that?
Roland Tembo: If he doesn’t surrender, yes.
Nick Van Owen: [chuckles] The animal exists on the planet for the first time in tens of millions of years and the only way you can express yourself is to kill it.
Roland Tembo: Remember that chap about twenty years ago? I forget his name. Climbed Everest without any oxygen, came down nearly dead. When they asked him, they said why did you go up there to die? He said I didn’t, I went up there to live.
Eventually they stop for rest, with Tembo noting the Rex blood. However, he doesn’t do anything about it either. This is the same guy who was concerned about the Rex sniffing them out when he tried to capture the infant.
Meanwhile, Dietar-the least likable of the hunters-wanders off to use the ‘facilities”, and is slowly killed by Compies, in a tense, if somewhat overlong and slightly padded sequence. This is actually very similar to the fate of Hammond in the original novel, and like the early Compsonathus scene seems to be another thing they borrowed from the original novel that was not adapted in the original film.
Tembo of course, shows his likeability again when he not only starts his own search party for Dietar (Who doesn’t really deserve it) but says that nobody should tell Kelly, to not alarm her.
The group returns later on, and tells Malcolm they’re fairly near the village. However, things take a turn for the worst when the Rex’s smell Sarah’s jacket. It’s another very intense scene as the Rex sniffs around the tent, with it’s head directly over the terrified Sarah and Kelly.
Outside, Malcolm sees and hears the tell-tale Impact tremors (demonstrated of course by the classic water ripple in a nearby puddle), and also sells the terrified nature real well, as he watches in other horror.
Carter-the mercenary whose ignorance earlier in part led to Dietar’s death-then wakes up and panics, waking up the entire camp but also distracting the Rex’s long enough for Kelly and Sarah to escape.
Chased by the female Rex, Ian’s group along with Burke split with the rest of the hunters, and seek cover behind a waterfall (another scene adapted from the first novel). Burke becomes Rex chow when he freaks out about a snake, perhaps believing it’s poisionous, and breaks cover.
Meanwhile, the rest of the hunters-apart from Roland whose still at the camp, and without shotgun ammo because his gun has been emptied by Nick, instead having him resort to Eddie’s tranqs; and Carter, who wound up squished by the female Rex’s foot…-wander into some long grass despite the warnings of Arjay. Maybe not the best idea….
Next, I’ll cover the film’s climax and finale.
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