n 1911 London, Professor George Challenger (Hoskins) is a grizzled explorer who argues at a public lecture with refined Professor Leo Summerlee (Fox) as he speculates about how iguanadons walked. Newspaper reporter Edward Malone (Rhys) jumps into the fray, offering to join an expedition that Challenger insists will prove his theories about dinosaurs. Malone is a city boy thinking he needs to act like a hero to win a woman's heart. Lord Roxton (Ward), a handsome adventurer with a reputation as a womanizer, is also attending Summerlee's lecture, and volunteers his services. Soon, they're all off to South America, and we next see them paddling up the Amazon in dugout canoes.
Challenger's determined to find the "lost world," a South American plateau described by a long-dead explorer who raved about dragons—and Challenger's convinced "dragons" means "dinosaurs." The only hard proof he has is a map. When Challenger and his team stop at a riverside mission to hire local guides, they meet Agnes (Cassidy) and her uncle, the Rev. Theo Kerr (Falk). Agnes grew up in the jungle, and she soon joins the expedition, casting a romantic eye toward Lord Roxton. However, her uncle, a religious missionary, warns the explorers that there's nothing for them to find.
When Malone stumbles upon an effigy of sticks and bones in the jungle, their native guides take it as a bad omen and high-tail it, leaving the British explorers with Agnes as their only guide. They eventually find the plateau, where they encounter a whole new world of dinosaurs and other surprises. The adventurers are soon at odds with each other, taking different sides when problems arise, even when their lives are at stake. They've come to the lost world for different reasons, and now their differences may threaten not only their own existence but the existence of the very world they've risked so much to find.
Seduced by CGI dinosaurs
When Walking with Dinosaurs proved to be a hit, executive producer Tim Haines approached the BBC with the idea to use the same technology in a drama, specifically The Lost World, based on Doyle's 1912 novel. Following in the footsteps of The Lord of the Rings, the filmmakers chose to shoot the miniseries in New Zealand, thanks to its many varied landscapes located relatively close to each other. The result is a compelling adventure story with lush scenery and digital dinosaurs rendered with detailed, loving care.
Anyone who enjoys reading classic adventure novels by writers such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules Verne will appreciate not only the look of the miniseries but its sense and sensibilities. Considering that several Lost World movies have been made, as well as the syndicated TV series, A&E's miniseries is by far the best of the lot in terms of capturing the flavor of Doyle's original work while bringing a subtle but modern approach to the story, especially in terms of the roles of women and aboriginals. What's really impressive is how the story manages to blend that modern updating with Victorian style. It's a tricky balance, but it works.
Even though The Lost World focuses on adventure, it wisely takes its time in establishing the characters, so that when those characters bump heads, there's no doubt about where anyone stands. There's plenty to fight about, and there aren't always any clear answers. The Lost World has a lot of ideas, and they're all worthwhile.
Although some viewers might find the miniseries a bit slow-going at first, by the midpoint of Part 1, there are plenty of dinosaurs, ranging from cute to massive (but harmless) to terrifying. The story has enough edge to give it bite, and it doesn't shy away from making pointed observations about a variety of topics. And if that's not enough, it's a pretty terrific adventure story, too.
