Ask anybody to name the best dinosaur movie ever made, and they'll most likely say Jurassic Park (1993). More than three decades later, Steven Spielberg's dino blockbuster has yet to be matched in story and special effects quality, even by its own franchise. Truthfully, what's its competition? However, rewind to the silent film era, and there was another dinosaur movie ruling cinema: 1925's The Lost World.
If you haven't heard of The Lost World, I get it. For non-ciniphiles the film has been (mostly) lost to time—no pun intended. Still, its significance in cinema cannot be understated. While Jurassic Park has a juicy 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Lost World surpasses it with a perfect 100%. Sure, it may have fewer reviews when compared to Spielberg's more modern giant, but it's an impressive stat nonetheless. With the movie now available to watch for free on JustWatch TV, nothing is stopping you from checking it out, even if you just skim through to witness the then-groundbreaking stop-motion special effects.
'The Lost World' Stems From An Arthur Conan Doyle Book
While Sherlock Holmes never faced off against dinosaurs, he does share connective tissue with The Lost World. Sherlock Holmes creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, penned the novel in 1912 by using zoologist notes and a little inspiration from Jules Verne's famous book Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864). The story itself is pure sci-fi adventure, with a first-person account of an expedition party's exploration of a remote South American plateau where prehistoric animals and dinosaurs exist among a group of ape-like creatures.
The movie, directed by Harry O. Hoyt, follows Doyle's novel pretty closely, apart from a romantic subplot and an angry Brontosaurus rampaging through London, which is worth checking out all on its own. Willis Harold O'Brien did the stop-motion effects for The Lost World, with many of his tricks and signatures carried over in King Kong (1933). Although it all might seem a bit cheesy now, The Lost World was revolutionary during its release. Not only did O'Brien's special effects set a new standard in cinema, but it paved the way for the big monster movies that came after, like the aforementioned King Kong, The Valley of Gwangi (1969), and, of course, Jurassic Park.
'Jurassic Park' Might Not Exist Without 1925's 'The Lost World'
It's important to note that behind Spielberg's Jurassic Park sits the author who originally brought the idea to life. After going through multiple story ideas and many rewrites, Michael Crichton published Jurassic Park in 1990. While he didn't take much from the plot of Doyle's novel, Crichton cited Doyle's book and the 1925 movie as inspiration, even going as far as to homage them with the title of his sequel novel, The Lost World (1995).
If you've seen the movie adaptation with Jeff Goldblum back as Ian Malcolm, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), then you know it skews even closer to 1925's The Lost World film adaptation by ending with a T. rex rampaging through San Diego, similar to how the Brontosaurus stomped through London in the silent era. Funny enough, that gives Crichton's and Doyle's books another iconic connection, considering their respective film adaptations slapped on a "dinosaur meets city" ending that wasn't part of the source material. I always thought of Jurassic Park: The Lost World's ending as a King Kong nod, but after watching The Lost World, that's clearly the true inspiration.
Why To Watch 1925's 'The Lost World' (And What To Watch After)
Truthfully, The Lost World won't be for everybody. Ciniphiles? Yes. Silent movie lovers? Absolutely. But it's likely fans of modern-day, action-packed movies won't have the patience to sit through The Lost World's silent movie theatrics and dated special effects. Even still, it's free on JustWatch TV, so why not skip through it and watch your own abridged version of one of cinema's most influential movies? Who knows? It might even become a new favorite.
Whether you watch The Lost World or not, everyone should check out Jurassic Park and its sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. But, hey, if you really want to get the vibe of Doyle's The Lost World, consider trying 2001's The Lost World. It's not perfect, but it's a fun and faithful adaptation with decent special effects. I'd also argue that Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005) has a Lost World vibe.
