The Lost World always felt off to me, even when I was a kid. I think realistically, it was Universal/Spielberg trying to pump the gas and capitalize on the success on the previous one. They famously started production on the film before the book it was based on was even published—a book that they kinda had to convince Crichton to write.

As a result, I think there's a clumsiness about it. Thematically, it kinda retreads notions about pushing science too far and the exploitation of nature, and mostly pushes safari-type imagery as the major change. Plus the ending, which seemed like Spielberg wanting to do King Kong but with a dinosaur.

It doesn't really try to say anything new, characters keep doing silly things to drive the action (Harding scolds the other characters for using water on a fire since it'll attract predators, then brings a baby T-rex back to the camp, and leaves bloody rags hanging in the open... both of which get people killed), and the third act does feel really disconnected. Like you said, a lot of the characters disappear and it doesn't even bother to really explain how the ship's entire crew died without any real damage being shown, and somehow it was still able to arrive at the dock it was destined for somehow... I dunno. The story was a justification to brute force a lot of big set pieces, which is ultimately fine because they're Spielberg set pieces. JP3, at the very least, kinda overtly telegraphed that it was mostly there to deliver on crazy dinosaur action, which worked for me quite a bit.

"Let's Build a Snowman" from Matt Stone/Trey Parker's Cannibal: The Musical. For what was essentially a sideproject while they were at university, they had a lot of hits in there.

The movie is worth watching just for Michael Clarke Duncan going all in on the comedy. He was hilarious. "Straighten your tie, Guy... Oh, are you gonna cry, Guy?"

I thought it was fantastic. My big criticism is that Sebastian J. Cricket is supposed to kinda vouch for Pinocchio at the end of the film, but by that time they had barely been together. Sebastian kinda hangs out with Geppetto for the majority of the runtime.

Everything else: loved it. Was also super excited to see Patrick McHale's name attached, since I loved his work on Over the Garden Wall. He's able to balance silliness and super-dark themes very well.

I really hope she hasn't spent that long thinking her performance was just an incidental part of something that was already going to be successful. People legit thought they were watching a snuff film at the time because her performance was about as intense and realistic (and iconic) as you can get.

Especially considering this was the cast's first big project in their careers. I think all three of them were fresh out of college.

I think it's wonderful. It doesn't have the same sense of encroaching darkness and grime that Silence of the Lambs has, but that's to its benefit. Scenes are more brightly lit, sets are more sterile, but that all adds to the realism. Nothing's really overdone, everything feels like it's firmly happening in our world. I really got the sense that Fincher took inspiration from Manhunter when he was making Zodiac.

I still probably like Silence of the Lambs more since that's the one I watched first, but Manhunter is a close second as far as the series goes. Definitely like it better than Red Dragon.