Johnston takes over from Spielberg

Worried parents Paul and Amanda Kirby - played by William H Macy and T�a Leoni - head off to Isla Sorna island to try to save their son who is stranded after a paragliding accident.

It comes as no surprise that much of the action centres on dinosaurs chasing humans and generally wreaking havoc.

Absent from The Lost World, Sam Neill returns as Dr Allan Grant.

However, he says he signed up for the film only after he was convinced the movie would be more eye-catching than the previous two.

"I had trepidations before I started," he says.

"I was unwilling to do this unless they assured me it was going to be bigger and better and faster and more furious."

It was dangerous - when they fired that sucker up everybody would step back

William H Macy on the spinosaurus

Neill adds that some of his reservations continued well into filming.

"These things are so time consuming and laborious to make - you never know until you see it - I was completely thrilled. I just think it's an absolute rip-snorter film."

'Marvels'

The film is being hyped on the basis of its stunning visual effects. Macy believes they will leave audiences breathless.

"I think it rocks. It's an adventure film. Usually, the first time I watch one of these things, it's a horrifying experience, just staring at my own image. But 10 minutes into the film I was gone," he says.

Tea Leoni: Loves dinosaurs

The film introduces us to new dinosaurs - like the spinosaurus. Macy reckons the actors deserved danger money just to appear on the set with the computer-operated monsters.

"I love things mechanical and they're marvels," he says of the animatronics.

The spinosaurus has 1,000-horse power. It can move its head at two G forces - that's in excess of 100 miles an hour.

"It was dangerous - when they fired that sucker up everybody would step back.

"Because a computer glitch or a bubble in the hydraulics or something and it whips its head and catches you at 180 miles an hour - you're going to go home for the rest of the day."

Macy says there were moments when it was difficult to believe they were not dealing with real animals.

It's not appropriate for all kids by any means - I'm not going to take my two-year old to see it

T�a Leoni

"You couldn't take your eyes off the raptors - because the eyes had 12 different movements.

"When the raptor had been running, his heart was beating really fast - and when it would settle down it would slow down. The realism of the thing was just fascinating," he explains.

Contrived

Leoni, who was accompanied at the Hollywood premi�re by husband David Duchovny, acknowledges the movie is scarier than the previous two.

"There was a concern - or discussions - about the level of intensity or tension," she says.

"It's not appropriate for all kids by any means. I'm not going to take my two-year old to see it."

Leoni says the film's sound effects, like a particularly gruesome "neck snap" noise make it unsuitable for the queasiest of moviegoers.

However, she adds: "There aren't guns in this - like people shooting each other - this is in the world of the fantastic and I do think that dinosaurs are a riveting issue.

"We all love them - remember as kids we knew all the names for them - but again there is some tension in the film and there are some noises - it's the noises that I think you have to be careful of.

Early reviews circulating on the internet have not been favourable. The film is being criticised for its contrived storyline and, unusually, for being too short.

At 87 minutes, die-hard fans of the Jurassic franchise have been left disappointed.

The humans encounter dinosaurs, humans get chased by dinosaurs formula, may have run its course.

Jurassic Park III opens in the UK on Friday 20 July.