Hate is a strong word. I've seen much worse than TLW. My problems with it simply stem from the fact that I believe that it was just the wrong tone and story for a sequel, and it is filled with a truckload of stupidity. I can sit through it and enjoy some of it. Plus I just dig dinosaurs. I still feel as though JP3 is the more innocent sequel. I prefer Grant as a protagonist, I mostly liked his story, Eric wasn't a stupid or annoying kid, and the parents while "annoying" were at least realistically so. I think Paul is mostly funny and likable. Amanda is the least likable but I think she gets better and tougher as it goes. She's obnoxious in a soccer mom kind of way but that's intentional.
It's also very short and while it has its share of misdemeanors like the talking raptor but hey, at least it was a dream! It had no business being there, but it doesn't really ruin anything for me. If anything it's a part where watching it with friends and beer leads to some laughs. Aside from the trailer scene I think it has better action than the second one too. The whole raptor chase out of the embryonic lab ending with the raptors using the guy as bait was pretty fucking cool and I love the entirety of the pteranodon sequence. Billy flying around could be seen as comical to some, but I think it harkens back to that more care-free style of adventurous heroics.
I think both sequels fail to do a lot of justice to the original, but at least the third movie is fast and, IMO, less offensively stupid than aspects of the second. It's just more fun, quick, and vibrant. Nicer to look at too, to me. I guess I should also mention that I'd rather have the search and rescue story led by an annoying but realistic! family than a search and rescue story that leads to a story about a shitload of dumbasses and very unrealistic group of supposedly intelligent people trying to take dinosaurs to California.
