The Lost World (2001 film)

Part 1

While in the Amazon rainforest, Professor George Challenger shoots an animal he believes to be a pterosaur. Returning to England, Challenger crashes a lecture at the Natural History Museum held by his rival, Professor Leo Summerlee. Challenger proposes an expedition to discover the home of the pterosaur, but is dismissed by the science community. However, big game hunter Lord John Roxton, and Daily Gazette reporter Edward Malone both volunteer to join and finance the expedition. A sceptical, pompous Summerlee also joins.

On the voyage to South America, Challenger reveals a map created by a Portuguese man, Father Luis Mendoz, leading to a remote Brazilian plateau. Upon this plateau he encountered dinosaurs, which he mistook for dragons, during a previous expedition. They travel to a Christian mission in the Amazon, meeting Agnes Clooney and her uncle Reverend Theo Kerr, who condemns Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Roxton immediately takes a liking to Agnes' tomboyish behaviour and flirts with her. Agnes volunteers to join the expedition as a translator. However, in the jungle, the expedition's porters flee out of superstition, but Kerr arrives, repeatedly trying to convince Challenger to turn back.

They reach the edge of the plateau and find a cave concealing a pathway to the plateau, but discover a blockage caused by explosives. They later find a gorge leading straight to the plateau, using a tree as a substitute for a bridge. However, when all but Kerr make it across, he suddenly knocks the tree into the gorge and leaves Challenger and the others stranded. Venturing into the plateau's jungle, they find Iguanodons and Hypsilophodons, a flock of Pteranodons, and a strange species of aggressive ape-men. Malone finds a lake which he names after his love, Gladys. Malone and Agnes are chased by an Allosaurus, but evade it after it falls into a large pitfall trap with spikes.

Part 2

Escaping the trap, Malone and Agnes find Roxton at the lake; learning the ape-men kidnapped Challenger and Summerlee. Warriors from an indigenous tribe appear in order to help them rescue the professors, as well as the son of their chieftain, Achille. Roxton plays a leading role in the rescue, shooting many of the ape-men. Per Challenger's request, the surviving ape-men are taken captive by the tribe, despite Achille's protest. Arriving at the village, the tribe is revealed to be descendants of surviving members from Mendoz's expedition and mistake Challenger for Mendoz, who taught them Christianity. The chief shows the other end of the cave and reveals that it was blocked by a man who visited the tribe and trapped them within the plateau.

The travelers explore the plateau and see more prehistoric life, including Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus. Agnes grows closer to Malone and realises she does not love Roxton due to his love of hunting and indifference to the prehistoric inhabitants. Meanwhile, Summerlee repeatedly attempts to escape with no success. Roxton falls in love with the chief's daughter, Maree, a woman who is quite similar to him. He earns the chieftain's permission to marry her after killing an Entelodon for the tribe.

Later, after having buried one of their children, the ape-men howl and attract two Allosaurus who attack the village. In the chaos, the chief is killed saving several villagers, as well as his daughter. Malone and Agnes begin to release the captured ape-men as Roxton and Malone manage to kill both dinosaurs with an elephant gun. At the same time, Summerlee reopens the cave using a home-made explosive using guano and gunpowder. The explorers use the open cave to flee as Achille and his tribe attack the group for causing the destruction of their village. Roxton is stabbed by one of the ape-men with his hunting knife, but uses his pistol to buy time against the Indians. Roxton seemingly dies from his wound, and the tribe does not follow the explorers.

Challenger, Summerlee, Malone, and Agnes return to the Amazon but encounter a crazed Kerr who sealed the cave and stranded them to prevent the plateau's exposure. This is because he believes it to be forged by Satan due to the ape-men. When Kerr produces a revolver, Summerlee wrestles him for it, only for Kerr to be shot and killed by accident. The expedition porters later find the survivors and return them to the safety of civilization. Returning to London, Malone discovers Gladys has become engaged to another man, he is quite happy about this as he discovers that he loves Agnes. At Challenger's press event, he unveils a juvenile Pteranodon he picked up as an egg. However, the excited crowd scares the Pteranodon out of a window. Malone and Summerlee convince Challenger to pretend the whole expedition was a hoax to protect the plateau's inhabitants from further destruction, sacrificing his reputation and success. Challenger sets off to find Atlantis while Summerlee remains in London with his family. Malone and Agnes admit their love for each other, and Malone decides to pursue a career as a novelist. In a final scene, Roxton is revealed to be alive and living with Maree and the villagers in peace.