DR ALAN Grant has devoted his entire life to the study of dinosaurs, but he never imagined he'd have to come face-to-face with them - again.

But that is the fate that awaits the good doctor in Jurassic Park III (PG), which sees Sam Neill reprise his role as one of the world's leading palaeontologists.

Eight years after the disastrous attempt to turn a remote island near Costa Rica into a theme park for gene-tically-engineered dinosaurs, Grant is determined to put his narrow brush with death behind him.

But lacking funds to continue his research, Grant accepts an offer from wealthy adventurer Paul Kirby (William H.

Macy) and his wife Amanda (Tea Leoni) to accompany them on an aerial tour of a nearby island, used as a breeding ground for the theme park.

Accompanied by his protg (Alessandro Nivola), Grant suspects something is not right when the pilot prepares to land.

Once again stranded on an island inhabited by genetically-cloned dinosaurs, Grant finally discovers his deceptive hosts' true reason for inviting him on this journey.

Rather than simply an aerial tour, it is a search and rescue mission to find the Kirbys' teenage son Eric (Trevor Morgan), who disappeared while holidaying with Amanda's boyfriend.

Now, as they attempt to track down Eric and find a way to escape with their lives, the marooned group encounter terrifying new creatures, including the massive Spinosaurus, capable of hunting on land and under water, and the flying Pteronadons.

The third film in the ground-breaking series sees Steven Spielberg hand over the reins to director Joe Johnston, best known for special effects movies like Jumanji and Honey, I Shrunk The Kids.

Following in the footsteps of Spielberg was never going to be easy for Johnston.

"Jurassic Park is one of those turning points in movies," he says.

"They put a living, breathing dinosaur on the screen.

These are hard movies to make.

Steven warned me about that and I realise now how true that is.

"But there's no such thing as an easy film.

Some just have more in the toy box than others.

I believe we've delivered the goods here, in part because of the stunning technical advances that have occurred since Steven' s 1993 original."

The director savoured the idea of bringing back Neill's character.

"This is a different Dr Grant," he says.

"He barely survived Isla Nublar and he's been hardened by his experience.

He's more cynical and he really doesn't want to be there."

His character may have been reluctant to enter the fray, but Neill was eager to don the doctor's fedora - and his shoes.

"I've never played a film role twice, and coming back to play Grant was like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes," says the actor.

"We have a story that moves like an express train driven by some very alarming dinosaurs," adds Neill.

"This film is more extreme, a full-on thing from the time you get to the island, which is almost immediately, to the time we get off - for those who do! Who will survive? I'm sorry, I'm not at liberty to say.

Joe (Johnston) said this would probably be the most physical film I'd ever do.

He was right."

Co-star Macy agrees the 20-week shoot was a gruelling experience: "We got banged up pretty badly.

When we shot in the fuselage of the airplane, it was like spending the day in a clothes dryer.

The good news was that almost all of us, sooner or later, ended up on top of Tea Leoni."

Leoni, who plays Macy's estranged wife, wore the scars of her effort proudly.

"I had bruises everywhere.

As we went along, more of my makeup was to cover the real bruises than to create fake ones.

But it was all worth it," says the actress, who accepted the role before the script was finished.

"Joe promised me she would be heroic - that she had a little Rambo in her - and that was good enough for me."