I felt disappointed after my initial viewing of The Lost World (in the cinema, during the original run). But with every subsequent viewing, it just gets better.

I love the way Spielberg wears his cynicism and bad faith on his sleeve in this film, as if he's saying "Yes, I know this is predictable, but I'm making this so I also get to make Saving Private Ryan". The cut from the screaming girl to a yawning Jeff Goldblum is a brilliant case in point. Or the way Goldblum later mutters, as his companions stare in stegosaurauses in awe, "Yeah, I know. Ooh. Aah. But later, there's running and screaming."

At the same time, this film does exactly what you say here, in looking at human pride, with more subtlety than people generally give Spielberg credit for. And yes - the set pieces are terrific. My favourite ones involve glass and grass, respectively (the breaking windscreen, and the lines in the long grass showing approaching velociraptors). Spielberg's direction is astonishing, even when he's on autopilot.

Finally, John Williams Steiner-esque music is superb. Although it lacks the big themes of the original, in many respects I consider it the superior score of the two, with a more percussive, and sometimes experimental vibe. It's a remarkable piece of work that fits the film like a glove. I wrote about the score for both Spielberg Jurassic Park films here, if you're interested:

https://medium.com/the-riff/the-music-of-jurassic-park-and-the-lost-world-8c25a6a6f17b