I'm really glad you think that as I think this film is hugely underrated. It's the only Jurassic Park sequel I have any great love for. Spielberg's direction is masterful, and there are some brilliant set pieces and imagery (one involving glass, the other grass).

As you point out, I also love the way the film has a delightfully cynical undercurrent - for instance in the way it cuts from the screaming mother in the first scene to Ian Malcolm yawning on the subway (again, as you mention). His banter throughout is brilliant: "Yeah ooh and aah, but later there's running and screaming." It's very clever for Spielberg to wear his bad faith on his sleeve, as if to say "I'm only directing this so they'll let me make Saving Private Ryan". Yet despite this, he can't help but be brilliant.

Oh, and John Williams's score for this one is a knockout. Arguably superior to his score for the first film, even though the original has the big hummable themes. I wrote about the music here, if you're interested. :)

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