Rating the acting

It's actually the performances which stand out above the action, structure or story. There's some genuinely very good (I'd argue almost as good as the first) blockbuster character acting lifting it to a 7 despite probably a 4 or 5 story idea.

Pete Postlethwaite 10 - lends weight to pretty much any role and loved the "oh you're breaking our hearts" line.

Vince Vaughn 9 - really good moral ambivalence, war movie acting and presence. More your Hicks from Aliens 2 level of side character that you're actually interested in than normally in these films.

Jeff Goldblum 8.5 - very watchable, fun delivery and enjoyed the slight character alterations.

Peter Stormare 8.5 - great scene and amazing presence. Can only imagine what Sergio Leone could have done with that face.

Vanessa Lee Chester 8 - actually really good in a realistic and engaging way. The gymnastics scene isn't her fault and the humour and timing were there.

Richard Attenborough 7.5 - only really given exposition but catches the character again perfectly. Shame he never got to play it as an outright villain.

Arliss Howard 7.5 - great voice but a slightly uninteresting villain compared to the multi-leveled John Hammond, as written in the book. The San Diego chargers line is almost impossible to deliver well.

Richard Schiff 7.5 - very likeable but doesn't get enough time.

Julianne Moore 7 - she's great in so many other movies, but her character's a bit too naive and constantly imperiled in a way that feels produced and unrealistic. Dern was better in the first movie despite being the less good actress.