Jurassic World Rebirth – Review

Reel and real life in a tentpole blockbuster franchise has never been more aligned than with the massive Jurassic Park/World franchise. Both the scientists in the long-running science fiction film series created by author Michael Crichton, and the studio executives responsible for the previous two trilogies, long and continue to resurrect relics of the past, in the hopes that mankind finds new ways to appreciate that which has come before.

Roaring from the success of 2014’s Godzilla reboot, the much-loved 2016 prequel, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and 2023’s standout original sci-fi film, The Creator, director Gareth Edwards has dived back into his franchise roots to take on another on-screen giant – the dinosaurs of Jurassic World. Teaming up with screenwriter David Koepp, who co-wrote the first two Steven Spielberg-directed Jurassic Park films from 1993 and 1997, the duo enlists Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein on yet another journey into the modern world of dinosaurs.

Set five years after the events of the last trilogy, capped by the slightly lumbering behemoth that was 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion, dinosaurs that have been brought back through cloning no longer find Earth hospitable, and now reside in tropical locales, away from the bustling civilisation. But even as mankind has grown tired of the overgrown reptiles, the scientists have not and pharmaceutical representative Martin Krebs (Friend) entices covert operation expert Zora Benett (Johansson) to lead a team of operatives, including paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Bailey, Wicked), to infiltrate an abandoned InGen dinosaur research facility in the Atlantic Ocean, to retrieve three DNA specimens necessary for the development of a modern medical breakthrough that can save millions of lives.

Even if you’re watching with both eyes closed, it’s painfully obvious who the bad guys are here, and if you’re expecting some new plot twist to add to franchise lore, you’ll be really upset. As an extension of the original duology, there’s little in terms of narrative surprises from Koepp, who basically defined the franchise bible with Crichton. Given previously revealed global fallout of dinosaurs leaving the island and travelling the globe in the previous trilogy, the award-winning screenwriter conveniently negates it all by bringing the mammals back to the tropics, and having yet another team explore an island teeming with dinosaurs.

And you can’t have a dinosaur movie without putting some children’s lives at stake and that comes in the form of the Delgados – Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, The Lincoln Lawyer), his eldest daughter Teresa (Luna Blaise, Manifest)  her boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono, Dead Boy Detectives), and his youngest, Isabella, played by newcomer Audrina Miranda. Shipwrecked after their clipper gets flipped by the aquatic Mosasaurus, they are picked up by Duncan Kincaid (Ali, Green Book) and his crew led by Zora, who rescue the quartet but cannot bring them to safety on land, on the account that their infiltration of the research facility is illegal and cannot draw attention.

But attention to detail is what audiences want, to watch the many dinosaurs succeed in killing, as we relish in seeing selfish human beings get chomped on and gnawed upon, and Edwards proves himself an expert in deaths as one by one, the expedition loses men after men across several body parts, and struggle to escape. But after six outings in 22 years, there’s an odd sense of familiarity as we recognise the jump scares when random reptiles emerge, whether it’s due to the musical cues, or that we’ve all been there, done that. 

To his credit, Edwards gets the pacing down, whether it’s when the boat attempts to escape a preying Mosasaurus in the sea, or take on the Mutadon, a Pteranodon-Velociraptor hybrid, or when the kids just want to escape a menacing Tyrannosaurus Rex. Every escape and near-miss feels earned, even if predictable, and every death deserved because, like in horror films, those who are not aware that they live in a world where dinosaurs exist, are dispensable. Sadly, the much-touted appearance of a new lizard, Distortus Rex, is rather underwhelming – we get it already, Rexes are scary, but it’s about time there is a new monster to face off against.

Johansson, Bailey and Ali lead with the character building, which Edwards provides time to flourish, but even then, it feels slightly tacked on and predictable. Like with Reuben’s unhappiness with Terasa’s deadbeat boyfriend Xavier, until he continually proves himself on the island. But there are also things he misses, including Reuben’s malady with his injured foot that miraculously heals each time he’s being chased or hunted, or if one of his girls needs help.

Yet, it’s these sparse emotional elements that remind us this isn’t yet another dinosaur flick, as Edwards also spends time showing how much Loomis loves the reptiles, cueing the familiar music to match the majesty of the one-time rulers of the planet. It’s not forced, nor is it inserted for the sake of it and just five seconds of seeing him be enthralled by dinosaurs and charm Zora, you forget that once upon a time, the studio saw it fit to make Chris Pratt the lead in this series. 

Through their combined efforts, and even with the reused story beats, Jurassic World Rebirth establishes that there is still life in this prehistoric series. Like it or not, the scientists in the franchise, like the studio executives behind the films, don’t see the need to stop doing whatever it takes to bring us back in time, so why not just enjoy the ride.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?