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Let’s face it, we all know what we’re getting into when we sit down for a Jurassic Park movie. Dinos are hungry, and we’re on the menu. While Jurassic World Rebirth might not rewrite the DNA of the franchise, it does deliver an entertaining ride with the kind of dino-filled fun that keeps us coming back for more.
Nostalgia Fuel
If you’ve seen any of the six previous Jurassic films, you’ve pretty much seen this one. If AI were to make a Jurassic movie, it might look something like Jurassic World Rebirth. No disrespect to all the hard-working, talented people behind the scenes, but that’s essentially what Rebirth feels like.
It takes all the franchise hallmarks, aspects audiences have loved over the last 30-plus years, and works them into one film. It’s a loving tribute to the franchise and also a reminder that when it comes to the Jurassic saga, we’re essentially on an alternate version of the same ride.
Let’s talk about the D-Rex (Distortus Rex), the film’s bizarre poster child. If you haven’t seen the promo shots yet, it looks like a T-Rex hooked up on a blind date with a beluga whale — the results aren’t pretty. Poor bloke. We get the metaphor: as humans, we’re always on the hunt for the next big thing and engineering our destruction for the sake of profit.
That being said, it’s also a reflection of the Jurassic franchise itself, which is always trying to go bigger. The mutant dinosaur is just one of many new species in the film, but none really terrifies in the same way that Rexy did back in 1993. The CGI is top-tier (as you’d expect with ILM on the job), but these over-designed monsters lack a lot of the tangible, visceral punch that made the original Jurassic Park so memorable.
New Island, Same Chaos
We’re back on a remote island again — this time, Ile Saint-Hubert, which looks stunning thanks to the production’s on-location shoot in Thailand and Malta. The new setting turns out to be the defunct research facility for the original attraction. How many islands did InGen have, anyway? From a story perspective, it’s something of a walk in the park.
Written by David Koepp — who penned the screenplay for the original film — Rebirth sticks to the tried-and-true formula, rather than attempting anything new. It makes you wonder what kind of rebirth the series could have if it dared to take a risk.
The missed opportunity is when Rebirth flirts with going back to the roots of the Jurassic franchise and original source material. The research and development lab is a reminder of the Frankenstein influences that made the original Jurassic Park novel so compelling. There’s an entire sequence that feels ripped straight from the Jaws playbook, and early on, the film is a reminder of how terrifying the Jurassic series can be.
As the straightforward plot barrels onwards, the film pivots back into its comfort zone. You know exactly who’s going to become dino chow and who’s going to make it to the credits. The Jurassic franchise isn’t shy about winking at itself either, and Rebirth does its share of nodding along the way, including a Snickers wrapper that recalls the late, great Dennis Nedry.
The Dangers of Technology
As for the characters, there are some attempts early on to inject emotional depth and backstory, but much of that gets sidelined once the dinosaurs arrive. Zora Bennett’s (Scarlett Johansson) personal and professional struggles fade into the background as the action takes over, leaving her arc underdeveloped.
Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) is similarly introduced with hints of a troubled past and a complicated relationship with his family, but once the Mosasaurus appears, those layers are barely touched again. Dr Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) has one of the story’s more emotional moments as he encounters the source of his studies in the wild, but is also otherwise sidelined.
Despite the cast’s best efforts to infuse some humanity, the focus on spectacle comes at the expense of the characters. Without the foundation of that strong connection, as soon as the dinosaurs start running, we stop caring. Given the amount of talent at the table, it leaves us wondering what was left on the cutting room floor.
Speaking of things being cut, Universal Studio’s Jurassic Park River Adventure ride finally makes sense, now that the franchise has returned to a sequence once storyboarded for the original film. It’s among the highlights in Rebirth, but after 30 years, it’s hard to shake the sense that it doesn’t quite capture the kind of nail-biting suspense and action that Spielberg would have delivered decades ago.
The Upside of Evolution
Credit where credit’s due: Jurassic World Rebirth deserves a nod for its eco-conscious efforts. The production team leaned into Universal’s GreenerLight programme, implementing eco-friendly measures at every stage of filming. From hybrid vehicles to beach cleanups, the team did its part to ensure that while dinosaurs were wreaking havoc on screen, the crew wasn’t doing the same behind the scenes. Kudos to them for not leaving the world in worse shape than they found it.
Jurassic World Rebirth is a fun but fairly forgettable ride that checks all the boxes for franchise fans and delivers a few decent action sequences. It doesn’t add much to the legacy, but it does hit those sweet Jurassic beats that we all love. This is a franchise that’s still straddling the line between kid-friendly spectacle and something more complex. How much would you pay to see a real, no-holds-barred, adult-driven Jurassic film that’s as terrifying and thought-provoking as it is thrilling? Until that happens, Rebirth scratches the prehistoric itch. Grab a dino-sized popcorn and enjoy the ride.
★★★☆☆ (3/5 stars)
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