Jurassic World Rebirth review: A fun but all-too familiar blockbuster
Score Details 'Jurassic World Rebirth brings some life back to a franchise that has overstayed its welcome.'
Pros Terrific performances from Johansson, Bailey, and Ali
Stunning visuals
Thrilling action and suspense
Compelling supporting characters
A meta story
Cons Some flat characters
Familiar archetypes and plot points
A clunky script
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Director Gareth Edwards (The Creator) has brought audiences back to the land of dinosaurs with his film, Jurassic World Rebirth. This standalone sequel to Jurassic World Dominion follows a team of hired operatives as they journey to an island inhabited by mutant dinosaurs, which were left behind by Jurassic World researchers, and try to gather enough dino-DNA to generate a cure for heart disease.
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The Jurassic Park franchise is struggling to keep things fresh and engaging. Clearly, the filmmakers knew this fact during the production of Jurassic World Rebirth. This sequel falls short of expectations with its familiar story elements, some thin characters, and a clunky script. Nevertheless, Jurassic World Rebirth still provides some entertainment, featuring some terrific new players, exhilarating action scenes, terrifying suspense, and outstanding visuals. This movie is far from the best in the Jurassic Park saga, but it's a decent blockbuster nonetheless.
A safe, barebones script
As the title implies, Jurassic World Rebirth takes the franchise back to its roots with a story by Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp. Thus, the seventh Jurassic Park movie presents many familiar character archetypes and plot points in a script occasionally held back by on-the-nose, expositional dialogue. While this may seem tiring for those who have seen all of the Jurassic Park films, Rebirth's story is well aware of that exhaustion.
The movie portrays the world's growing fatigue of dinosaurs coexisting with humans in the modern world, reflecting real-life exhaustion with the long-running Jurassic Park franchise. In this clever meta-narrative, the mutant dinosaurs in the movie represent a dark embodiment of the studios and their attempt to give audiences newer, cooler dinosaurs, adding more depth to the franchise's anti-consumerist message.
Despite its social commentary, Jurassic World Rebirth is a relatively simple and traditional chapter in the franchise's story. At the same time, Rebirth pays homage to classic films like Star Wars, Aliens, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jaws with its mutant creature designs and thrilling action scenes set on the sea, inside ancient temples, and in wrecked labs. This approach puts a clever spin on the franchise that fans of Steven Spielberg and his films should enjoy.
A great cast with some divisive characters
The new characters in Jurassic World Rebirth are somewhat of a mixed bag. Though the film briefly delves into Zora's (Scarlett Johansson) mercenary past and the loss of her partner and mother, Rebirth brushes past this without bringing anything distinctive or compelling to the character. Johansson at least delivers plenty of charm and charisma in her performance, making Zora somewhat enjoyable.
Similarly, Jonathan Bailey delivers plenty of childlike awe and humor as Dr. Loomis. However, his character doesn't display much development beyond fulfilling his dream of working up close with dinosaurs. The film even seems to forget his desire to keep his dinosaur museum open, with his field and character seemingly becoming an afterthought. Additionally, Martin (Rupert Friend) is the traditional corporate suit driven by greed as he schemes against the heroes during their adventure, making him a lackluster new villain in the franchise.
The most compelling character on this expedition is arguably Mahershala Ali's Duncan. Beneath his cool exterior, he struggles in the face of the death around him while mourning the loss of his son, making his confrontation with the Distortus Rex especially powerful. At the same time, the shipwrecked family led by Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) displays significant growth and relatability as they bond with each other and the dinosaurs around them. Their adventures on the island harken back to Dr. Grant's journey with Lex and Tim in the first Jurassic Park movie, reigniting the family-centric heart of the franchise.
An immersive thrill ride
Jurassic World Rebirth is another visually stunning addition to Edwards' filmography. Similar to 2014's Godzilla, Edwards and his team bring more realistic, jaw-dropping creatures to life on the big screen, with the six-armed Distortus Rex being the most remarkable addition to the franchise. Additionally, with the assistance of cinematographer John Mathieson, the film replicates Steven Spielberg's visual style, featuring an abundance of creative and vibrant shots that build wonder and terror.
Rebirth also delivers plenty of nail-biting action and suspense. The film masterfully builds heart-pounding tension as the dinosaurs lurk in the background, blending seamlessly with their surroundings before terrifying the characters and the audience. One of the movie's crowning achievements is when Reuben and his family try to grab a raft and escape from a sleeping T-Rex, making for a scene on par with Rexy's iconic escape from the paddock in the 1993 movie.
Is Jurassic World Rebirth worth a watch?
Even though the Jurassic Park franchise should've gone extinct a long time ago, Jurassic World Rebirth proves there is still some excitement left in this popular IP. This sequel is nothing that audiences haven't seen before in one way or another. That often works in the movie's favor. This summer blockbuster presents a lot of what made Jurassic Park so entertaining — action, suspense, and family drama, which should satisfy fans of Spielberg's original movie.
Jurassic World Rebirth is now playing in theaters.
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