Jurassic World: Rebirth – Collette’s Review

The Jurassic franchise has had both successes and failures. Should this dinosaur series become extinct, or should it continue to thrive? One thing is certain: move over, Jeff Goldblum; we have a new science hottie with little glasses to lust over.

Jurassic World: Rebirth is set approximately five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion. Dinosaurs have become a normal part of life as they roam the Earth once again. However, due to the escalating climate crisis and the diminishing vegetation in urban areas, many of these creatures are facing extinction once more. The dinosaurs living closest to the equator, however, tend to have a longer lifespan.

As we learned from the previous film in the franchise, humans are no longer fascinated by dinosaurs. In an attempt to regain attention, scientists have begun mutating DNA to create new species. The facilities where this experimentation took place are long gone, but the creatures still exist on a remote tropical island that the public is prohibited from visiting.

Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) is recruited, along with Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) and Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), by Parker-Genix, a pharmaceutical company represented by Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), for a top-secret mission. Their goal is to identify the top three remaining prehistoric species from land, water, and air to develop a groundbreaking drug that could save countless human lives.

Along the way, they run into a family who survived a shipwreck and now must fight for survival on the deadly island.

It’s refreshing that the story deviated from the typical Jurassic Park formula while still incorporating nods to the original throughout. Specifically, there’s the moment when the sign falls behind the skeleton of the T-Rex, as well as the use of a red flare to attract a creature’s attention. Additionally, there is a great raft scene that is directly from the pages of Michael Crichton’s novel.

At its core, this film revolves around the search for three different DNA samples, but the story is complicated by introducing a family on a boat vacation. Every Jurassic story typically includes kids in its narrative, but in this case, the children feel out of place because the characters lack depth and connection to the main storyline. It almost seems like there were two different scripts that were merged together after someone realized, “Oh, we need children in this.”

The film contains a significant amount of exposition, but it fails to enhance the story. There is no real connection to the characters, and their motives remain unclear. At times, the excessive exposition actually slows down the movie’s pace. Some of the writing aimed to be witty, particularly with Johansson’s character; however, despite her efforts, the jokes often fell flat.

Jonathan Bailey stood out as a highlight of the film, bringing the right mix of heart and wonder that every Jurassic movie needs. On the other hand, Mahershala Ali was severely underutilized and provided with insufficient material to showcase his talent. It’s truly unfortunate, as his “hero” moment turned out to be lackluster when it could have been one of the most memorable scenes in the film.

This movie had plenty of tension and jump scares, but it is never truly terrifying. Even with the addition of the mutated dinosaur the D-Rex, the tension is there but it is not actually scary. You can really feel the absence of Spielberg’s magic, as he not only built tension but also created scenes that were genuinely frightening.

Overall, this film is entertaining, featuring plenty of action and a solid plot. However, the characters could have been more developed, and the story could have used a bit more emotional depth. There are some fantastic moments, particularly in the cinematography, and nothing hits harder than a John Williams score. While Jurassic World: Rebirth rewatchable, it is somewhat forgettable.