About the film (courtesy of Universal Pictures):
Five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion (2022), the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures across the land sea and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.
Jurassic World: Rebirth is now the fourth film under the “Jurassic World” moniker, which is, of course, a continuation of the original Jurassic Park trilogy that was inspired by the Michael Crichton novel of the same name. Universal Pictures has seemingly milked this intellectual property for all it’s worth, and then some. At some point, however, enough will be enough. This may be that point…
It feels like Director Gareth Edwards shaped Jurassic World: Rebirth in the likeness of two of his previous directing efforts that fall eerily similar in both style and quality to Monsters (2010) and Godzilla (2014), neither of which were considered upper-echelon entertainment pieces. With the amazing job Edwards did with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), I was truly hoping for more, but that sadly is not the case from my perspective.
Jurassic World: Rebirth feels more like a movie that was heavily influenced in its production by stakeholders who demanded certain boxes be ticked to meet their criteria of what a hopeful summer blockbuster should be. Characters with emotional baggage – check. Brand sponsorship shamelessly littering the background (and foreground in some cases) – check. A cute, loveable creature/animal to win over soft hearts – check. Lots of destruction and vicious looking predators – check. Oh and definitely a macho character that only knows a heavy-handed response to any and every perceived threat – check. Am I missing anything? Fine, lastly a shallow, selfish and greedy antagonist – CHECK!
I’m not going to go as far as to say that Jurassic World: Rebirth is full of overused, played-out, all-too-familiar tropes. No wait, that’s exactly what I’m saying. In a world literally built on make-believe, this movie doesn’t have one original idea in its cinematic skeleton. Sad.
Yes, there are a few moments of entertainment, a couple of timely thrills, and maybe even a snicker-worthy quip tossed out there, but Jurassic World: Rebirth is mostly just entertainment gone extinct.
Scarlett Johansson is the film’s biggest star power, but she is completely eclipsed by a story that never finds its path and gets lost in the jungle trying to find success. Her supporting cast of Rupert Friend, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, and others never gets an honest chance to make an an impactful impression, as most potentially meaningful moments in this film seem rushed or robotic.
Jurassic World: Rebirth is worthy of an afternoon matinee at best. I would definitely advise against making it the cornerstone of your evening out, if that’s your intended plans. Even when shown on a premium large format screen with amazing sound, the overall experience is muted.
Jurassic World: Rebirth is in theaters everywhere starting Wednesday, July 2nd. Good luck if you plan on attending, and maybe you’ll find more to enjoy than this cynical reviewer did.
