‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Has Potential, But is Ultimately a Di-No
For quite a few years now, dinosaurs have been a part of my life. My nephew was obsessed with dinos as a young child, a passion that continued long into his teenage years. While he may have switched out his toy T. rex for those in the movies, there’s still a love for the scaly creatures that runs deep. So when Jurassic World: Rebirth was announced, my nephew and I were beyond excited to revisit the franchise that has entertained generations of dino-loving theater-goers. However, after the previous trilogy ended on a high note, with the dinosaurs and humans finally co-existing, how would this most recent film bring us back into the terror and drama of this beloved series?
Helmed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Jurassic World: Rebirth picks up with a new cast of characters and a moral dilemma of prehistoric proportions. Returning to the franchise with a new story is David Koepp, who has a long history with Steven Spielberg projects, having also written the two most recent Indiana Jones films, as well as the 2002 Spider-Man. Can Universal Pictures recapture what made Jurassic Park a success while also propelling it into a refreshing new direction?
[Warning: light spoilers from Jurassic World: Rebirth are below!]
A questionable mission lies within Jurassic World: Rebirth
When we last left off with our dino friends, balance had been established between the creatures and humans. Harmoniously living together, albeit perhaps with some severe caution, life had managed to find a way. However, almost five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion, the Dinosaurs are no longer thriving on the Earth that we humans have created. The planet has become inhospitable for all prehistoric creatures, except in tropical locales that resemble the Jurassic environment.
Outlawed by governments, it’s against the law to travel to these areas, for fear of safety; however, it’s precisely where our adventure is headed. Covert operative Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) is the best in her field and has been recruited by ParkerGenix for a special mission that requires getting up close and personal with some of the largest dinosaurs in existence. Thankfully, she won’t be alone in this venture because what is a muscle without the brain?
Cue the sexy paleontologist, Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), who has spent the majority of his life studying dinosaurs, but hasn’t ever seen one in person. His expertise is essential to complete the mission; however, will his inexperience prove to be deadly in the field? Rounding out the essential trio is the team leader and owner of the boat, Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali). Duncan is much more than just brawn, moving with military precision and a brain that is ten steps ahead.
The mission is dangerous as these three and the rest of their team set off into uncharted waters. In true Jurassic Park fashion, nothing is ever quite what it seems. From a wilderness full of dinosaurs and mutated creatures around every corner, there’s no way of predicting the success rate of the journey. Can they survive in Dinotopia and complete their mission?
A lackluster story mucks up this Universal film’s potential
Throughout the entirety of Jurassic World: Rebirth, you can see the potential of what almost was, or what could have been. The film itself was shot beautifully, with Gareth Edwards capturing the brilliance of the setting and the magic of what makes Jurassic Park exceptional. It truly felt like the dinosaurs were alive amidst the tropical islands and interacting with the characters in the narrative. Rebirth is the most beautiful film in the franchise, creating an almost artsy film that also happens to be set within the wildly successful franchise. Think of the Eternals of the Jurassic Park franchise, and you’ll understand the brilliance of some of the shots and the way that natural light was used to frame the story.
Even the cast was incredible, bringing nuance to the story through fantastic character development. Special praise is due to our trio, Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey, who carry much of the emotional catharsis of this film, and are one of the main reasons I would watch this film again in theaters. Their chemistry is intoxicating, feeling like genuine friendships rather than just castmates.
Of the three, Bailey was a favorite, as he felt the most relatable of them all. While he may be playing the sexy professor with those small glasses, at his core, he’s a nerd, which is something so many of us can relate to. He’s funny, but awkwardly, making me laugh multiple times, even if he was a liability in the mission.
Where Jurassic World: Rebirth really struggled was with its writing, which made the entire film almost unwatchable. Everyone gathers to watch a dinosaur movie for the dinos, so why did it take almost an hour for audiences to finally encounter them in any significant manner? Rebirth spends much of the time building backstories for all the characters, many of which were completely unnecessary, as they didn’t really go anywhere or amount to anything substantial.
Ideas are introduced that are dropped without another mention, which adds to the frustration instead of the enjoyment. It felt like Rebirth was too fixated on expanding the franchise that it missed actually building anything significant for which it could grow. In the words of Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm, the filmmakers were so preoccupied with whether they could, that they didn’t stop to think if they should. Sure, they can absolutely contribute to the mythos of the franchise; but in doing so, they missed the point of why people come to see films like this one.
Instead, it felt like the majority of the film was a rehash of the previous films, just not in a way that felt interesting or retrospective. They’ve reheated their own nachos but didn’t stop to consider if the chips were stale. We’ve seen expositions on forgotten islands and mutant dinosaurs resulting from experimentation. Rebirth didn’t even try to make something new or different, but delivered a story that they truly thought fans would appreciate because they loved it in previous installments.
Within that, there were two or three distinct ideas that could have been exceptional stories, if they had picked a single narrative and followed it through. Universal wanted an adventure film set on an island full of dinosaurs? The storyline with the mission to retrieve dinosaur DNA would have been the perfect idea to execute. There’s enough of a story that they could have easily developed an entire film around just that, with jaw-dropping action sequences and wicked CGI dinos.
Perhaps they wanted a horror film with dinosaurs as the main protagonists, which is what the third act turned into once the mission was complete. I’m all for this idea, as it would have felt like such a deviation from previous iterations. Let’s embrace the scariness that is living, breathing dinosaurs, as they are inherently terrifying. Have a film dedicated to being stuck in a facility, stalked by the scary monsters, with our heroes fighting for their lives. I would have watched through my fingers, but I would have enjoyed every minute of it.
However, we combined these two stories without giving either enough time to develop, which only served to muddle the film entirely. Once you factor in other narratives as well, such as the family that didn’t contribute much to the film, there were so many unnecessary elements in Rebirth that it felt boring instead of exciting.
This Jurassic World film isn’t much of a rebirth for this franchise
Do you like dinosaurs? If the answer is yes, then there’s a strong chance that you might enjoy Jurassic World: Rebirth. Once you get past the long setup for this film, there are plenty of large dinosaurs to capture your attention. But this film could have benefited from a tighter script and more time on the cutting room floor, as the just over two-hour film felt closer to four hours, and not in a good way.
That being said, there is plenty of fantastic action, and the actors are giving outstanding performances. I just wish there were a better story in which to revive this franchise. Although, as we know, life always finds a way, so perhaps there is life for this franchise after this rather forgettable dinosaur movie.
And if there is, it had better include Jonathan Bailey and his adorable eyewear, otherwise what’s the point?
Jurassic World: Rebirth is now in theaters! Are you watching it soon? What are your thoughts? Let us know on social media @MyCosmicCircus or join our Patreon and Discord to discuss!
Also check out: Review: Jurassic World: Dominion
