If you thought Universal was going to leave this ‘Jurassic’ franchise actively dormant like the dinosaur DNA from the first ‘Jurassic Park’ movie, then you are very much mistaken. With a brand-new cinematic adventure in the ‘Jurassic World’ saga (which now stretches to seven films) we have ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ – a deceptive title in some respects as it treads on very familiar ground, but this time without the requisite bite needed to really engage with audiences.
‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ follows on five years after the events of ‘Jurassic World Dominion’. An expedition led by Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) braves isolated equatorial regions to try and extract DNA from three prehistoric creatures to aid a groundbreaking medical advancement. But shock-horror, things don’t go to plan.
Directed by Gareth Edwards (‘Monsters’, ‘Godzilla’, ‘Rogue One’, ‘The Creator’) and written by David Koepp, ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ has enough pedigree behind it to deliver a memorable chapter in this saga. Don’t get me wrong, the film is perfectly entertaining in a throwaway manner, and is a decent, if wholly forgettable, summer matinee. Fans of the ‘Jurassic’ saga will certainly get something from this. But these movies are iconic, and as such warrant being held to a higher standard given what’s come before.
Edwards can deliver a gorgeous looking film on a relatively modest budget, as he has proven in the past. But there was something very off with the CGI in ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ that really felt very fake. Granted, this is a film about dinosaurs so fake is a relative term, but at times I thought the CG images onscreen really lacked crispness and impact, making it harder to engage with the plot.
And as for the plot, it’s well-worn by now but that’s no reason why innovation and creativity can’t come into play. Instead ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ felt like a greatest hits of set-pieces that we’ve seen played out in the past and previously done better, with the likes of ‘Jaws’, King Kong’, ‘Skull Island’ and ‘Godzilla’ all an inspiration for this movie. So nothing here really feels like a distinctly original action sequence to set this movie apart from the others.
Scarlett Johansson leads the film well. Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend and Ed Skrein lend their support and all do serviceable jobs, with Ali the pick of the bunch. Luna Blaise, Audrina Miranda, David Iacono and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s secondary story thread – one that drags their family kicking and screaming into the main adventure – is sadly too half-baked to really have any impact on the audience. It’s a shame, because these films have usually always nailed the characterisation down, so to drop the ball in this film is a real shame.
‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ might play to familiar beats, but there is enjoyment to be had… even if you can see it coming from a mile off. The lack of genuine ideas really doesn’t help this franchise for the future though, and for a film with ‘Rebirth’ in its title, I rightly expected much more than just another chapter with diminishing returns. ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ should have been much braver in its mission to keep these dinos relevant and exciting in our multiplexes, but for what it’s worth, it’s still an enjoyable, if completely forgettable and overlong, watch.
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, Ed Skrein Director: Gareth Edwards Writer: David Koepp Certificate: 12A Duration: 134 mins Released by: Universal Release date: 3rd July 2025
