The 2025 latest offering of Jurassic World: Rebirth is a sequel that feels all too much like a “been there, done that” sequel with nothing really new to offer. Does it have a good cast? Yes and no. It can’t get much better than Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali; both firm favorites. The story? Only partly okay. The idea that in the world of jurassic anomalies, that the public gets burned out, makes a certain amount of sense.
The rest of the film is pretty much mutton dressed as lamb.
Jurassic World: Rebirth Story
5 years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion, Rebirth follows a scientific expedition to gather DNA for a medical breakthrough. They need samples from 3 different species. Cue chaos and mayhem.
The Main Cast
Scarlett Johansson is Zora Bennett.
Mahershala Ali is Duncan Kincaid.
Jonathan Bailey is Dr Henry Loomis.
Rupert Friend is Martin Krebs.
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is Reuben Delgado.
Luna Blaise is Teresa Delgado.
David Iacono is Xavier Dobbs.
Audrina Miranda is Isabella Delgado.
Let’s Talk Jurassic World: Rebirth
Director Gareth Edwards, using the script written by David Koepp; based on Michael Crichton’s characters, steps off on the wrong foot in the first few moments of the film. As WhatCulture.com points out, product placement spoils the film open. A Snickers bar wrapper causes the experimental station’s security protocol to malfunction. This out in the middle of nowhere location is full of weird and wonderful “creations” of the dino sort. There is even a “D” Rex.
Don’t ask.
Rather annoyingly, the film gives us nothing new to work with. Another issue is the inclusion of the baby triceratops. Isabella finds and captures a baby dinosaur, it looks like a triceratops. The thing might as well be in a Disney film. It is cute, and makes adorable baby dino noises. It also likes red licorice.
Awwww.
*One has to admire the young actress playing Isabella. The baby dinosaur must have been, at the very least, CG. So the girl is acting against a tennis ball on the end of a stick, or an animatronic puppet. Whichever the case, the kid rocks it.
It Works
Jurassic World: Rebirth works, after a fashion. Sadly, we have seen this story before. This version serves up a few memorable moments though. Dr Loomis touching the leg of a creature going through a mating or courtship event. The upclose shot of that leg is pretty darn impressive.
The film’s colour looks stunning as do all the vistas. Despite the exquisite camera work from John Mathieson, and editor Jabez Olssen, this still feels like stale leftovers on a Saturday afternoon.
It is the actors who really save the day here. Some of the characters feel a tad two dimensional however. That is alright though. The creatures are meant to be the stars here. Ali, Johansson, Bailey and Friend all hit their marks and convince easily.
The action, particularly the rubber raft sequence, is impressive for what it is and the stunts all look spot on.
There is still that feeling, while watching the film, that this sequel is not really necessary.
A reference is made about Dr Grant, played by Sam Neill. While this is appreciated, the plot itself is all too reminiscent of Jurassic Park III, sans Dr Grant.
The Verdict
Jurassic World: Rebirth is a solid 3 stars out of 5. It is, in a lot of places, sadly and regrettably underwhelming. The film’s budget is an estimated $180 million. In terms of box office receipts however, the worldwide gross is in excess of $868 million. For the studios, this is a clear win. This leads one to believe that another chapter in the franchise may well be just over the horizon. The film is streaming on Peacock right now.
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