Running Time: 133 minutes
This feature from Universal Pictures opens exclusively at theaters on July 2nd.
Like most teens and kids of the era, I was thrilled by the original Jurassic Park after it arrived at cinemas in 1991. The movie delivered a sense of wonder and excitement as it introduced viewers to dinosaurs, and presented memorable thrills as the beasts got loose and showed their power over humanity. The two sequels that followed weren’t as effective, but did have individual moments of greatness. For this reviewer, the 2015 follow-up Jurassic World was another winner, delivering the same kind of grand scope and thrills as the original, while adding in some fun new elements. Subsequent sequels have lagged significantly, with the previous chapter suggesting that the series might have run its course.
Jurassic World Rebirth is just what the title suggests, an attempt to revitalize the franchise. The movie boasts a talented cast and crew, including the screenwriter of the original film. But while the promise of exciting new dinosaurs and fresh characters might have sounded like a good idea, the filmmakers would have been wiser to have listened to the advice of one character in their own film and avoided this kind of experiment. The final product is strangely flat and less-than-enthralling.
After the events of the previous films, dinosaurs have begun to die out due to unlivable conditions in the modern world. Most remaining creatures now live hidden in regions along the Equator. Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) is a pharmaceutical CEO desperate to locate some of these dinosaurs. Specifically, he wants blood and tissue samples from living specimens to develop a new medication. Krebs hires merc Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) and paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) to travel to an abandoned island where secret InGen research was once conducted. Scientists on site were attempting to splice different dinosaur species and create new lifeforms for display before it all went horribly wrong.
Despite being told that no one in their right mind goes near this isolated peninsula, the protagonists agree to the proposal and also employ Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) and his team to sail them to the island and assist them. While on their way to collect samples, they encounter a family in distress boating near the island. Those on the craft include Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), his eldest daughter Teresa (Luna Blaise) and her boyfriend Xavier Dobbs (David Iacono), as well as his youngest child, Isabella (Audrina Miranda).
What works best in the film are a few scenes involving the humans trying to retain samples and escape the wrath of the enormous creatures. The first third of the picture is set primarily on boats. When the characters come into contact with one of the large aquatic hybrid dinosaurs, the visuals are impressive. Additionally, there is an entertaining scene involving a Tyrannosaurus Rex pursuing the Delgado family in a river raft (which has been loosely adapted from a chapter in the original Jurassic Park novel).
But while some of these bits and a few humorous comments relating to the frightening events work, in its finished form the script has too many shortcomings. For one, the characters aren’t particularly well-drawn. The film strains to get viewers to relate to Zora and Duncan, eventually having them trade blunt stories about their personal losses (while an over-the-top score booms in the background). Paleontologist Loomis also spends too much time attempting to convince the protagonist that there may be more important things in life than a huge payday.
Additionally, the film largely separates the Delgado family from the main crew, to the point where they feel like they’re in a separate movie. Viewers will wonder why the father put his family in such dire straits in the first place by sailing in the general vicinity of the island. It makes all of the characters in this story difficult to truly engage with. The supporting characters come across as little more than dinosaur chow, and even the villainous Krebs is so one-note he may as well have been given a moustache to twirl.
As for the dinosaurs, they are given the monster-movie treatment (with a PG-13 treatment). The face of the film’s main reptile bears a resemblance to the title character in Alien, and other scenes remind one of the first Avatar sequel. A cute pet dinosaur is strangely wedged into the mix, but not used to its full potential. And the final moments, which see surviving characters on a boat sharing smiles, feels inauthentic (especially considering they were all attacked by ocean-dwelling dinos just one day earlier).
While there are some interesting individual moments, this is an odd follow-up that’ll leave many scratching their heads. The characters aren’t engagingly written and a lot of aspects feel patched together, lacking cohesion. And it’s strange to see a legendary and, at one time, unique franchise start lifting from other film series and itself. Jurassic World Rebirth may be a modest improvement over the previous entry, but it does little to reinvigorate this flagging franchise.