Jurassic World Rebirth: After Decades Of Missteps, The Jurassic Franchise's Latest Is Its Best & Most Meaningful Movie In Years

In the best addition to the franchise in decades,Jurassic World Rebirthasks if it’s lost our attention forever or if we’re still willing to see something magical unfold onscreen this summer.In terms of blockbusters,Jurassic World Rebirthhas big shoes to fill,with the quality of the originalJurassic Parkand the sheer monetary value of theJurassic Worldtrilogy hanging over its head. Wisely, it doesn’t make much more than heartfelt homages to the best parts of its predecessors. However, the film is as nostalgic as the original, nostalgic for an audience who cares.

It asks what would happen if the world let the novelty of dinosaurs grow stale, or what would happen if seeing them on the big screen did. It hasn’t been that long since an installment of theJurassicfranchise hit screens andJurassic World Dominion’s negative critical reaction hit the internet. It’s easy to wonder what the need for another one of these films is and reflect on how impossible it is to ever top the original. However,Jurassic World Rebirthis aware of how much the adventure movie has changed since 1993.

Directed by Gareth Edwards, known for massive films likeGodzillaandRogue One, and penned by one of the writers behindJurassic Park, David Koepp,Jurassic World Rebirthisn’t trying to be a greatJurassicmovie, but a great movie in general.Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, and Scarlett Johansson lead the castas the rag-tag but skilled leaders of the expedition into the small territory dinosaurs still claim. As we’ve learned many times over the years, there will always be another reason to go back, andJurassic World Rebirthlets us feel the inexplicable pull toward danger and adventure without judgment.

Jurassic World Rebirth Teaches Us A Basic, But Valuable Moral Lesson Amid The Brilliant Action Sequences

Though On The Nose, The Emotional Moments Help Give The Story Clear Stakes

Within the first 10 minutes, the movie’s stakes are set, the objective laid out, and none of it is overly complex or trying to shock us with its scientific discoveries. It moves quickly in the beginning, leaving us wondering who these people are, but it’s worth it to arrive at the meat of the story. Getting to that island is the reason we come toJurassicmovies in the first place.There’s little shock factor when it comes to the narrative arc,but it’s better that the film doesn’t attempt to subvert our expectations only to fall short.

Though full of action and intensity,Jurassic World Rebirthborders on saccharine at times,dripping with hints of loss and moral self-righteousness that will doubtlessly get under your skin. The lessons taught throughout the film aren’t original or even packaged differently, as the story makes an argument for the appreciation of life, awareness of our insignificance, and that everyone deserves equal access to scientific discovery. These basic ideas have always propelled the series. However, the film isn’t wrong to give us a gentle reminder, even if there are a few lines that are so on the nose, it might make you scream.

Genetic experimentation still rears its ugly head inJurassic World Rebirth, but we’re all on the same page about messing with the base code of the universe from the beginning.Jonathan Bailey’s Dr. Henry Loomis gets to be the mouthpiece for the story’s morals, full of unabashed adoration for dinosaurs and the unflappable belief that money shouldn’t matter. Bailey manages to make him likable and compelling, allowing the commentary to go down a little easier. Luckily, it’s never too long before the film goes right back into the action, which is anchored by stakes that have some genuine depth.

The performances of Bailey, Ali, and Johansson help to even out the emotional bumps of the story.

Anchored by a better cast than the rest of the contemporaryJurassicworks combined, the performances of Bailey, Ali, and Johansson help to even out the emotional bumps of the story. There’s one extended expository conversation between Ali’s Duncan and Johansson’s Zora that should have been cut down by half, but it’s followed by a great action sequence; it would have been worse if handled by lesser actors. However, the biggest critique to be lodged against the cast is that Johansson is phoning it in just a touch.

However,it’s long past time that aJurassicmovie was anchored by a female hero.Thankfully, the movie doesn’t make a big deal about this and trusts the audience not to either, simply letting it happen. Johansson is fully believable during her stunts and action sequences. It’s only during the emotional moments that her performance feels thin, and that’s as much the fault of the script as it is hers. Outside the main cast of mercenaries, the unexpected secondary plotline does most of the work, making us care about the characters.

David Iacono’s Xavier was a surprising standout, providing some much-needed comic relief and serving as a foil to the well-meaning patriarch of the family, Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo). While we’re more invested in the main plot, it’s never a chore to return to the misadventures of the family, and it’s a well-known fact that everyJurassicfilm needs a couple of kids in the mix to make us as nervous as possible when they’re nearly eaten. When these near-misses happen,Jurassic World Rebirthfinds a balance between the terrifying and the fun,knowing it must walk the line between both to succeed.

Jurassic World Rebirth Goes Back To Basics, Trusting The Audience To Invest In The Story

The Film Is Aware We’ve Seen This All Before, But Argues That This Is The Fun Of The Jurassic Franchise

Throughout the film, we wait with bated breath to find out who the massive, genetically engineered final dinosaur boss of the story will be. After plenty of discussion about the need to mutate and enhance what’s already fantastical to keep up with the shorter attention spans and apathetic attitudes of the present day,Jurassic World Rebirthlooks us directly in the eye as it asks if we still find this story exciting.Everyone must draw their own conclusions, but I predict that for most of us, the answer will be yes.

Going back to basics was the best thing it could have done. With a straightforward narrative and characters we care about who don’t overcomplicate the plot, the film crafts something more timeless. The film will have no trouble raking in money, and maybe it’s naive to think this, but it feels as if there was an intention to touch upon what made the firstJurassic Parklight up our imaginations, not just hit a bottom line.Jurassic World Rebirthpremieres in a world just as apathetic as its fictional one, but it might make you feel something if you let it.