Over the past 32 years, dinosaurs have ruled the box office. Since the release of the 1993 masterpiece, Jurassic Park, the films have consistently served as a reliable source of revenue for Universal. To date, four of the six movies in the franchise have grossed over a billion dollars, with only The Lost World and Jurassic Park III falling short of that milestone. While the franchise’s financial success is undeniable, none of the sequels have reached the cinematic heights of Steven Spielberg’s original in terms of quality.
With 2022’s Jurassic World: Dominion, the franchise appeared to deliver an underwhelming final chapter, but just as the 1993 original proved, Universal was never going to let dinosaurs become an endangered species in cinema. Enter Steven Spielberg’s new concept for the series, the return of original screenwriter David Koepp, the always dependable Gareth Edwards at the helm, and a “back to basics” promise, and out comes Jurassic World: Rebirth.
Shallow and unnecessary, Jurassic World: Rebirth underwhelms on nearly every level. Playing like an Apple Music or Spotify playlist of the franchise’s greatest hits, the film is buried under déjà vu storytelling and lacks emotional or narrative depth. If this is the franchise’s big reset, maybe it’s time Universal finally let the dinosaurs and the Jurassic Park franchise go extinct.
Set after the events of Dominion, Jurassic World: Rebirth takes place in a world where Earth’s environment has become increasingly inhospitable to surviving dinosaur species. Most have perished, except for a small number living near the equator. With only a few specimens remaining, Zora Bennet is recruited to join Dr. Henry Loomis and Duncan Kincaid on a covert mission to retrieve dinosaur blood from three unique species. Their journey takes them to a remote island, where they unexpectedly rescue a shipwrecked family, and as expected, chaos follows.
In a year where David Koepp delivered one of his strongest screenplays with Black Bag, his writing in Jurassic World: Rebirth feels noticeably undercooked. What made his work in Jurassic Park so memorable and effective was his ability to evoke emotion and make us care about every character. Unfortunately, Rebirth leans more heavily on exposition dumps than character development. The result is a flat, uninspired screenplay that echoes the missteps of Jurassic Park III. A film that prioritized theme park thrills over substance, leaving most of its characters stranded in a dull, disconnected state.
What makes Jurassic World: Rebirth even more frustrating is how it squanders the majority of its star-studded cast. Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali do their best with the material, but they never comes close to replicating the chemistry of Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ellie Sattler. In fact, the dynamic between Owen Grady and Claire Dearing felt more believable than the forced connection between Zora and Duncan. If there’s a saving grace, it’s Jonathan Bailey and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo who stand out as the only characters that actually feel human than genetically engineered in a story lab.
If there is an aspect of Jurassic World: Rebirth that truly stands out, it’s the set pieces. Gareth Edwards clearly knows how to stage suspenseful action, and many of these sequences successfully build a genuine sense of dread. Unfortunately, the film stumbles when adapting one of the most iconic moments from the original novel: the raft sequence with the T-rex. The choice of character placed under the raft completely undercuts the tension which drains the scene of any real stakes. Adding to the disappointment, the much-hyped hybrid dinosaurs, particularly the D-rex teased heavily in the marketing, fall flat and feel like a missed opportunity.
Ultimately, Jurassic World: Rebirth isn’t the worst chapter in the franchise, but it’s far from the fresh start it promises. Gareth Edwards’ talent is evident, yet the film buckles under the weight of underdeveloped characters, lackluster hybrid dinosaurs, and an overreliance on recycled story beats. The takeaway is simple: If the Jurassic saga wants to roar again, it needs to evolve.
