THE STORY – Five years post-Jurassic World: Dominion, an expedition braves isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough.
THE CAST – Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda & Bechir Sylvain
THE TEAM – Gareth Edwards (Director) & David Koepp (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 134 Minutes
As many cinephiles know, “Jurassic Park” is one of the most influential films of the twentieth century. It was the first major blockbuster to pioneer computer-generated imagery for its visual effects, opening the door, or Pandora’s Box, to the CGI-driven spectacle that defines modern cinema. The 1993 original wasn’t just an entertaining family adventure; it revolutionized filmmaking by showing what was possible with new technology, all while posing a timeless sci-fi question: “How far will we go to preserve humanity?”
Decades later, the “Jurassic World” trilogy (2015–2022) revisited a version of that question: Can humans and dinosaurs coexist? The final film left the answer at a tentative maybe, which was an open ending that seemed fitting. But in Hollywood, a successful franchise rarely stays extinct. Enter “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” set years after Claire and Owen’s story, in a world where humans and dinosaurs now share the planet. Humanity treats dinosaurs like any other wildlife, but climate shifts have made survival nearly impossible for the prehistoric creatures. Most are dying off, with only a few species able to thrive near the equator, now a quarantined zone closed to humans. Yet, as always, dinosaurs may hold the key to humanity’s future, and there are those willing to risk everything to seize it.
“Jurassic World: Rebirth” picks up that familiar thread. It follows Zora (Scarlett Johansson), a smuggler and covert-ops specialist hired by Martin (Rupert Friend), an ambitious executive, to retrieve DNA samples from three dinosaur species. As in the earlier films, dinosaur DNA promises life-saving medical breakthroughs, this time targeting heart disease, making it a high-stakes prize for the pharmaceutical industry. Drawn by the payday, Zora assembles her team: Duncan (Mahershala Ali), Nina (Philippine Velge), LeClerc (Bechir Sylvain), Bobby (Ed Skrein), and dinosaur expert Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey). But in true “Jurassic Park” fashion, what begins as a clean operation spirals into a desperate fight for survival when the team realizes they’re in over their heads.
What makes “Jurassic World: Rebirth” entertaining for fans is its embrace of the franchise’s well-worn tropes and archetypes: the wealthy puppet master playing God, the tough enforcer who sees only black and white, the earnest scientist urging caution and ethics. These characters follow the same arcs we’ve seen before, which can feel comfortingly familiar to die-hard fans but may seem stale to others. Screenwriter David Koepp, returning from the original “Jurassic Park,” doesn’t inject much that’s new. The result is a patchwork of recycled ideas and exposition-heavy dialogue, which often lands flat.
Even with a capable cast (Johansson, Ali, and Bailey deliver as well as they can), the characters rarely rise above their clichés. They’re fun enough in the moment but lack depth or growth, and the script gives them little chance to forge bonds the audience can invest in. This problem is compounded by a competing storyline: a family (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, and Audrina Miranda) who unwittingly stumble into dinosaur territory. Ironically, this subplot provides the film’s strongest emotional hook and its most nerve-wracking sequences. It’s this family, not the high-octane mercenary team that viewers are most likely to root for.
Director Gareth Edwards, known for the striking visuals of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story“ and “The Creator,“ brings his signature style here, blending moments of awe with Spielbergian callbacks and tense dinosaur encounters. The action set pieces, particularly those involving water, deliver the excitement fans expect. However, the film struggles against its PG-13 rating, as most deaths occur off-screen, thereby undercutting the fear factor. The spectacle remains engaging, with Johansson fully leaning into her action-hero charisma, but the sanitized violence dampens the tension. Meanwhile, the visual effects, while polished, feel uninspired by the franchise’s high standards.
“Jurassic World: Rebirth“ is far from perfect. It rehashes the same character types and narrative beats, often to uninspired effect, yet it still delivers what audiences come for: breathtaking dinosaur thrills, near-misses, and sheer blockbuster spectacle. Whether that’s enough depends on how much affection you have left for the franchise. For some, its familiarity will feel like a comforting return to form; for others, it’s just another sequel that plays it too safe to justify its own existence.
