A Film directed by Gareth Edwards
I’m not going to lie, my feelings about the Jurassic Park franchise run very hot and cold, probably because I was a huge fan of the books as a kid and the movies after the first never live up to them. There are several entries I really don’t enjoy, especially Jurassic World: Dominion, which felt like a low point for the entire series. That said, Rebirth seemed to distance itself from the last trilogy, almost starting fresh, so I made sure to check it out opening weekend. That may have been a mistake – the theater was absolutely slammed. Despite critics clowning on this movie, I’m guessing it’s already raking in massive numbers (edit, it has already surpassed 100 million domestic, 300 worldwide), because every showing at my local theater was packed. I didn’t get in until 9:30 PM on a Saturday.
“Zora Bennett leads a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous place on Earth, an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park. Their mission is to secure genetic material from dinosaurs whose DNA can provide life-saving benefits to mankind. As the top-secret expedition becomes more and more risky, they soon make a sinister, shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades.”
Was it worth the wait? Honestly… yeah, kind of. The movie isn’t perfect. There are definite pacing issues, and the transition from a slow, dialogue-heavy intro to a nearly nonstop action-fest is a bit jarring. Character development takes a backseat – most of the cast isn’t given much depth, and a few characters are so one-dimensional that they’re basically cannon-fodder. Still, once the action kicks in, it doesn’t let up, and I was surprised at how quickly the runtime flew by.
Plot-wise, it’s not exactly reinventing the wheel. We’re back on a remote island – Île Saint-Hubert, somewhere in the Atlantic near Barbados, home to ANOTHER secretive research facility doing all the wrong things with dino DNA. Yes, it’s familiar territory, and yes, it feels like we’ve done this dance before (The Lost World, Jurassic World, etc.). The mainland chaos teased in previous films is quietly ignored or retconned in favor of a more isolated, manageable setup. Instead of exploring the implications of dinosaurs loose on Earth, we’re back to the old formula: mad science, a greedy corporation, and genetically altered dinosaurs.
And yet… I still enjoyed it. Despite the recycled setup, Rebirth delivers as a straightforward action-adventure movie. The goal is simple – our heroes need to secure three specific dinosaur samples to advance pharmaceutical research, though they’re working under a shady company clearly more interested in profit than progress. There are some genuinely awe-inspiring moments that feel like callbacks to the magic of the original Jurassic Park, especially the introduction of the Titanosaurus, which was visually stunning (which director Gareth Edwards excelled at). There’s also a fantastic T. rex scene involving a river and an inflatable raft – it’s arguably the highlight of the film.
The cast is solid and mostly likable. Scarlett Johansson holds her own, and while I wouldn’t call any of the performances groundbreaking, they’re effective for what this movie sets out to do. If this is a one-off, I think it lands in the upper half of the franchise rankings for me. But judging by its likely box office success, sequels are probably inevitable, no matter how ridiculous it’ll be to justify another trip back to the island. I’m sure they’ll find a reason for Scarlett Johansson to return. If you’re a Jurassic fan, I’d say give Rebirth a shot. It’s a noticeable step up from Dominion and, while it won’t win any Oscars, I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes one of the fan-favorite popcorn movies of the summer.
