After concluding the story that began with Jurassic Park in Jurassic World: Dominion, the franchise is returning to its roots with a new standalone story. With Jurassic World: Rebirth, we are introduced to some new characters, dangers, and, of course, dinosaurs.
The release of the first film gave audiences a whole new take on science fiction films geared towards adventure and horror. The latest installment does bring some of that back with a new island to explore, and tying it to the original. Think of this like a greatest hits collection where the film delves deep into what made these films great while also introducing some new additions.
Taking place five years after Dominion, Jurassic World: Rebirth finds human civilization struggling to adjust to a new environment where it must coexist with these once-extinct prehistoric animals. However, the dinosaurs are unable to adapt to modern society, as they’re not accustomed to living in these climates.
Therefore, some of them are relocated to deserted tropical areas where they can thrive without human interaction. These places are being labeled as danger zones, with anyone being strictly forbidden from traveling there.
However, it hasn’t stopped people from going there to profit from these creatures. This is where pharmaceutical representative Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) comes in as he puts together a team to extract blood from three of the most dangerous dinosaurs ever created off the island of Ile Saint-Hubert, the birthplace of Jurassic World, in order to make a world-changing cure for heart disease.
The team consists of ex-military covert operative Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) and paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey).
Joining them on this adventure is Zora’s old friend Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), who transports the team to the island alongside his crew. Meanwhile, Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a divorced father of two daughters, is out on a sailing trip with them along with his eldest daughter’s boyfriend, Xavier Dobbs (David Ianoco). These two groups would soon collide with one another as they both get stranded on the island to fight for survival with the hope of being rescued.
Gareth Edwards enters the franchise as the director, steering this ship alongside David Koepp, who originally wrote the first two Jurassic Park films. What Edwards has done is make these dinosaurs large in scale and offer a scary feeling when going face-to-face with them.
What is also amazing is that this is being shot with 35 mm film, replicating the style that Steven Spielberg has used in earlier movies. Mixing in practical effects with CGI was also used to make the dinosaurs come to life, and it mostly works on screen to make them feel unbelievably real.
The cast also does a great job of portraying their characters and offering different shades to them. Scarlett Johansson plays off Zora as the charismatic character who grows into someone who feels empathetic to her comrades.
Jonathan Bailey offers some humor in his role as the dinosaur expert, which is somewhat different from other versions of this type of character that both Sam Neill and Chris Pratt have portrayed in some ways. Rupert Friend plays off as the megalomaniac who is only looking at financial gain, coming off as a classic villain through the audience’s eyes.
The true standout has to go to Mahershala Ali as Kincaid, who acts as the team leader, making sure his crew is safe on this dangerous mission. We get pieces of background information on his character, but anyone can tell there are some emotional hardships he faced and how it has affected him in this world. Audiences will get a feel for him and where he is coming from, getting that emotional connection.
Fans of the original will have the most fun watching Jurassic World: Rebirth with its homage to Spielberg’s first two films in the franchise. It invokes nostalgia with the film’s style and storytelling that would reel in those who enjoyed the earlier films, especially with Jurassic Park 3, which the film has some similarities. Even the musical score has some of that essence of the original theme from John Williams, composed by Alexandre Desplat.
If anyone is looking for something different from this new installment might be disappointed as it follows some of the same beats as most of the other films.
Usually, the same formula for this franchise works most of the time, but not always if you’re looking for something outside of that. Some of the dialogue also can feel campy and silly at times, making it hard to make some real connections with a few of the side characters, especially with the family of three whose storyline we also follow.
Overall, Jurassic World: Rebirth is a trip down memory lane as it plays through the best parts of the franchise, incorporating ideas from the original trilogy while carving out a standalone story.
Fans of the franchise will get some great enjoyment out of this new installment as they find many things to like that tie back to the original. While character development and visual effects aren’t on par with the earlier films, it is still perhaps one of the better entries.
Jurassic World: Rebirth is now playing in theaters.
Follow us on X and on Instagram!
Like us on Facebook!
Learn more about Eulalie Magazine here.
Mufsin Mahbub
Mufsin Mahbub is a TV and film fanatic who loves all things superhero, sci-fi, horror, and mystery. Outside of writing, he enjoys traveling, gaming, and watching some anime.