I have a fraught relationship with the Jurassic franchise. On one hand, I adore Spielberg’s original and his underrated sequel; and actually the third one is in the vicinity of decent. But the Chris Pratt reboot trilogy that took us from the Park to the World left a really bad taste in my mouth, as it bizarrely struggled to produce any meaningful level of sustainable quality for movie fans.
So here we are again with Jurassic World: Rebirth, another reboot within the same legasequel universe, now led by Scarlett Johansson and director Gareth Edwards (The Creator) attempting to inject new life into this dino-ruled world.
The good news is, it’s better than the Pratt trilogy (and yes, including his first entry). The sense of mystery and adventure are much more palpable, per it’s expedition-focused story and Indiana Jones-esque perils along the jungle quest. The cast features a strong combination of accomplished actors (Mahershala Ali, Johansson), veteran character actors (Rupert Friend), buzzing up-and-comers (Jonathan Bailey), and enjoyable unknowns.
The dinosaur action is also a bright spot, for the most part. When in bright daylight the CGI is crisp and clean, and there are a couple thrilling chase/ escape sequences that are impressively executed. But then the writing negates the holistic impact of the above and holds the movie back.
While the energy emitted from Rebirth attempts to recapture that “it” feeling from the original, the plot and dialogue fail to meet the intellectual and emotional level of quality from Spielberg’s first. Which is surprising, given writer David Koepp wrote the original and is a seasoned screenwriter of some of my favorite thoughtful action-thrillers (Mission: Impossible, Panic Room).
I don’t begrudge the concept of weaving in-and-out of interconnected storylines, but the threads were not as meaningfully cohesive as I would have liked. Additionally, the concept of man-made mutation seems like an inevitable concept for this franchise that is now on its 7th installment overall. But it’s better on paper than in practice, as its impact is made with a thud rather than a bang. The lack of mortal consequences with the role of protagonist very democratized, is both hard to believe and lacks true stakes.
In the end, Jurassic World: Rebirth is a solid “better than recent” contribution to the land of cinematic dinosaurs. But given the talent involved both behind and in front of the camera, it’s still far away from the rebirth I was hoping for.
