Jurassic World: Rebirth is the seventh entry in the Jurassic Park franchise and the direct sequel to Jurassic World Dominion – a film no one wanted that was meant to pull an Infinity War like crossover with the stars of the franchise, only to deliver one of the most convoluted and lackluster entries in the series. Needless to say Colin Trevorrow who had up until that point shepherded the brand, was out as the creative force after nearly killing the IP. Brought back oddly enough for a new direction was writer David Koepp who actually co-wrote the original 1993 script with Michael Crichton, along with the original 2002 Spiderman. While that gave me some hope, he was also the man who wrote Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and who directed Mortdecai, which effectively smothered his directing career for half a decade.
Behind the camera is a director is I have a lot of reservations on Gareth Edwards, the once Kajiu wonderkund thanks to Godzilla and Monsters, who was quietly also put in director’s jail after allegedly being taken off of one of the best Star Wars films in recent memory Rogue One, so the film allegedly could be heavily reworked by Tony Gilroy into what we know today. He eventually released The Creator, a film which made money, and was fine, but for all of its philosophical postering, felt way too derivative if you’ve seen any sci-fi action film ever. But looking to relaunch Universal’s crown jewel franchise, the two are on blockbuster parole and given yet another chance to deliver a film that sadly never gestates into anything more than a fun yet forgettable entry.
Jurassic World: Rebirth takes place five years after Dominion and has a team of mercenaries led by Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), a paleontologist (Jonathan Bailey) and a pharma bro (Rupert Friend) who head to the isle of Ile Saint-Hubert to infiltrate InGen’s abandoned genetic R&D center. This is where they would mix and match dinos, crafting World’s Indominus Rex, and other dino hybrids to exploit in the park, giving the public something new by splicing together species. The team’s mission is to collect living samples from three of the largest dinosaurs to create what big pharma hopes will be the cure for heart disease. So it’s the deepest of pockets and a generally well meaning endeavor, that takes them to the equator, where most of the last living dinosaurs have collected after being killed off by time and inhospitable weather conditions.
On their way they run into the prerequisite family on vacation, who are then forced to tag along on the mission after being rescued. These plot armored characters are then used narratively to drive the drama and supply the non existent stakes in the film, as the mercenaries are unceremoniously eaten one by one to amp up the tension. The film felt like it was channeling The Lost World, which like Rebirth was the more intimate follow up to Jurassic Park, which featured similar ‘mercenaries on a mission’ vibe, which is why you have the family here. That being said, Rebirth feels like a patchwork of every Jurassic film before it, and countless others with some pieces are executed better and more memorable than others, much like its uneven mix of CGI and green screen, which I found jarring at times.
There were definitely some sequences that were better than others and that worked just enough to keep me engaged. The opening was definitely a highlight, along with the Jaws-esque boat chase and the river rafting T.rex attack, they’re entertaining, but nothing new for fans. There’s also probably the laziest moment in an action film I’ve seen in quite some time, where you could tell they weren’t sure how to get everyone back together after a particular cliff top set piece and their narrative fix was actually laughable. Edwards, as the norm, chooses style over substance, with some breathtaking cinematography that is some of the most memorable of the recent canon, sadly married to a story that is the same story beats we know just put on shuffle. The acting was surprisingly solid as Johansson admittedly does try and give her character some real depth, but it’s watered down by a brisk pace that really doesn’t allow us to spend any real time getting to know anyone.
There’s no better metaphor for Rebirth than the soulless genetically engineered abomination Distortus rex at the end of the film. A thing cobbled together from a number of better, more interesting things to create something to hopefully scare and entertain the masses. I wanted to love it, and after that opening I was nearly in the bag. But the longer you watch the more the seams become apparent and rather obvious call backs to earlier films begin to feel more like a lazy distraction from the lack of narrative glue holding this piece together. I didn’t completely hate it, much like The Creator, it was fine. It didn’t break any new ground or push the franchise in a new direction, but the plot was simple, easy to understand and the characters, while not the most fleshed out for the most part, made the film watchable.
I will say after watching this, I have little to no doubt about those rumors about who was really the driving force behind Rogue One, given Edwards last two films and the last two seasons of Andor.
