What was once a series we thought had come to an uneven end with Jurassic Park 3 came roaring back to life in the early 2010s with the creation of Jurassic World, a world-wide blockbuster hit that put the series back on top. 2 more sequels, rounding out a trilogy, continued to make jaw dropping money, but by the time Dominion rolled around, the series felt a bit tired. Even the addition of the old cast, brought out on what had to be a dump-truck level of money, couldn’t stop the feeling that the series was once again out of gas.
Enter; Jurassic World; Rebirth. As the title describes, this is another reboot of the series. Sure, the events of all previous Jurassic Park’s are still there, but we now follow a completely new set of adventures making the same mistake as the rest; attempting to trifle with what they don’t understand, and getting absolutely merked by genetic monsters in the process.
Rebirth follows Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), a mercenary with a knack for getting in and out of dangerous places, who is hired to go to the one area of the world that still has dinosaurs, and find 3 dinosaurs whose blood could be the answer to a trillion dollar medical cure. Along for the ride is Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), a paleontologist who is keen to see the dinosaurs in their natural habitat, Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), a smuggler with a troubling past, and Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), a slimy executive looking to find his cash cow. Even with the best technology and mercenary smarts money can buy, they are quickly thrown into a violent and dangerous world.
Rebirth is an interesting beast. On one hand, it is a rough script, to say the least. Koepp, who wrote the original, is brought in to try and bring back life to the series, but what we have instead is “studio notes: the movie”. There’s about a dozen half baked ideas in play, in very clear mandatory inserts throughout; be it the “kid friendly” dinosaur that follows the family around, or the gratuitous T-Rex scene, or the sprinkling of MCU irony-pilled humor throughout that continuously kills any sort of earnestness or tension. It’s just a little too focused on being 4 quadrant that it ends up being a weird mishmosh of different ideas and themes.
On the other hand, Gareth Edwards directs the shit out of this. A director known for his eye for scale, Edwards was the perfect match for making Dinosaurs once again awe inspiring, and terrifying. There is a sequence in a field with these very Dali-inspired dinosaurs that is one of the best of the series, really establishing the grandeur of these creatures. On the other side of the coin, there is an absolute all-timer reveal near the end with a helicopter and a Giger-inspired dinosaur that is just so cool and hardcore.
It also helps that this is a genuinely good looking movie. While there are a few wonky effects here and there, this is actually lit and staged like a movie; there are genuine shadows on our actors’ faces! Everything isn’t washed out! There is genuine color and texture! It feels so long since we got one of these (a kinda/sorta toss away Summer Tent Pole) that looks this good.
So, a mixed bag (rough, overstuffed script that is shot immaculately), but an overall fun time.
The Specs:
These modern 4K can end up being a bit wonky, especially if the studio is looking to just get something out there quickly, but I have to commend Universal here; this is a stupendous looking 4K.The HDR does its job, presenting crisp picture throughout. It also sounds fantastic, with the Dolby Atmos really coming through clear and strong through my at home sound bar. Nothing beats a theater experience, but 4K discs that look and sound this good definitely help make an at home viewing feel a bit more special.
Keeping that train rolling, Universal also bucks the modern trend and continues to add features to their releases. Here, we get over an hour of extras, from deleted scenes, an alternate opening, and a making-of documentary. There’s been a plague of bare bones releases on the market, but Universal continues to put in the work to make physical releases still worth the price.
Listen, I had a lot of fun with Rebirth. I wasn’t really a fan of the rest of the Jurassic World films, but there was something special about this, something that just clicked with me. Rebirth is a film that feels like it actually wants to be its own thing, rather than just being another sequel to a tired series. For that, I think it is well worth the watch.
