2025 Summer Movie Season - Jurassic World Rebirth: Review and Analysis

 

Dry Bones!!!!! Latest Jurassic Installment Is Slow Burn With Lack of Energy and Emotional Return on Investment!!!!

Review By BJ Porter

The Story

A shift is transpiring in a world where dinosaurs and man find themselves coexisting. For the past several years, the planet’s current ecological climate is causing a number of dinosaurs to die off thus dwindling the numbers to near extinction levels. The ones that managed to survive this purge have migrated to different pockets of the world where their genetic makeup can allow them to survive. Through research and development, a pharmaceutical company has discovered a potentially game changing medical breakthrough that could save a multitude of individuals from life-threatening diseases. Paleontologist Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) confirms the discovery and sees a window of opportunity in helping bring it to fruition. The only problem is getting the necessary elements to create it. The requirements for crafting this new medicinal product lie in the DNA of three keystone dinosaur species of air, land, and sea origin. Located on an isolated, uncharted island off the South American coast, Loomis, alongside former special ops survivalist Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) and her mentor and expedition leader Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), leads an extraction team to acquire DNA samples from these dinosaurs, marking a life-changing step in medical research. But upon arrival, it turns out that the island is more than what was originally thought, for it also happens to be the original research facility for the infamous prehistoric theme park created by the late John Hammond from the 1990s. What’s worse, a number of the genetically engineered “creations” made for the park just so happen to be the savage and unhinged rejects that were deemed too dangerous for public eyes. Now being pursued by the bloodthirsty sins of a bygone era of genetic manipulation, this group of individuals and a civilian family must work together to survive this lost world of beautiful nightmares. 

The Review

 The next chapter in the Jurassic Park franchise arrives, ushering in a new era several years after the conclusion of the original Jurassic era. Director Gareth Edwards leads a team of new talent and a reverence for the old-school brand of intense terror and tension that defined the original over 30 years ago. After trekking through this new chapter of Dino chaos and carnage, Jurassic World Rebirth attempts to usher in a new era for the franchise, but in the end, it sacrifices what made the previous era have staying power. The Jurassic Park franchise is one of the most prominent film franchises in cinema. The impact of the classic 93 film is still felt to this day. The Jurassic World era, which took place from 2015 to 2022, became a launching pad for new fans while offering plenty to keep fans of the original engaged as well. 3 years removed from Jurassic World Dominion, Jurassic World Rebirth is the newest installment that aims to return the series to its roots. Unfortunately, the film's attempts to do that are derailed by an experience that feels devoid of energy and investment in what is happening on screen. Part of that falls on the ensemble, who do what they can with what they have, but struggle to conjure up anything that remotely screams depth or nuance. Our leading lady Scarlett Johansson pretty much is bare minimum basic through this film as Zora Bennett and never leaves a lasting impact. There are hints at more depth, but they never manifest, making her quite an unengaging lead protagonist. It's a shame because I believe with material that allowed for her character to be more well-rounded, she could have really been a strong addition to the collection of Jurassic protagonists. Johnathan Bailey's Henry Loomis fares a little bit better, but not by much. Aside from a few scenes that make him more likable than most of the people he shares the screen with, not much was done to truly make him someone to want to invest in emotionally. Mahershala Ali's Duncan Kincaid, like Bailey's Loomis, is one of the more tolerable on-screen presences, and Ali tries his absolute best to bring energy and levity to the film. However, he doesn't get much help from his castmates, and the film suffers as a result. Rupert Friend is downright forgettable and is an unceremonious and pointless addition to the ensemble. The family aspect of the film brought to the forefront by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, and Audrina Miranda might be one of the weakest I've seen in a Jurassic film. The dynamic was just off, and I felt little to no emotional investment in what they were going through throughout the film. Miranda has a few moments here and there to her credit, but the quartet as a whole never really worked. This seems to be the main theme when talking about this movie. For as much as it has going for it on paper, a good amount of what is seen just doesn't translate well from a narrative standpoint.   

Gareth Edwards has an eye for visual detail that nobody can deny. But the lack of commitment to that type of effort on the storytelling side squanders a lot of that eye-pleasing goodwill. The film's cinematography and visuals make for a film that, presentation-wise wise does what it's supposed to do a good amount of the time. That said, there are so many things that really drag the entertainment value of this movie down drastically. The movie's pacing is molasses-level slow right from the jump and never picks up once the action sequences start rolling in. Jurassic Park films don't usually drag, but this one felt longer than the posted runtime. I mentioned earlier that the lack of investment in the characters made it hard to invest in what was happening on screen. Due to that fact, the action sequences that were supposed to be filled with energy and tension never really had energy and tension. The much-talked-about raft sequence was a highlight, but it's not hard to stand out when so many of the set pieces lack in so many aspects. The film's climax leaves a lot to be desired and ends the film on an anticlimactic note that really makes you wonder what was the point of it all. That in itself lies the problem. The entire movie feels like a disconnected standalone film without a good chunk of the things that make this world worth being in. I do give credit to the movie for trying to do something different, but this is the rare case where it works against the movie.  While the movie has Jurassic World in the title, it doesn't feel like it. Rebirth seems keen on making sure we know that the old era is over and done. But what it serves us as a replacement is pretty dull and not an ideal substitute. Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Jurassic World: Dominion, for all their faults, had characters you enjoyed spending time with and set pieces that had energy. Rebirth severely lacks that and, in turn, makes the entire experience rather forgettable. This is really a bummer because I wanted to walk away from this movie excited about where the story and these characters go next. If energy and effort to creating characters that you cared about were infused, this could have been a strong addition to the franchise instead of one that honestly makes me wonder if going this direction was truly the right call. There is still very much a deep love for these films, but installments like this really paint a rough picture of what the future holds. All in all, Jurassic World Rebirth truly feels like this is the first time that the Jurassic Park franchise feels like it's made a misstep. While so much of this film had potential, way too many factors worked against it, turning this entry into one of the weaker entries in a franchise that has managed to at least be entertaining despite not quite being narratively strong. The desire for more stories in this world is clearly there, but the newest addition to the series might have just shown that it's slowly starting to lose some of its bite.   

Final Score Rating

Unengaging characters, slow pacing, and a lack of investment in the on-screen
happenings really make this an unfortunate step back for the Jurassic Park saga 

Miss them already.