Courtesy of Common Footage
The seventh (!) installment in a franchise that hasn’t come wherever close to the highs of its 1993 blockbuster origin, Gareth Edwards’ “Jurassic World: Rebirth” is perhaps one of the best argument but for this collection to lastly go the best way of the dinosaurs. Whereas it’s a slight step up from “Jurassic World: Dominion,” arguably the worst big-budget blockbuster of the century, “Rebirth” nonetheless fumbles the ball the place it issues most: delivering the dino carnage followers truly come to see.
I might make a case that “Jurassic Park III” is healthier than its popularity suggests, if solely as a result of it breezes by in 90 fat-free minutes. And I nonetheless have a gentle spot for 2015’s “Jurassic World,” which, on the very least, tried increasing the collection in new and infrequently invigorating methods. However the buck has to cease someplace, and life actually must cease discovering a solution to will these films into existence. Common executives checked out their 2025 summer time slate and fast-tracked “Rebirth” just because… why not?
On paper, the movie had potential. Authentic “Jurassic Park” screenwriter David Koepp was introduced again into the fold, and Edwards confirmed early promise with “Godzilla” and “Rogue One” (though the latter was largely completed by Doug Liman, so take that with a grain of salt). However “Rebirth,” primarily a reboot of a reboot, winds up extra like a dissection of our tradition’s obsessive, and more and more exhausting, relationship with this franchise.
Sarcastically, the film opens with a good prologue the place a mutant T-Rex escapes army confinement, adopted by jarring title playing cards informing us that the world has moved on from dinosaurs. Society is uninterested in them. In a single scene, a dino lies caught beneath a bridge, spray-painted with graffiti. That might’ve been an attention-grabbing thread to discover, humanity coexisting with these once-wondrous creatures, now desensitized to their presence. However that concept is tossed apart virtually instantly for one more drained island expedition, full with troopers, scientists, and grasping big-pharma execs. It’s a setup we’ve seen 100 occasions earlier than.
This time, the mission is led by Martin Krebs (Rupert Buddy), a snarky pharmaceutical rep who needs the DNA of three uncommon dinosaurs dwelling on a distant, off-the-grid island. He’s not making an attempt to clone them or unleash them on cities; as an alternative, he’s making an attempt to create a medication that might remedy coronary heart illness. A refreshingly grounded motivation, not less than initially.
To finish the job, Krebs hires elite mercenary Zora Bennet (Scarlett Johansson), who ropes in paleontologist Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) and a staff of specialists led by Mahershala Ali’s wry boat captain Duncan Kincaid. Their process: extract blood samples from dinos throughout land, sea, and air. That premise alone has the makings of an exhilarating and creative action-adventure. However “Rebirth” by no means captures even a fraction of the magic Spielberg conjured three a long time in the past.
A few of the blame lies within the movie’s most baffling artistic determination: a complete subplot following a vacationing household crossing the Atlantic. We meet Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), his daughters Isabella (Audrina Miranda) and Teresa (Luna Blaise), and Teresa’s unbearable boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono). They appear destined to be dino bait however inexplicably find yourself tagging together with the mercenary crew. Their storyline provides nothing of worth, feeling like an afterthought that solely distracts from the central plot. Worse, the household and mercenary threads not often intersect in significant methods, leading to a disjointed narrative the place neither facet actually pays off.
There’s precisely one sequence that briefly recaptures the unique’s stress: a stripped-down, suspenseful recreation of cat-and-mouse with a T-Rex. It’s quiet, easy, and efficient. For a second, I remembered what it felt wish to be awed by these creatures. Nevertheless it doesn’t final. The remainder of the film is poorly lit, slowed down by mediocre CGI, and overstuffed with limp motion scenes that really feel designed extra for contractual obligation than artistic pleasure.
“Rebirth” flirts with having a theme, one thing about science being for everybody, not simply the wealthy , however that ultimate beat lands with all of the influence of a moist towel. The performances are principally flat, save for Ali, whose character is saddled with a imprecise tragic backstory. Bailey will get one good second when the enduring John Williams rating kicks in, and Johansson has a enjoyable “Jaws” riff, however that’s about it.
Ultimately, “Rebirth” provides nothing new to this exhausted franchise. It feels much less like a film and extra like a company checkbox ticked off by a studio needing a summer time tentpole. The movie barely connects to earlier installments, and with Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum nowhere in sight, the stakes really feel inconsequential. The unhappy fact? There are in all probability many extra of those coming. You simply want somebody at Common would lastly hearken to Dr. Ian Malcolm: “Your scientists have been so preoccupied with whether or not they might, they didn’t cease to assume if they need to.”
JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH opens in theaters Wednesday, July 2nd