Mutated dinosaurs go nom nom In Jurassic World: Rebirth, a visually rich if awkwardly written sequel that introduces a new set of edible characters and a tasty batch of suspense.
Following the forgettable if not disastrous sequels Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World: Dominion, Universal Studios wipes the slate semi-clean, dropping Chris Pratt and crew in favor of Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, and others. Johansson plays a kindhearted (?) mercenary who is hired by a biopharmaceutical company to infiltrate a quarantined island–an old InGen testing facility–to extract DNA from the largest living dinosaurs because, you know, plot.
David Koepp, writer of the Spielberg original, returns. It is not Koepp’s best work.
Jurassic World: Rebirth is a dinosaur-sized step up from the last two movies, but easily avoidable mistakes at the screenplay level hold this one back from being an easy recommendation. From blandly written characters to outright annoying ones (David Iacono), coupled with stupid decisions and rushed moments–not to mention several failed attempts at humor–Jurassic: World Rebirth is annoyingly sort of stupid. It’s not as ridiculously stupid as the last couple, but with a grittier feel and somewhat grittier characters, you expect more attention to detail than Koepp does here.
Johansson makes for a likable lead, though Koepp is unwilling to commit to the character he wants her to be. Is she an ethically questionable merc who will do anything for money, or a compassionate Hollywood protagonist? Here, she’s simply lazily written.
Thankfully, director Gareth Edwards brings the visual detail you’d expect from him (Star Wars: Rogue One, Godzilla, The Creator), establishing a dangerous and semi-grounded world that is overflowing with dangerous Nom-o-sauruses. The atmospheric visuals are top notch much of the time (but not all of the time), and the dinosaurs look great. His approach to action would be improved with more patience and setup, but he still delivers several sweat-inducing dino sequences that feel different from what we’ve seen before.
Edwards’ talents really shine in the exciting climax, in which a nasty rancor emerges from the glowing darkness to feast on anything in its path.
All together, Jurassic World: Rebirth is an exciting piece of popcorn entertainment. As with all Jurassic Park sequels it pales in comparison to the original–the writing, the characters, the direction, the sense of awe–and this batch of lazily written characters don’t inspire much to write home about. But strong action sequences and a more straightforward story are enough to warrant a visit to the cinema–just don’t think too hard about it.
Review by Erik Samdahl.