It’s impossible to top Steven Spielberg’s 1993 take on a topic that, dare I say, will never become extinct in the world of cinema. Dinosaurs have long been a source of curiosity for both adults and children, and frankly, as long as they continue to make iterations of the film, people will continue to flock to theaters. (They do move in herds!) This is evident in the fact that Jurassic Park not only has its own two sequels, but now has two new installments of the film franchise: Jurassic World and the latest, Jurassic World: Rebirth. That’s seven films in which no one has learned their lesson, everyone ignores all semblance of safety and frankly, these individuals continue to underestimate the intelligence of dinosaurs! David Attenborough would never…
So, have they lost the plot? Totally surrendered control of the narrative after six films? (You never had control, that’s the illusion!) Jurassic World: Rebirth, much like the preceding three films, pays slight homage to the original, while clearly relaying that this is a new narrative, with new characters and new end goals. Perhaps echoing the exhaustion of repetitive sequels, the film kicks off with the people of the future no longer in awe of the dinosaurs that they used to flock to see. Rather, dinosaurs have become nuisances since they’ve integrated into the “real world” following the events of Jurassic World. The biggest and most carnivorous of the species, however, have now seemed to have settled on remote islands near the equator. But you know the drill, folks! There’s going to be that one guy that just has to disrupt the dinosaurs for the sake of “something good,” also known as making a lot of money.
Cue Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), a big-pharma guy looking to extract DNA from three distinct dinosaurs in order to create a life-saving drug. One from the sea, one from the land and one from the air. It’s the world’s most dangerous bingo card, but naturally Krebs won’t get his hands dirty and instead has recruited a team of experts. There’s paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), covert ops specialist Zora (Scarlett Johansson), and her cohort Duncan (Mahershala Ali). It could have easily been called Jurassic World: The Brains, The Beauty and The Brawn. In their journey to the island, everything goes great, they get the DNA and nobody gets hurt. Oh wait, there are six other films detailing how this NEVER happens.
Chaos ensues (hold on to your butts!) and dinosaurs get mad. Is that the plot for every Jurassic film thus far? Yes. But, does it still manage to thrill audiences? Also, yes! It’s sort of the equivalent of being a fan of romance novels; the plots are always eerily similar and you know there’s going to be a happy ending, but the fun is in watching how they get to that point. Jurassic World: Rebirth isn’t breaking any molds or crafting thought-provoking cinema, it’s giving audiences a good time in a format meant to totally engage you with its ridiculousness. And frankly, if you’re not a fan of this particular installment, it’s only a matter of when, not if, there will be more to come. When it comes to Jurassic films, say it with me now, spared no expense!
In all honesty, this film does lack a bit of cohesiveness, but if you’re nitpicking a movie about dinosaurs that have been brought back to life via DNA extractions from fossilized mosquitos, maybe find a better bone to pick? It’s a summer film for a reason and much of the joy of the franchise lies in their insistence on continuing a series that refuses to stay extinct. In the words of Dr. Ian Malcom, “Your scientists (filmmakers in this case) were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” But alas, they did. Honestly, as long as they keep making Jurassic movies, audiences (and yours truly) will continue to delight in whatever prehistoric pandemonium is cast our way.
Jurassic World: Rebirth is now playing in theaters.
