Jurassic World: Rebirth, is a reminder of the greatness of Spielberg's Jurassic Park. That first visit to the park was something special - Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, John Hammond, and Ian Malcolm are all characters I remember vividly. Ariana Richards (Lex) and Joseph Mazzello (Tim) gave phenomenal child performances that made Alan Grant’s character arc so substantial. That first visit showed us dinosaurs for the first time - and even if a few of the effects are starting to seem dated, the majority of them hold up substantially - those practical effects are mind-blowing, and the third act being full of moody rain and darkness conceals any imperfections in the effect. It's a shame that the only evolution present in Rebirth is in leveling up the visual effects. Every other element of this film, and especially its score, fail to recapture the magic of Jurassic Park. 

 

There are some extremely phenomenal set pieces in the film - something that shouldn’t be a surprise given that Gareth Edwards directed this movie. A running motif between all of Edwards movies has been the phenomenal usage of CGI and momentum to create intense action scenes. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is defined by its third act. Both Godzilla and The Creator are defined by their spectacle - and so is Jurassic World: Rebirth. The opening 45 minutes of Rebirth have some of the best boat setpieces I have ever seen. The boats become truly claustrophobic as behemoth dinosaurs threaten to capsize the ships at any moment. The editing is personal, holding wide shots long enough for the audience to both breathe in the beauty of these prehistoric behemoths, and to realize just how vulnerable our main characters are despite all their training and high tech equipment. 

 

Tragically, this is what the film opens its second act with - and despite its best efforts, the remaining dinosaur encounters always lack that momentum that was generated in this sequence. Part of this lost momentum is due to the dwindling cast - this first set piece is notable because there are multiple deaths in the cast, and slowly, the only characters left are those who have plot-armor. While the decision to have the arrival to the new island be costly heightens our sense of danger related to the island, this is undermined continuously through the rest of the film as characters seem to be unscathed by the remaining set pieces. 

 

As for the writing, Jurassic World: Rebirth has an exposition problem. Namely, there are extended scenes that manage to give the viewer the needed exposition in the first half of the scene - and then, a different character will arrive, and the scene repeats itself. The delivery of the exposition is fine in either half, but by repeating the scene, it dulls the audience to the mission of the characters. 

 

Speaking of characters, these characters are very much in line with what I expect from an Edwards movie - one-dimensional characters which are interesting on paper but not explored or challenged in any way by the film's plot. Our main character, Zora (Scarlett Johansson) has the most depth and the largest character arc - but it fails to feel meaningful since she never has the opportunity to make choices that reflect that arc during our film. The elements of her character that we do get to see - the intimidating, perceptive, sarcastic and occasionally vulnerable soldier - feel all too familiar to Johanson’s other action heroines. Zora is a fun protagonist to follow, but critically lacks the depth to emotionally hook the audience. The remaining cast - Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) all fall extremely flat -  especially as the plot drags on. Rebirth is a film that understands how to introduce its characters. The banter between Zora and Henry reinforces how out of his element as a paleontologist Henry is. The interpersonal conversation between Duncan and Zora reinforces the emotional toll that being a for hire mercenary is - from missing funerals to losing partners on the job. All this depth gets washed away as soon as the dinosaurs arrive - every moment is pushing these characters to survive, and they don’t have time to slow down and re-evaluate their lives. It makes all characters that aren’t Zora expendable when we have no time to see them make meaningful dialogue and choices beyond the most surface level discussion between Henry and Zora on for-profit healthcare. 

 

Sadly, this flaw in writing transcends to the other half of the films cast. Despite a very strong opening sequence that immediately endears this family to the audience, their dialogue becomes repetitive and underwhelming after arriving on the new Island. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo gives a great performance as the father of this family, and is the most authentic performance of the film - but that only highlights the underwhelming performances from Bailey, Johansson, and Ali. 

 

There are other technical elements that could be discussed - such as the editing, music, and cinematography - but it’s all on par for a hundred million dollar blockbuster. The score is a distant echo of Williams original theme. It's serviceable, albeit nowhere near as memorable as Jurassic Park’s score. The cinematography and blocking of action is legible, and while there are a number of night sequences, the scenes felt properly lit for the audience to follow the action. The new dinosaur mutants are not as present as I would have liked - but it’s still an interesting animal design that manages to be properly terrifying. 

 

Overall, Jurassic World: Rebirth fails to reach the heights of its predecessors but offers a fantasy nothing else does - and does it well enough to entertain, despite its poor script.