Jurassic World: Rebirth

Thirty-two years ago, much like Alan Grant’s stunned reaction when he first saw a living dinosaur, we were all amazed by what we saw in Jurassic Park. Five sequels later, the awe of seeing dinosaurs has worn off—not because they don’t still look incredible, but because none of the follow-ups have ever matched the magic of the original. Unlike actual dinosaurs, it’s safe to say Universal Pictures has no plans of letting this franchise go extinct, which brings us to Jurassic World: Rebirth—another adventure, 65 million years yada yada yada.

Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) works for a pharmaceutical company, which means you can probably guess he’s up to no good. It turns out dinosaurs may hold the key to curing heart disease, but they’re not adapting well to the current climate, and most of them are dying off—except near the equator. So Krebs assembles a team to collect blood samples from a few surviving species. He taps Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) to lead the expedition, and she’s joined by Dr. Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), his boat, and his crew.

Of course, things don’t go as planned. After retrieving their first vial of blood, their ship is run aground by the same dinosaur they were chasing. The crash, though, conveniently lands them on the island they were headed for. Two dinosaurs left to find—what could possibly go wrong? Also along for the ride is a family Duncan’s crew rescued at sea. While they all survive the crash, the island may have other plans for their survival. Now, everyone’s trying to reach the same point of extraction while avoiding becoming dinner for whatever prehistoric creature crosses their path.

Written by David Koepp, based on Michael Crichton’s work, Jurassic World: Rebirth ditches the simplicity of earlier entries and adds some unnecessary narrative fat, which doesn’t help the already bloated runtime. Recapturing the wonder of the original has always been the challenge for its sequels—because, let’s face it, seeing dinosaurs for the first time is a once-in-a-lifetime thrill. After that, you’ve got to wow us in other ways. Koepp and director Gareth Edwards don’t reinvent the wheel here, but instead cherry-pick what has worked throughout the series. The result is a film that, while not groundbreaking, is one of the more effective sequels in the franchise.

Jurassic World: Rebirth isn’t an incredible film, but it’s a solid entry in a series that’s felt stagnant for a while. True to its name, Rebirth feels like a fresh start, thanks to Edwards’ direction and some strong visual effects. The cast also elevates the film—led by Johansson and Bailey, who may be the most engaging duo since the original cast. Johansson brings a steady presence, while Bailey nails that wide-eyed wonder we all felt the first time we saw a T-Rex roar.

The film’s biggest flaws are its overlong runtime and a few underwhelming visual effects. But Rebirth brings back the spectacle we crave in a Jurassic movie. The story doesn’t break new ground, but it’s refreshing to see the franchise find its footing again.