After Jurassic World Dominion came out, it felt like we were going to take a long pause from new films from this franchise. We were slowly getting aware of the DreamWorks sequel show to Camp Cretaceous, Chaos Theory, after some of us stumbled upon the new trademarks. What has been nice about that show, which is seemingly approaching its finale this fall, is that it’s taken the time to grow with the cast, the characters and themes that give more mature stakes that feel closer to the Jurassic films that we know today. It’s also been enriching the undercooked elements of the arguably ambitious Jurassic World Dominion, that at times felt like it could have been a two-parter. But, even with what was presented, I personally had a fun time, and more-so with the extended cut.
Now cut to the announcement of a new Jurassic film, I was in a state of shock that we were getting one so soon. The production timeline appeared to be pretty bonkers for a movie like this in which the first film was revolutionary in CGI and its animatronic work. But, miraculously they pulled through and legendary Gareth Edwards helmed all-star cast with Scarlett Johannson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali at the forefront.
Jurassic World Rebirth takes place 5 years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion. The controversial aspect about this plot is that the ecosystem of the world has somehow become more inhospitable to the bio-engineered dinosaurs resurrected over the several decades. As many documentaries and research have shown, dinosaurs and prehistoric life of the mesozoic have been able to thrive in different climates, including colder ones that modern life experience as well.
But, who knows, maybe there were more contingencies put in place by Henry Wu and the scientists of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World that prepared for such things.
The mission and motive for this film existing is that Dr. Henry Loomis (played by Jonathan Bailey) is a consultant for the pharmaceutical company, Parker-Genix, which feels like another spinoff from Biosyn. Guided by head-honcho Martin Krebs (played by Rupert Friend), they believe at the company that the DNA samples they get from the largest prehistoric creatures out there can help them bio-engineer a medicine that can be used to cure a debilitating coronary disease affecting humans. Zora Bennett (played by Scarlett Johansson) is spec-ops and after experiencing some trauma on her later missions, she’s trying to find new meaning in her life and hopes that the financial rewards from this as well as helping procure these samples will give her a piece of mind.
For this review, I will also break down key parts of the film and then eventually the characters and animals, culminating with where it fits into the lore and how we can go from here in this franchise. I am also going to incorporate some info that I learned at the early Collider Q&A screening of this film, which I was grateful to be able to attend.
I would say there are two prologues to this film, one that is a flashback and the other that takes place during the more present-ish day.
We open to Ile Saint-Hubert where we see a group of primates looking at something rustling in the trees. It’s unclear what it is, but it can’t be good.
Then, we move into the InGen laboratory on the island where see the events unfold that trigger a technical malfunction and causes everyone to evacuate, leaving some left to be food for the monsters of their own design.
(Sidenote, I never liked Snickers and what you see unfold, makes me like them even less, haha.)
What this scene represents in terms of franchise lore is that InGen created this R&D facility in the Atlantic, while Nublar and the Five Deaths were in the Pacific, with the goal of experimenting in testing the boundaries of genomes that have already been out and thriving on the islands.
Something brought up by Gareth in the Q&A was that the island is intended to have a more Mesoamerican tribal origin, with InGen driving out that civilization. The trees that are rustling, are not dinosaurs, but actually, the huge bulldozer that you see later on in the film in the R&D site.
With the destruction of the facility, by a…uh…simple mistake, the mutations are now loose on the island.
After that prologue, we get some exposition on the state of the world after Dominion, showing that Rebirth is a sequel, but a more standalone story at that. Remaining dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures are more in the equatorial regions, with very very few still out there in the relatively more polar regions.
Per the Collider Q&A, this was actually pitched by Gareth himself in that, what was going to be a simple walk-and-talk of Krebs recruiting Zora and Loomis, begins with Krebs and Zora at DUMBO in NYC. A lone Apatosaur, causing a lot of traffic, dying.
From here, you get to see the character traits very early on as how Krebs sees this traffic incident as an inconvience, but Bennett has a more sympathetic approach to the animal in front of them.
After Krebs recruits Zora, we move to the Natural History Museum with a 2D animation of the Neo-Jurassic exhibit, which cuts to the exhibit actively being taken down.
Zora and Krebs recruit Loomis, who was already in on theParker-Genix consultation, takes a minute to decide on whether or not stay with his dying exhibit or go on this death-defying trek to save lives.
We head down to Suriname where they recruit Duncan Kincaid and the rest of the team who Zora Bennett has worked with on previous miliatry missions. There is apprehension of course due to the danger of those restricted areas, but are eventually convinced by the financial rewards.
While out at sea, we see how the equipments used to retrieve the samples work, with a parachuting ability built in, so that the humans don’t have to get too close to the animals.
Zora and Loomis have a brief discussion over what he would do with the samples and he would recommend open-sourcing it, for more accessibility, and less corporate greed.
The Delgado’s are clearly not meant to be on this journey, but in classic Jurassic nature, we get to see how a group ill-prepared for the dangers ahead, find a way.
I liked this initial Mosasaur and Spinosaurus encounter as it showed us something new from the marketing thus far.
The rescue of the family also showed an interesting ethical rift between the SpecOps team on whether or not to save the Delgado’s or carry on with the mission.
The Mosasaur and Spinosaurus attack was really well done. You get a sense of the stakes when after the team rescues the Delgados, the Mosasaur sees the Essex (the team’s boat) as a rival.
We also get to see the side of Krebs that makes him more like book-Dodgson when he pushes Teresa (Luna Blaise) away and refuses to help her back up on the boat, forcing her to swim to shore. Xavier showcases his selfless side by jumping into the ocean to save her, with Reuben and Isabella following as well.
With the two teams separated, the stakes aren’t over as we see the amphibious nature of the Spinosaurus taking yet another one of their crew.
On the SpecOps side, we are down to retrieving two more samples, one land, and one air.
Zora’s resourcefulness is also shown here in that she has already set up an extraction plan for a helicopter to get them out by the R&D facility. Piece of cake, right?…
With our land showcase, we get a beautiful moment with our new sauropod in the franchise: The Titanosaur.
We see a mating ritual with two of these massive sauropods shaping their tails in a loving embrace and Loomis getting up close to touch one, knowing that this a rare opportunity with part of his life’s work. It was also a fun little name drop that he was a post-doc under Dr. Alan Grant.
With the land sample covered, it becomes time for air, with the Quetzalcoatlus. In Spider-Man Homecoming fashion, we get an awesome camera angle as Loomis goes on his first cliff jump down to the temple housing the egg of one of these Azdarchids.
Procuring the sample was one thing, survival is another, as the parent comes and shocking takes one more of the crew.
Loomis falls as a result and the trees break his rough descent into the river below. Fortunately, for the rest of the team to catch up, the sample parachutes down and they uncover a staircase from the old civilization to get to the ground.
Reuben complements Xavier for his bravery and while he feels he is in low spirits, Reuben encourages him with a solid line “Other people may try to $—- on us, but we don’t have to do that job for them.”
Then, Xavier decides to keep watch, but then, we see our first glimpse of a mutadon pouncing on a velociraptor that was almost about to dine on Xavier, teasing the danger ahead.
But, a glimmer of hope arrives with Dolores, the Aquilops. This one is actually an adult and takes company in Isabella’s backpack. But, on the next day when they are approaching the unfortunate scent of a decaying Parasaurolophus, Dolores flees the scene.
Teresa carefully goes to the emergency shed across the river to get a raft and encounters a Dilophosaurus, which flees when a sleepy Tyrannosaurus rolls over.
While Teresa sets up the raft, the Tyrannosaur takes a while to notice the family escaping, but the setup is all the more intense as it pursues them in a newly iconic moment in the franchise.
As Perri Nemiroff also mentioned in the Q&A, the brief moment where the rex is trying to get to Isabella underneath the raft is very similiar to the kids in the Ford Explorer and even in the Gyrosphere. It’s such an effective scene that just blew me away.
The two groups eventually cross paths at the R&D facility as we get closer to nightfall. But it’s not all sunshine and roses as Teresa confronts Krebs over him letting her almost die. This creates a further rift in the team until enter the Mutadons.
The Delgados enter the station convenience store and the scene parallels the raptors in the kitchen sequence with a twist of how easily the Mutatdons can slip their way into the vents.
Loomis and Kincaid find their way into the ruins of the lab and see the mayhem that was created by the InGen scientists as well as what has escaped.
And here, is where it seems the D. rex has awakened to the chaos.
Krebs is now on his own trying to escape the island, but eventually crashes into this monstrous distortion and bites the dust, save for the samples.
It’s now all about escape as the rescue helicopter gets chomped on by the D. rex and the only way for escape is by the rescue boat at the docks.
Kincaid seemingly sacrifices himself to lure the Distortus, who is attracted to light, into the jungle.
As the boat flees, it seems like Kincaid is gone, with Zora shouting for her comrade. And then, another flare lights up and Kincaid is safe from the the clutches of the D. rex, leaving the island.
With the survivors on the boat, including Dolores, speeding away into the light of the morning, Zora asks what Loomis will do with the samples and she agrees that it’s best open source the medication that will come from them.
Setting up the recklessness of the R&D program in the prologue, teasing the dangers that lie ahead for the team that will venture there many years later
Setting up character motives of Zora Bennett, Henry Loomis, and Martin Krebs
The Apatosaur causing the traffic, showcasing a less drastic move away from Dominion while also the dichotomy of Zora and Krebs.
The strong comradery between Zora and her SpecOps team, but mostly with Duncan
The stakes set with each of the animals
The goal with the D. rex encounter being to escape it and less so another battle
The visuals were pretty consistently stunning and vibrant given the rushed production timeline
The shooting on film provides a nostalgic lens into this new era
The wit balanced with the serious nature of the scenes
The pacing for the most part has a nice flow throughout
Desplat balances a nice addition to the score anthology of the franchise, while bringing back familiar themes where they felt appropriate
Dependent on your theater’s sound system, for ours, the sound design was really nice and the T. rex finally felt loud again
A 2010 prologue should involve some oversight from Wu and Masrani, but there is no mention of either
No mention of Biosyn or the sanctuary dinosaurs
A lot of action sequences are given away in the marketing
The mutations are very sparsely used in the film and there is no hint of the D. rex until the third act
The third act did feel choppier than the rest, where it felt like we could have received a longer cut, especially delving into the ruins of the lab, rather than what was already shown in the trailers
Mosasaur and Spinosaurs were problems to the cast in the beginning, but absent when they escape
Nothing really setting up the future stories that they plan to tell in the universe going forward despite the marketing saying “A New Era Begins”
Scarlett Johansson takes charge as SpecOps leader, Zora Bennett. From the moment we see her in DUMBO, we see he stealthiness as well as her wit. She also leads with compassion which I think is important in any serious line of work. As Friend’s Martin Krebs realizes, she is inquisitive to make sure she knows what she is up against and if the mission ahead is really worth it.
Even towards the end, her inquisitiveness is important in not fully giving into Krebs’ motives as we see towards the end during a very awkward reunion between the SpecOps team and the Delgados.
I really appreciated the tender moments on the Essex when we see her still very much grieving from her last mission and bonding with Duncan about their pasts as well as her kinship with Dr. Loomis.
Scarlett makes the stunts in this movie look easy and it’s no secret that her work in the action/adventure genre over the years really pays off.
Krebs is not only herald of the mission ahead for this movie, but he is also very much a part of it. From his opening scene in the DUMBO traffic, you see how he sees the dying Apatosaur in front of him is more of an inconvenience to him than something that should be given a little more sympathy.
Rupert Friend really channels The Lost World novel, Lewis Dodgson, who is relentless in getting his own mission complete to the point that he lets Teresa Delgado fall overboard in rocky waters, much like in the book with Sarah Harding.
He also looks at the mutations left on the island as currency less so than suffering animals left to grow in pain.
Ultimately, it’s no surprise he gets what he deserves and it makes me curious in a future installment if Parker-Genix will come back with a vengeance.
Jonathan Bailey brings quite the heart to his role as Dr. Loomis. We find out later on in the movie that he was a post-doc under Dr. Alan Grant. You see the wonder he has for these animals even as his exhibit in the Natural History Museum is dying off. He also very much hopes that the Paleo-Dioxin that he is consulting on can help humanity as well as further understand these magnificent creatures.
He brings a sense of nuance to the SpecOps team to take into consideration of how humanity disregards nature when just like the dinosaurs, “The Earth can shake us off like a cold Summer”. Many a times, I was thinking Bailey was spitting facts as well as David Koepp really channeling Chricton’s prose in what this character has to say. Loomis is also not fully trained for the job, which adds some stakes on his part, but just qualified enough with the behavioral aspects of the animals they encounter.
As we see, his wholesomeness continues into wanting the outsourcing of the medicine they can create so that there is more accessibility and affordability over corporate powers that be like Parker-Genix.
Mahershala Ali is the perfect comrade to Scarlett Johansson’s Zora Bennett. He knows how to take charge as well as following his conscience. Mahershala is clearly Blade-ready and he knows it as well. Much like Zora, he also is inquisitive and doesn’t give into all of Krebs’ orders.
When it comes to the near ultimate sacrifice, he puts his life over the lives of the rest of the team to get the Distortus away from the boat.
It almost seemed like he was a goner from the marketing, but I was relieved that he narrowly escaped.
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo wins Dad of the year of in the Jurassic franchise, in my books. He is always looking out for his daughters as well as giving Teresa’s boyfriend, Xavier chances to redeem himself, which he does.
The Delgados have a lot of aquatic sequences in this film and he shows throughout that whether land, sea, or air, he will protect his family.
Luna Blaise doesn’t shy away from getting in on the action-packed sequences of this film. From being swept away at sea, narrowly fleeing a T. rex’s napping grounds with a raft for her family, and more, Teresa does a good job in this high stakes adventure.
Audrina Miranda impressed me with all the action heavy sequences for someone still very early in her career. This is no easy movie and adventure for that matter and she nails it. She finds an adorable companion in Dolores the Aquilops and even has a brief moment of taking charge when she gets the bollards open for the team to get through in the midst of the mutant mayhem.
I’ve got to admit, I was a little concerned at first that Xavier was going to be a weak link to the family plot. But, David Iacono brings redeeming qualities to the character all the while being a silly young adult at heart. There’s a moment when he is feeling really down and Reuben consoles him that “Other people might talk $—— about us. But we don’t have to do the job for them. Otherwise they will be right.”
Xavier also got our crowd at the theater laughing hysterically after the Mutatdon/Velociraptor encounter.
As one of the only crew members of the SpecOps team to make it to the island and survive as long as he did, Bechir Sylvain did a really good job holding his own in some of these action-packed sequences.
The moment that he does go with the Quetzalcoatlus was such a shock. You think he makes it, but, it’s too late. For at least getting through with most of the mission, Bechir did a fine job with all of his scenes.
In hindsight, his last name feels more intentional now because that’s how he goes, at water by way of the Spinosaurus. Ed Skrein brings in some nice witty humor to the SpecOps team which is very welcome. His downfall is really just agitating the Spinosaurs that were just scouting at first.
Phillipine Velge did well with her short time on the Essex and the action sequence of the Mosasaur and Spinosaurus attack. Arguably her way of going was probably among the scariest in all of the franchise, which further heightens the stakes of the island.
Going into this movie, I did not expect the Apatosaurus to show up at all or any dinosaur really on the mainland. I know they were actively filming in DUMBO and managed to take a pic there a couple months later, but I thought the use of the dying Apatosaurus helped to show that this isn’t exactly a clean slate from Dominion. There are still dinosaurs out there in the more polar regions, just less so.
The way the opening scene plays out, you also get a great glimpse at the character dynamics between Martin Krebs and Zora Bennett in how they react to the animal, which shows where their consciences lie throughout the film.
Gorgeously animated. The Mosasaurus makes for a thrilling set of sequences involving the Delgado family and eventually the Essex boat attack. The Mosasaur makes for a thrilling Jaws adjacent obstacle and necessity for the team to get one of the crucial samples for the Paleo-Dioxin.
Spinosaurus is back! Though I am partial to the traditional coloration, the Spinosaurus pack in the water made for a thrilling action sequence catapulting our characters into more treacherous waters, especially on land.
When Loomis tells them to run because they are amphibious, the stakes don’t stop there as we see a sleeping Spinosaurus on the beach wake up and claim the next victim of the SpecOps crew.
My only negative on the use of the Spinosaurus is that we don’t see any more of this and the Mosasaur when the survivors leave. But, maybe it’s because the boat is small enough to not pose a threat to them.
Starting with the animated ones. It was nice to see a Mr. DNA JP Style cartoon with them depicting the Neo-Jurassic exhibit and what happened to them while maintaing the Dominion design.
Then, with the corpse, what a beast of a physical prop indicating the danger lurking nearby.
Terrifically used in the river raft sequence, this T. rex was designed really well and is among my favorite creature designs of this franchise. The shadow work on the head really adds a level of meanace as well as the scale and relentlessness of the animal to acquire some new snacks.
Dolores is adorable. This ceratopsian was a welcome addition and it was fascinating to hear that she’s actually a full-grown adult.
I’ll add this silly tidbit from the Collider Q&A that Gareth joked that what if the Aquilops that we see popping in and out of each of the more dangerous scenes is not the same one and Isabella is calling each Aquilops she encounters as Dolores.
Besides that, amongst the other named animals of recent in this franchise, Dolores stands out well on her own and hopefully more of the general audience can learn that there is more to ceratopsians than your standard Triceratops.
The design and coloration were definitely changed from Dominion, but, it was cool to see more of this menacing Azhdarchid.
The way its animated not in only in flight but also when grounded shows it is one to not mess around with.
This was the only sauropod I was expecting as from the marketing. I am happy that wasn’t necessarily the case, but the Titanosaurs were stunning and it was really neat to see Dr. Loomis go up close and see the little hair fibers, showcasing the great attention to detail given to these massive animals.
The way the tails whip around in a magestic manner made for a really beautiful scene.
I wasn’t sure when the velociraptors were going to show up. But, they make a brief cameo when Xavier is trying to relieve himself. The way they appear in the moonlight was lowkey terrifying and the battle ensuing between the velociraptor and mutadon was very intense and reminded me of Peter Jackson’s Skull Island.
Another nice little cameo, it was nice to see a little upgrade from the Dominion design. But, seeing how it was afraid of the sleeping T. rex made for a brief yet effective cameo of a fan-favorite dinosaur.
Another brief appearance with a red lining across its dorsal region. This made me curious if there were certain other types of mutations going on with the smaller dinosaurs in the lab.
Super quick encounter when Krebs is trying to escape and is probably the reason why he ends up crashing back into the D. rex.
Though they are part raptor, the mutadons make for some good scares. From Xavier’s near death experience, to the gas station and tunnel sequences, they were relentless in trying to get to our surviving heroes. What is surprising is the lack of them during many of the daytime sequences.
It’s only in the prologue and the third act, but it’s clear that the scientists were really so preocupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should with this massive mutation of what you see is part T. rex. There were already apparently 20 or so versions of the D. rex and the fact that just a small wrapper short-circuting things is what allowed this one to thrive is quite something. It’s also a symbolic way of showcasing the Butterfly or Chaos Effect with tiny little variations causing massive end results.
What was probably a unique change was not having an actual dinosaur battle as the third act, with the goal being more of escaping the D. rex. Ultimately, we are left with more questions than answers of what else InGen (and maybe Masrani Corp) had been trying out with this one.
To reiterate, I was invited by Collider to an exclusive early screening of the movie with a Q&A hosted by Perri Nemiroff and featuring Director Gareth Edwards and Producer Frank Marshall. The two were asked a series of about 10 questions and Collider will eventually post their version of the Q&A, but you can view my recording on my creative channel ‘Table Reads’. Here are some general notes on what was said/answered during the Q&A.
Steven Spielberg asked David Koepp if he was interested in getting back into the franchise and he agreed, finishing the script in December 2023. Gareth hopped aboard in February 2024, with production starting in the summer. Frank said they wanted a director who could make their stamp on the film, but not too much that would derail things.
Gareth pitched the idea of the DUMBO sequence having the dying Apatosaur so you can ease into this changing world from the events of Dominion
This was the first time Gareth shot on 35 mm film instead of digital and it really shows with the grittiness of the film
The D. rex makeup is part Rancor from Star Wars as previously noted from early articles
In terms of sound design, part of the D. rex is inspired by David Lynch’s The Elephant Man and one of the sound designer’s relative’s dogs is used for the sound
Also, that same sound designer, their cat, that had since passed, had unique sounds that were used for the purring quality of Dolores the Aquilops in honor of it
Frank Marshall reassured that Dolores is safe and alive with the remaining survivors going to the mainland
During the D. rex final sequence, Rupert’s wife gave birth earlier than expected and he got the text during that final sequence. Gareth jokingly said to Rupert that his life ended in two ways. Rupert then came back for ADR with his little one in the booth and had to record his screams over those scenes, hoping she doesn’t get scared by the chaos unfolding.
There was a mad rush with the production schedule and getting concept art to show for Mattel as those had to be planned out a year in advance to time with the release of the film.
It was a balancing act for the types of easter eggs and how many they could incorporate. Gareth pushed for the kitchen sequence reference and Koepp and Frank advised to shoot a version excluding that reference as a backup
There was very little cut out of the film with about 2 minutes worth of deleted scenes
It was mostly Koepp’s idea to incorporate the T. rex raft sequence and as Frank remarks, “Gareth shot the $—- out of it”
The ancient civilization aspects with the temples and such are a subtle Temple of Doom reference as well as incoporating waterfalls from India. The opening shot, Gareth made a background out of it that it wasn’t necessarily the dinosaurs driving out the civilizations on Ile Saint-Hubert, it was the bulldozer and evidently the hubris of these scientists testing the limits of their work with these animals and mutations
On the future of the franchise, Frank says that they have left the door pretty wide open whether for future sequels or standalone installments. Gareth on the other hand has mentioned that the focus is on making this one good enough to stand on its own and that there were no active developments from the studio or other individuals on future installments as of yet.
Despite some of the gaps and inconsistencies with the lore, it was still an enjoyable film in the world of Jurassic. Gareth Edwards and David Koepp made a solid attempt at this relatively standalone adventure. The entire cast delivered memorable performances that stood out in their own way. The use of practical sets and locations really stands out and as someone who has been playing/re-playing a lot of adevnture games lately like Indiana Jones and The Great Circle and the Uncharted franchise, it felt right up my alley.
As for how I want to see this franchise continue, maybe we can have more stories along the equatorial regions and then for franchise fanatics as myself, we know there are some stories that could be told in the regions of Africa that John Hammond and Sarah Harding have had a history with. Though, having fresh new characters as we see in this film can also be a welcome addition. There also plenty of mysteries to unwrap with Ile Saint-Hubert and more with what InGen has been doing that could also work in a prequel spinoff. But with that said, I think Jurassic World Rebirth is a solid summer blockbuster, with enough stakes and grit honoring the original trilogy and novels, that I think is worth seeing in the theaters.
AND PLEASE, word of advice, form your own opinion outside of critical reviews. Art is meant to be subjective. I may have my biases as a diehard fan of a lot of what has come out of this franchise, but I hope this review and breakdown helps to show you some insight into the world of such fan who hopes this franchise continues to thrive and inspire new generations of fans.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.