David Koepp, original writer of Jurassic Park in 1993, returns to pen the series’ seventh chapter, Jurassic World Rebirth. Just three years after Jurassic World Dominion finished the latest trilogy, Koepp is charged with reviving interest in the dino-franchise. It’s odd to say that because these movies have averaged over $1B, but nobody seems particularly enthused by any of them. It’s like audiences show up out of obligation, or because they are always hopeful to recapture that same sense of awe and wonder of the original. This idea of regaining audience interest is a theme in Jurassic World Rebirth, and one has to wonder if Koepp, recognizing the landscape himself, did that for a reason. While there’s no one to say “Life finds a way” this time, it does feel like new life has been breathed into these movies for the first time in ages.
Perhaps most importantly, Jurassic World Rebirth has a real technical wiz behind the camera: Gareth Edwards, whose career took off with the amazing low-budget visuals in Monsters, and who took those skills to blockbuster land with Legendary’s Godzilla, followed by Disney’s best Star Wars film, Rogue One, and the vastly underrated sci-fi epic The Creator. The freakish hybrid dinos crafted for the franchise’s return to its horror roots are truly astounding, ghoulish, and yes, terrifying. His style fits perfectly for an adrenaline-fueled thriller where mutated dinosaurs attack from land, sea, and air. While there are a few of graceful, majestic creatures about, many of them are gross hybrids, whale-shaped savages that kill on sight. The mix of CG and lush Thailand jungles captured in 35mm Panavision (just like the original Jurassic Park) make for a lovely combination, you might be too busy admiring it to be scared.
The story picks up story beats that have been recycled numerous times, but to be fair, they still work. And following the stale adventures of the previous trilogy, it feels good to have a movie that’s basically an action-horror sprint. Once the introductions are over, it’s basically moving from one white-knuckle sequence to the next, with Koepp splitting the narrative and covering two parallel stories equally well.
Scarlett Johansson leads the cast as Zora Bennett, a tough, but somber mercenary hired by shady Big Pharma exec Martin Krebs, played with maximum business suit oiliness by Rupert Friend. He wants her to travel to a secret InGen facility on Isle Saint-Hubert in Barbados, a tropical environment and one of the few places where dinosaurs can continue to live. With human interest in dinosaurs waning, InGen was in the business of creating new hybrid species to create genetically “engineered entertainment”. That went horribly wrong, of course, but the dinos remain and now Martin wants to extract the DNA from three of the biggest to design a heart disease treatment which can be sold for trillions. The three targets- the herbivore titanosaurus, the deep water mosasaurus and the flying quetzalcoatlus, each provide a unique challenge. Zora, grieving and eager to retire, only takes the job when she hears the number of zeroes in her pay.
Oscar winner Mahershala Ali plays Zora’s longtime friend and fellow merc, Duncan Kincaid. Now a ship captain and smuggler extraordinaire, Duncan is the Han Solo-esque scoundrel of this story. He and Zora cleverly play Martin to bump up their pay, knowing the man’s desperation and deep pockets.
The key figure in this mission is Wicked star Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Henry Loomis, a paleontologist lamenting the end of humanity’s fascination with dinosaurs, he can’t pass up a chance to actually see the creatures in the wild. “You’re just a guy in a zoo” he’s teased by Martin, and he’s basically right. Henry, a former student of Dr. Alan Grant, has his curiosity and surprising bravery under pressure, albeit in a more nerdy package. Much of the film’s comedy comes from his flirtations with the tenacious Zora, just as much of the wonderment is seen through his eyes. One breathtaking example is when the team encounters a herd of titanosauruses grazing in an open field. Henry, too stunned to do anything but yelp his astonishment, is like a kid in a candy store.
Since no Jurassic film is complete without a civilian family in trouble, the other narrative follows the Delgado clan. Patriarch Reuben Delgado (The Lincoln Lawyer‘s Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), his teen daughter Teresa (Luna Blaise), youngest daughter Isabella (Audrina Miranda), and Teresa’s lazy stoner boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono) find their boat toppled by a mosasaurus. They survive and are eventually rescued by Duncan over Martin’s objections, but end up separated again by a bunch of angry spinosauruses. The heartwarming aspect is totally on this side of the electrified fence, as Reuben learns to respect Xavier and his courage at times of dino-crisis.
In true Spielberg fashion, there’s also a cutesy CG creation that Isabella befriends. It follows her around like a puppy and seems designed to sell merch. I could’ve done without that, the same way I could do without the existence of Ewoks. Sticking with the proven formula, there’s a recreation of the infamous kitchen scene, the return of the dreaded T-Rex (turns out he’s a scamp and quite the swimmer!), and Alexandre Desplat channeling John Williams’ sublime score.
Koepp and Edwards aren’t reinventing the wheel with Jurassic World Rebirth, but they are taking the old tricks and reminding us why they were great. This is a true summer dino-spectacle and it’s great to be excited about dinosaurs again.
Jurassic World Rebirth opens in theaters on July 2nd.
