Genre: Science Fiction Thriller | Director: Gareth Edwards | Release Date: 2025
Two separate missions collide on a dinosaur-infested island: a family fights to survive while a covert team retrieves genetic samples. Their paths cross amid chaos, mutation, and nature’s vengeance.
Plot
Jurassic World: Rebirth is an ambitious but uneven addition to the franchise that plays out like two movies competing for dominance. One storyline follows a family stranded on a remote island overrun by dinosaurs. The other centers on a special ops unit tasked with retrieving genetic samples. Individually, these ideas are compelling. Together, they trip over each other — weakening the narrative structure and robbing characters of depth and pacing.
The familiar Jurassic themes are here: nature pushing back, the ethics of science, and survival against overwhelming odds. But instead of enhancing the experience, the dual narratives muddy it. One of the biggest issues is the climax — it's anticlimactic, as if the film lost momentum before reaching the finish line. Even worse, the new plot device — that dinosaurs are going extinct again — feels like a lazy retcon to avoid crafting a focused resolution.
That said, the characters do manage to shine in moments. Zora is intriguing, though she’s too emotionally closed off, even during traumatic events. Duncan and Henry are solid and likable. Martin becomes a bit too cartoonish as a villain. The Delgado family has good chemistry, and while Xavier starts off rough, his arc has some payoff. Nina, unfortunately, is underutilized and her death is poorly handled.
This movie has characters you want to care about — but the bloated structure never gives them enough room to breathe.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Production
Visually, Jurassic World: Rebirth is a feast for the eyes. The film excels in its creature effects, delivering some of the most detailed and expressive dinosaur animation in the franchise. Each creature feels distinct, with lifelike textures, natural movement, and visible personality—whether it’s the wary gaze of a Velociraptor or the thunderous charge of a Titanosaurus. The environments are just as impressive. The island is lush, vibrant, and teeming with detail, from sweeping jungle canopies to decaying ruins, creating a believable and immersive world.
The cinematography adds a cinematic weight, with wide shots that capture the vastness of the setting and the scale of the creatures. Light and shadow are used beautifully to evoke both wonder and dread. However, the D-Rex design feels like a misstep. Its exaggerated, almost mythic appearance clashes with the more grounded aesthetic, resembling a fantasy creature more than a genetically engineered predator. Still, the visuals overall are stunning.
If Jurassic World: Rebirth has one undeniable triumph, it’s in its sound. Alexandre Desplat’s score is a rich, emotional tapestry that balances awe, fear, and tension. Echoing the grandeur of John Williams while forging its own identity, the music enhances every moment—from quiet character beats to massive dinosaur confrontations. Desplat’s orchestration is cinematic, haunting, and often beautiful.
The sound design is equally impressive. Each dinosaur has a unique audio signature that adds personality and presence. From the thunderous roar of the T. rex to the eerie shrieks of the Mosasaurus, the creatures feel alive and terrifying. Ambient jungle noise, rustling foliage, distant roars, and subtle shifts in environment all ground the viewer in the setting. Action scenes are elevated by precise sound mixing, while moments of silence are used effectively to build suspense. In a film full of missteps, the soundscape is immersive, thrilling, and expertly crafted.Unfortunately, it’s the writing—courtesy of David Koepp—that truly drags Jurassic World: Rebirth down. While the film introduces some promising concepts, almost none of them are meaningfully explored or followed through. It feels like a script filled with bullet points that never made it past the outline phase.
Take the specialist team, for example. They're supposedly elite operatives sent on a high-risk mission involving genetically altered dinosaurs, yet they’re inexplicably under-equipped and underprepared.Genetic experimentation—arguably one of the most compelling ideas in the entire Jurassic franchise—is teased early in the film, but it’s quickly tossed aside. There’s vague mention of DNA tampering and potential hybrid species, but it never becomes relevant beyond a couple of throwaway lines. Why raise the stakes with science if you're not going to show us what the science does?
Then there's the family subplot, which could have added emotional weight and grounded the action. Instead, the internal dynamics of the Delgado family are glossed over. Xavier’s character gets some growth, but Teresa and Isabella feel like afterthoughts. Nina’s character is given a sudden, cheap death—shock value over substance.
And the logic? Practically nonexistent. Koepp's script is riddled with baffling plot decisions. A candy wrapper disables a high-security door. Massive dinosaurs like the Titanosaurus sneak through grass that barely reaches waist height. A Mosasaurus attacks a family 28 miles away from the tracking unit… yet the specialist team, who are supposedly monitoring the creature, never arrives in time—despite being on its trail. And then there’s the T. rex bite that somehow fails to puncture a thin emergency raft.
Scenes are stitched together with no sense of continuity or consequence. Characters stumble from one moment to the next without clear goals or motivations. Martin Krebs’ descent into cartoonish villainy feels jarringly abrupt. Promising character arcs are left incomplete. The result is a script full of moments that look good on paper but collapse under scrutiny. It’s reminiscent of when seasoned screenwriters (like David Koepp or Shane Black) return to a franchise only to deliver something flat.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Performances
The cast of Jurassic World: Rebirth brings solid performances that often rise above the weak script. Scarlett Johansson leads as Zora Bennett, a covert operations expert whose reserved demeanor adds mystery but sometimes dulls emotional engagement. Mahershala Ali as Duncan Kincaid, the team leader, provides much-needed gravitas and presence, effortlessly grounding the action scenes with subtle emotional depth.
Jonathan Bailey’s portrayal of Dr. Henry Loomis, the team’s paleontologist, brings a nice balance of intellect and sincerity. Rupert Friend plays Martin Krebs, a pharmaceutical rep turned antagonist; his performance is hammy but fun, even if the writing doesn’t give him much complexity. His motivations are thin, but he’s memorable.
The Delgado family dynamic is one of the film’s stronger emotional anchors. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays Reuben, the protective father, with quiet strength. Luna Blaise as Teresa Delgado adds earnest energy, and David Iacono brings surprising range to Xavier, whose arc is one of the more developed in the film. Audrina Miranda as Isabella, the youngest daughter, holds her own and avoids the usual child-actor pitfalls.
Among Zora’s team, Ed Skrein’s Bobby Atwater and Bechir Sylvain’s LeClerc add charm and physicality, though they’re underwritten. Philippine Velge stands out as Nina, offering one of the more sincere supporting performances, even if her character is ultimately underserved by the story.
While none of these performances break new ground, the ensemble is committed and engaging. The chemistry between characters—especially in the field unit and the stranded family—elevates scenes that would otherwise feel hollow.
Director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla 2014, Rogue One, The Creator) brings scale, awe, and spectacle. His action set pieces are among the film’s best elements. Dinosaurs are framed with power and majesty. The camera lingers in all the right places, allowing scenes to breathe visually, even when the dialogue fumbles. But Edwards can only do so much with this script. You can feel his instincts for worldbuilding and grounded action trying to push through the narrative noise — but they never quite win.
Rating: 3 out of 5
The Verdict
In the end, Jurassic World Rebirth is a well-shot, great-sounding movie bogged down by unfocused writing and narrative overload. It delivers thrills and visual awe but drops the ball on logic, pacing, and emotional payoff. Jurassic World Rebirth earns 3 out of 5. A flawed but watchable entry — dazzling to look at, disappointing to follow.
Comments
Post a Comment