Jurassic World: Rebirth
Jurassic World: Rebirth
Five years post-Jurassic World: Dominion (2022), an expedition braves isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough.
Tanalien reviewed3d ago
Jurassic World: Rebirth is a film that demands a large tub of popcorn, an ICEE™, and a recliner. When its opening scene concluded, I knew I was in for a good time and a ton of fun. The momentum carried on — and I left the theater thinking, That’s how you make a popcorn movie!
Audiences have endured a long road of sequels since 1993’s Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg’s masterful adaptation of Michael Crichton’s sci-fi book, which balanced a “popcorn movie” tone with real ethical discussions. It changed Hollywood forever: unleashing digital visual effects that were believable, paving the way for blockbusters ever since. Spielberg returned to make 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which he has publicly said was inferior to the original.
Unfortunately, many directors tried the same experiment and failed. 2015’s Jurassic World introduced a new central cast of characters within the same universe and began a trilogy released across seven years. Unfortunately, each film became progressively worse — bloated, uninteresting, CGI-filled stories. Sometimes, the dinosaurs weren't the main attraction. I left this series with bad memories.
And what a return to form! Edwards has studied the history of the franchise and is one of Steven Spielberg’s biggest fans. He opted to shoot Jurassic World: Rebirth on film, not digital. This is more expensive and time-consuming than an all digital workflow, but the final result connects to the visual language of the original. The largest intangible about Jurassic World: Rebirth is how familiar, yet fresh it feels. In terms of restoring audience goodwill, that is unquantifiable.
References to the previous entries are embedded in the script and visuals. There is a Crichton Middle School, a direct allusion to Dr. Alan Grant, and blood dripping from above like what happens to the poor soldier in Jurassic World. Edwards uses John Williams’s original theme, going full-bore at the right time in a way that gave me goosebumps.
A great sequel has to do more than simply fulfill the commandments. It must have great plotting, likable characters, and sound visual construction. Jurassic World: Rebirth does all of these things, which is why it felt like an authentic successor to Jurassic Park.