Every few years, Universal dips back into their precious stash of dino DNA in hopes of recreating the magic of the original. But there is no matching the wonder and originality of 1993’s Jurassic Park, so subsequent sequels and re-imaginings will always have to compete with each other for the title of next best thing. This latest offering, Jurassic World Rebirth, hits somewhere in the middle of that 6-film pileup. It’s got a host of impressive effects, extraordinary new creatures, and some truly A-list performances. What it doesn’t have is a particularly engaging script or any genuine scares. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t entertain, but it’s an emptier thrill than many of its franchise brethren.
Directed by the sure hand of Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One), a filmmaker no stranger to creature features, the film opens seventeen years ago in a secret InGen laboratory dedicated to creating new and horrific dinosaur hybrids through genetic experiments. Cue a horrible lab accident, which results in at least one fatality and leads InGen to abandon not just the facility, but the island as a whole. Flash forward to the present day, and pharmaceutical rep Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) has hired Special Ops expert Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) to pull together a team to head to the island to gather biological samples from three of the hybrid dinos to aid him in breakthrough heart research. Along for the expeditionary ride are paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), ship captain Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), boat driver LeClerc (Bechir Sylvain), mercenary Nina (Philippine Velge), and security chief Bobby Atwater (Ed Skrein). They think they know what they’re up against on the island, and feel they can pop in and out with little issue, but we, as audiences, know better.
If you’ve noticed one main Jurassic ingredient missing in that rundown, you’d be correct. It wouldn’t be part of this movie universe without children in the mix. This time, they come courtesy of a family hugely out of their depth. As the primary cohort tracks the sea-dwelling Mosasaurus ahead of nabbing a sample, they encounter a shipwrecked family whose boat has been attacked near the island. They rescue Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), his daughters Teresa (Luna Blaise) and Isabella (Audrina Miranda), and Teresa’s stoner boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono), but are separated from the family during another attack and marooned far apart on the island itself.
The cast at the heart of the effects-laden summer epic is enviable, and from Johansson to Bailey to Ali, they are all as committed to the premise as you would expect. But David Koepp’s script gives them so little to work with in terms of character back story or range of emotion, that you can’t help but wish it matched the calibre of talent on hand. We are told that Johansson’s heroine has recently suffered a tragic loss, but there’s no space to dig into that or for her to connect that trauma to the chaos of her current mission. Friend, who has proven to be a reliable and capable villain in other productions, is given next to nothing to build on as this entry’s personification of evil. Though he makes one extremely questionable choice, it generally seems we’re supposed to dislike him for no reason other than because he’s employed by Big Pharma. Bailey does his best as the requisite scientist, as does Ali as Zora’s capable colleague, and they add subtle layers to their makeup where they can.
Rebirth does its level best to elicit jump scares and to draw out the tension, but it becomes clear relatively early on that though they may find themselves in peril, the above-the-title actors are in it for the long haul. They’re not going anywhere. But if you’re a supporting character? You might as well be wearing a Star Trek red shirt, because you’re simply here as dino chum. You’re certainly not on board for plot or to wring emotion out of those left behind.
And what of the B plot? There are more scares and moments of genuine fear to be found there. The family have an established emotional bond that brings added dimension to every terrifying moment. At the same time, their lack of skill or knowledge in the face of mutant creatures means they’re much less equipped for their situation. It’s easier for audiences to empathize, and their mounting trauma in the face of encounter after encounter brings much-needed tension to the proceedings.
What helps that along is some excellent CGI and creative evolution of the creatures at the heart of the hunt. While we get a good look at some familiar, famous faces, like T-Rex, the spitting Dilophosaurus, and a few creeping Velociraptors, there are a host of new, impressive giant lizards. There’s the aquatic Mosasaurus mentioned above, the Titanosaurus (essentially a Brachiosaurus on steroids), and the Quetzalcoatlus–a flying dino that puts Pterodactyls to shame. Not to mention the biggest of big bads, the Distortus rex. With a face only a mother could love, he has six limbs and was the mutant monster behind the disaster seventeen years ago.
As with previous entries, the score does a lot of the heavy emotional lifting, and Alexandre Desplat’s music deftly blends familiar John Williams’ motifs with new melodies, including the beautiful Dr. Loomis’s theme. Likewise, the cinematography brings the setting to life with vibrant colours and enviable beauty. If it weren’t for those pesky lizards, Ile Saint-Hubert seems like the perfect place for a relaxing Caribbean getaway.
So it’s especially disappointing that the overall film doesn’t live up to its many A-list ingredients. Even with impressive set pieces, a proven director and a cast giving their all, without a well-built base of storytelling and reasons to care for your protagonists, it all only goes so far. In the end, Jurassic World Rebirth engenders more of a whimper than a roar, but there’s enough here to entertain–even if it’s just surface fun.
Jurassic World Rebirth is in theatres now.
