Life finds a way, and once again, Universal finds a way to leave me disappointed in another Jurassic World movie. There was so much potential here - A back to basics premise, an A-list cast, the original Jurassic Park screenwriter returning, and a director who specializes in immersive VFX. Rebirth shows constant glimpses of a good or even great movie, but the final product is far less than the sum of its parts.
The setup is solid, paving a potential path for an exciting survival thriller, but it’s not long before the film bogs us down with generic character backstories and bland dialogue in a transparent attempt to get us invested in the new cast. Actually, backstories aside, the characters themselves are mostly dull and unlikable. I have no shortage of problems with the last two JW movies, but at least the characters were kind of interesting. Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali do what they can with their stock characters and underwhelming dialogue, but no amount of charismatic star power can overcome the lame writing.
The first big set piece takes place on a boat in the middle of the ocean, and you know what? It’s pretty dang thrilling. This is where Gareth Edwards’ talent shines. He knows how to shoot scale, and build a high-stakes action sequence. When there are dinosaurs on screen, this feels the way a Jurassic movie should. The decision to shoot on film gives the movie a silky, old fashioned visual texture the last three entries were missing. Considering Rebirth boasts a significantly reduced budget compared to the bloated costs of Fallen Kingdom and Dominion, I was mostly impressed by the special effects. It’s a little rough around the edges and there are a few shots that look downright ugly, but overall this is a decent looking entry.
Something the last three movies were lacking was the sense of awe and terror present in the original Jurassic Park and The Lost World. There are moments of beauty and terror here that come close to evoking the feelings we first got in theatres 32 years ago. From the horrifying opening sequence to the heart pounding T-Rex River raft sequence (a scene from the original novel that never made it into the first film), this feels tonally and spiritually closer the franchise’s beginnings. Unfortunately, those moments are few and far between, wedged between generic story beats and flat characters.
Universal was so preoccupied with whether or not they could make another Jurassic World movie, they didn’t stop to think if they should. Rebirth is a minor improvement over the last two instalments, and shares some welcome DNA with Spielberg’s 1993 Masterpiece, but maybe franchise extinction wouldn’t be such a bad idea at this point.
Rebirth is currently available to rent or buy on digital platforms, with a 4K and Blu-ray release on September 9th.
2.5/5