Rating: 6/10
Hollywood’s beloved prehistoric playground is back, but this time on a different island. “Jurassic World: Rebirth” brings dinosaurs back to the big screen in a more vibrant package. The cinematography, complemented by the gorgeous CGI, succeeds in making dinosaurs look cool again.
The plot is nothing to write home about, but the island’s bright and lively special effects bring it to life. This is easily the best looking film of the “Jurassic World” franchise. Dinosaurs have elaborate patterns and vivid colors that will fascinate viewers. John Williams’ iconic “Welcome to Jurassic Park” theme adds layers of nostalgia under its new guise.
The film’s Tyrannosaurus rex may be the best iteration of the creature yet.. “Jurassic World: Rebirth” captures the complexity of the dinosaurs through breathtaking sequences. The film’s portrayal of a T. Rex swimming and then attacking shows off the creature’s animal-like traits.
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The film takes place on Ile Saint-Hubert, an island near French Guiana near the equator. After the events of “Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom,” Rupert Friend’s Martin Krebs, a representative of a pharmaceutical company, discovers that the DNA of the world’s largest dinosaurs can cure heart diseases. To acquire this, he recruits Scarlett Johansson’s Zora Bennett, Jonathan Bailey’s Dr. Henry Loomis and Mahershala Ali’s Duncan Kincaid.
En route to the island, the crew rescues a father, his two daughters and the elder daughter’s boyfriend. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Reuben Delgado (the father) shares a humorous dynamic with David Lacono’s Xavier Dobbs (the boyfriend). The daughters — Luna Blaise’s Teresa Delgado and Audrina Miranda’s Isabella Delgado — give the audiences something to care about.
Bennett, Loomis and Kincaid do much of the heavy lifting for the weak plot. However, Johansson and Ali’s smooth chemistry effortlessly gives audiences a few sequences with incredibly well-written dialogue.
Loomis is arguably the best character the franchise has seen since Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady. As a paleontologist, Bailey brings childlike wonder and fascination to the character and is easily the best part of the film.
Despite fine performances from almost all actors, the plot being an all too familiar story where humans need something from dinosaurs is exhausting. The film talks about how people are bored of dinosaurs and are no longer interested in seeing them. Ironically, that might be true about audiences as well. It was exciting to see these prehistoric creatures on the big screen, but lately the stories have been lackluster.
The film tries to set up a big bad in a mutant dinosaur called D. Rex at the beginning. Disappointingly, the creature doesn’t show up till the final few minutes of the film and adds nothing to the story. Director Gareth Edwards tries to add horror elements to the film and except for a couple of jump scares, they are all too predictable.
“Jurassic World: Rebirth” is a step up from the last two movies, but it is a rambling franchise that is being dragged on unnecessarily. It’s not a bad film — but it’s not a good one either. It is a two-hour ride of predictable plot twists. It is a rebirth for the franchise, but there are not many new stories left to tell with these prehistoric creatures.
