Jurassic World: Rebirth Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

Including mutant dinosaurs on an abandoned island is the worst idea in the long, sad history of this franchise. Welcome back to the world of prehistoric lizards.

Genre: Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi 

Director: Gareth Edwards

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Mahershala Ali, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Bechir Sylvain & Ed Skrein.

Run Time: 133 min.

US Release: 02 July 2025

UK Release: 02 July 2025

German Release: 02 July 2025

Well, here we are, the seventh entry in the Jurassic Park franchise - not including the animated shows - is out in cinemas. The first feature is one of my ultimate favourites, I can also live with the first sequel, plus World, yet this dinosaur film series has been an incredible disappointment half the time. As such, this one was on my radar, yet nothing I was really looking forward to. Behold, because after having watched it, my reasons for hesitation were granted. I mentally checked out more in this movie than I have ever done in a theatre.

Five years have passed since the events of Dominion, with most dinosaurs forced to migrate to the equatorial region, due to Earth’s inhospitable climate for them. A new expedition sets out for a tropical island, where supposed genetic experiments were created, to extract vital DNA for medical research.

David Koepp initially turned down the chance to write another Jurassic script, believing he had nothing more to contribute, and to say the truth, he should have probably let it be. By now, this series, just like the Terminator, should be best left alone, as it has run out of dino power! 

Having said that, what Koepp did right was to take the dinosaurs out of the human world, focusing once again on a contained story, set in an isolated area, creating a more intimate sensation. The screenplay tries to ignite the magic of the first flick, and while it does manage to recapture the atmosphere in parts due to the impressive action on display, more often than not, it fails due to its incredibly dull premise. This leads me to aspects that did not work in favour of the plot. 

The original Jurassic Park was always a cautionary tale about the abuse of genetics in the scientific field. Jurassic World went a step further by introducing the first modified dinosaur, spliced together from different creatures, explaining that the park is suffering declines because audiences want something new. Ironically, this reflects the movies, as the narrative leaves behind dinosaurs to focus more on mutated monstrosities. Unfortunately, through integrating exactly that, it loses the appeal of the franchise, as it isn’t anymore about humans in a prehistoric environment, but rather a sci-fi monster blockbuster.

Then there is the issue of pacing, containing too long a runtime, as it merges two separate accounts into one, with the family subplot being less intriguing, or having no general outcome over all in the main story. It also recycles narrative beats that were witnessed in the last six out of the seven movies, including a pharmaceutical company, to derive genetic material from the giant lizards. Finally, the premise focuses too much on creating memorable spectacles, leaving behind any chance to emotionally connect viewers with characters.

Conversations feel equally shallow, with specific exchanges that are supposed to be funny, falling completely flat. Then there are the more personal dialogues, which sadly sound artificial, as well as insincere. 

The biggest issue by far is the excess of characters included in this blockbuster, unable to properly flesh out any single one of them. 

Scarlett Johansson gives a solid performance, practically dragging this picture by herself, as she does her best with a one-note persona, of which little is revealed about. She has good chemistry with co-star Jonathan Bailey, who plays palaeontologist Henry Loomis, who is disappointingly underwritten as well. That said, the subtle blooming romance is not believable.

Rupert Friend plays the typical, one-dimensional corporate antagonist, adding little to the character. Mharshalla Ali infuses his role with his charm; however, he gets too little screen presence.

Then there is the family, as a civilian factor, with Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Audriana Miranda, giving the better performances as the father plus the youngest daughter, respectively. Luna Blaise, on the other hand, does a terrible, fluctuating acting job as Reuben’s oldest daughter, Teresa. Finally, David Iacono gives an indifferent rendition of the irritating character Xavier, Teresa’s boyfriend. The real issue is that this family has nothing to contribute.

This being a Gareth Edwards movie, the one thing I was counting on was the visuals. Regrettably, while the cinematography is definitely one of the stronger points this blockbuster has to offer, it isn’t on par with the director's other works. Yes, the use of film over digital, paired with anamorphic lenses, gave the whole look a more naturalistic style. The vivid colour palette also revitalises the look of the franchise, as the correct use of light plus shadow positively adds to the horror aspect. 

Gareth, together with DP John Mathieson, manage to capture specific action sequences well in frame, creating sweat-inducing suspense, thanks to the utilisation of dynamic angles, just like camera blocking. Unfortunately, one too many visual nostalgia bait pieces are used, making it feel at times like a race to keep up with the original.  

The effects are where the cinematography suffers. Overly relying on computer-generated imagery, instead of practical effects, the quality of the digitally rendered dinosaurs is very inconsistent. This is especially true of the mutated creatures, such as the flying raptors or the “D-Rex”, which also fluctuates in scale throughout the feature.  

The sound design drives the picture back to its horror roots, using its environmental and creature sounds to create a state of unpredictability, just like urgency. The music, composed by Alexandre Desplat, incorporates several of John Williams’ themes.  

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Verdict: It is surreal to think of this as a Gareth Evans production, given the high-quality content he brought us in the past, because this seventh instalment of the dino series is nothing more than a shallow shell of the original. The screenplay contains a few interesting ideas, though overall it is a mess, merging two stories into one, prolonging the overall runtime, and creating severe pacing issues. Its only grace are the few action segments sprinkled throughout, captured masterfully on camera. Containing an overabundance of characters, it struggles to properly flesh them out, failing to create emotionally connecting scenes with audiences. Johansson, together with Bailey, give the best renditions, while Blaise is insufferable to watch. The cinematography is beautiful, though it struggles with inconsistent CGI. This might not be as terrible as Fallen Kingdom, but it's not far off. Jurassic World: Rebirth obtains a 4.5  out of 10. 

I do not recommend spending your hard-earned money in theatres for this. It is nothing more than a stale summer blockbuster. Do you agree with my assessment? Leave a comment below & if you like the content, don't forget to like, share, & subscribe. Thank you, as always!