The “Jurassic” saga is back with “Jurassic World Rebirth.” Our JP saw the film and give his take on the Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali-led thriller.
JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH
Universal Pictures
- Directed by Gareth Edwards
- Written by David Koepp
- Based on Characters by Michael Crichton
- Produced by Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley
- Starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ed Skrein
Studio Synopsis:
Anchored by iconic action superstar Scarlett Johansson, Emmy and SAG nominee Jonathan Bailey and two-time Oscar® winner Mahershala Ali, this action-packed new chapter sees an extraction team race to the most dangerous place on Earth, an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park, inhabited by the worst of the worst that were left behind. Also starring acclaimed international stars Rupert Friend and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, the film is directed by dynamic visualist Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) from a script by original Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp.
Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures across land, sea and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind. Academy Award® nominee Johansson plays skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett, contracted to lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure the genetic material. When Zora’s operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos, they all find themselves stranded on a forbidden island that had once housed an undisclosed research facility for Jurassic Park. There, in a terrain populated by dinosaurs of vastly different species, they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that has been hidden from the world for decades.
JP’s Take:
“Jurassic World Rebirth” marks the seventh installment in the “Jurassic Park/World” saga, or the eighth if you include the short film, “Battle at Big Rock.” This “Jurassic World” prequel has the potential to rejuvenate the franchise, and I believe it does so in a way that’s both adventurous and chilling.
No, “Rebirth” isn’t going to break any new ground or set records; that’s not its goal. Despite the sci-fi / horror cliches and some conveniently timed plot twists, the subtitle perfectly captures the essence of this film, as it aims to revisit the eerie, monstrous legacy left by the original “Jurassic Park” movies.
As a whole, the story wanders down the same path as the “Jurassic World” sequels. Once again, it’s the story of humans’ god-like complex and their complete dominance over nature. In this particular setting, “big pharma” takes its mission right to the source, as ParkerGenix executive Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) hires covert operations expert Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) to tag along on a research trek on the isle of Ile Saint-Hubert.
I quickly learned the meaning of “Rebirth” when it comes to the “Jurassic World” series. We flashback to 2010, before the setting of “Jurassic World,” when a terrifying incident occurred at InGen. When I assert that humans should not attempt to play God, I refer specifically to the moment when you realize that the entity they have unleashed is a mutated creature; I mean precisely that. At the start of the film, as they examine their creation, chaos ensues when a 6-limbed transgenic Tyrannosaurus Rex, which they named Distortus rex, breaks free. Near the end, you’ll discover how grotesque and terrifying this thing is.
Flash forward to the present day, and Zora and her crack team of covert ops mercenaries, team leader Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), covert ops solider Bobby Atwater (Ed Skrein), and paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) — who has never been on an expedition — are tasked with ushering Mr. Krebs to Ile Saint-Hubert. Yet, this moment is prefaced by Kincaid’s apprehensive line in a recruitment scene, in which he clearly states, “…because no one is stupid enough to go where we’re going,” which sets the proper mood. Throughout the plotting of this story, each of the characters vent about their past traumas and experiences, combined with the foreseen mayhem, and sets a somber tone for things to come.
I will say I had a good time watching this crew. They run the gambit of fending off grisly dinos with some aptly placed moral-of-the-story type dialogue and subtle comical moments, which involves Dr. Loomis crunching on Altoids while on the run from some giant reptiles in the tall grass field. Some of the jump scares are set up nicely, if predictably. There are a few feel-good moments involving a little girl and a baby dino. Near the end, we come to the “boss mode,” where we finally meet the grotesque Distortus rex. It’s a showdown that isn’t as encapsulating as those found in “Jurassic Park,” yet it does leave you wondering if they’ll all get out alive.
“Jurassic World Rebirth” is somewhat cut and dry, yet it’s no less thrilling from its eerie opening sequence onward to the final battle. We’re given time to get to know the characters while exploring the new world we’ve all discovered. All in all, “Jurassic World Rebirth” is a vast improvement over the tedious “Jurassic World Dominion” output.
Official Site: Jurassic World Rebirth
