by Rosa Parra

“Jurassic World Rebirth” is directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein. The story follows Zora (Johansson) and her team as they travel to an island research facility to extract genetic material from dinosaurs in an attempt to benefit humanity.

Although I grew up with the original “Jurassic Park” film playing in the background, I was never deeply invested in the franchise. The “Jurassic World” films have been hit or miss for me, and this installment was a significant miss. Before I delve into the many reasons why I found this film lacking, I’ll start with the few aspects that did work.

The dinosaur sequences were quite impressive, containing several moments filled with tension and horror. However, I feel these moments could have been more impactful if I had cared about the characters. The iconic score and sound design were also a highlight. And that’s about it.

Now, on to what didn’t work for me.

The script was atrocious, lazy, and tonally unbalanced. None of the characters were compellingly written or given enough time to develop, and even high-caliber actors couldn’t save this terrible film. The poor dialogue made the characters feel one-dimensional and, at times, quite annoying. There were attempts at comedy and moments of levity, but they all fell flat due to the subpar writing. The intimate conversations between Zora and Duncan felt random and awkward. They discuss being so involved in their work that they miss important family moments, but this theme doesn’t come full circle in the film. Additionally, the “mutant” experiments aspect didn’t significantly impact the story. 

The inclusion of the Latino family didn’t resonate with me; it felt forced, and their presence seemed primarily for convenience. There needed to be children involved to raise the stakes, but even they failed to elicit any concern for their outcomes. A father, an older teenage daughter, her boyfriend, and a young girl were simply sailing to a location, and it felt random. A Latino father would likely not allow his daughter to date someone like that annoying boyfriend. In fact, if any of my daughters came home with a guy like that, I would question my parenting skills. That boyfriend was grating largely due to the poor dialogue he was given. 

I fully expect characters to make foolish decisions in films of this genre; it’s part of the experience. However, there were moments when I found myself hoping some characters would just be killed off-screen to put an end to their suffering—and my own while watching the movie.

The pacing was also a major issue. The first half was slow and poorly written, while the third act had some redeemable moments, the conclusion ultimately fell flat. There were no memorable performances, no substantial storyline, and no real purpose.

Overall, “Jurassic World Rebirth” is an unsuccessful attempt to capitalize on a beloved intellectual property. This franchise, like the dinosaurs themselves, should be allowed to become extinct.

Rating: 3/10.