YNOT at the Movies

"Jurassic World: Rebirth" (USA 2025 | 133 min.) promises a bold new direction for the franchise, yet it delivers a film that feels assembled from the same old bones. The visuals are undeniably impressive; the director Gareth Edwards crafts lush, tactile environments and stages spectacular sequences across land, sea, and air. But the story sticks to a predictable formula: bad characters get picked off, good ones survive against all odds, and no twist lands with real surprise.

The plot follows Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), a hardened extraction expert hired to lead a covert mission to Ile Saint-Hubert, a dinosaur-infested island where three colossal prehistoric species may hold DNA capable of curing heart disease. Alongside her is Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), a weary ex-soldier turned boat captain, and Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), a paleontologist eager to witness dinosaurs in their natural habitat. Their mission collides with a stranded civilian family--Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and his two daughters—who become unwilling players in a survival game amid the ruins of a forgotten InGen facility.

It all unfolds with professional polish. The action is slick, the dinosaurs look terrifying, and the atmosphere carries the dense humidity and danger of a proper lost world. The production team clearly put in the work: filming on 35mm lends the film a visual texture that recalls the original "Jurassic Park" (1993), and the practical sets in Thailand and Malta are deeply immersive. From a technical standpoint, this is one of the most impressive entries in the series.

But once the monsters roar and the chase begins, the patterns become all too familiar. The plot beats feel engineered: a sudden attack, a noble sacrifice, a revelation that changes little, and a finale that checks the necessary boxes. Even the scares, though well timed, arrive on cue. There's no real sense of danger when the outcome feels preordained.

The characters, while capably performed, remain confined to familiar types. Zora is the tough-but-wounded leader with a buried past. Duncan, though quietly compelling, mostly provides calm presence and steady navigation. Loomis brings a sense of wonder and conscience, but is often there to explain the science. Reuben and his daughters supply the emotional thread, though their arc feels rushed, wedged between the film's many narrow escapes.

There are glimmers of personality and creativity. The visuals often dazzle, and some set pieces—especially involving the Mosasaurus and Titanosaurus—offer genuine spectacle. Still, the film never shakes the feeling of being more procedural than adventurous. The script hints at deeper themes like exploitation, extinction, and legacy, but these threads are quickly dropped in favor of action.

In the end, "Jurassic World: Rebirth" is a handsomely crafted echo. It brings a few new faces, several impressive sequences, and enough dinosaur chaos to satisfy casual viewers. But for a film that aims to mark a new era, it never truly breaks new ground.

"Jurassic World: Rebirth" opens in theaters on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.