by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $14.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Ed Skrein, David Iacono
Intro:
… it’s been a minute since dinosaurs on the big screen have worked this well. The characters are fun, the set pieces are well-staged …
Between the big pile of dinosaur droppings that is Dominion and the middling results of the Jurassic-flavoured 65, this is a franchise that could’ve just quietly ended entirely and it’s likely no-one would even notice. So many abysmal follow-ups and knockoffs have sucked out the wonder of seeing prehistoric creatures brought to life on the big screen, to the point where even the films themselves have been acknowledging that fact. But if there’s one thing this series seems to love, it’s bringing back old fossils just because it can.
While there are some rather painful contrivances and the odd exasperating development, Rebirth is still the best-written Jurassic film in years, if not decades. Returning writer David Koepp brings the adventure serial basics that made the first film so iconic, and actually does something with the overall Jurassic World world-building. Unlike the franchise under Colin Trevorrow, this film seems genuinely interested in the idea of dinosaurs being a modern-day, ‘causing a traffic jam in Manhattan’ reality.
Same goes for the characters (conspicuous cannon fodder aside), as both Koepp and the cast put in the work to make on-screen presences that feel lived-in and relatable, rather than just archetypes made flesh. The plot ends up being split between two groups (mercenaries getting dino DNA samples for a dodgy pharma rep, and a family of sailing civilians in the wrong place at the wrong time), which admittedly yanks the focus of the film around at times, but both are just as watchable as each other. The banter is solid, their backstories are fleshed-out without devolving entirely into blunt-force exposition, and David Iacono outright steals the show with his down-to-earth, clueless, and unfiltered character.
Then there’s the work of director Gareth Edwards who, after establishing a stable blockbuster blueprint with his previous film The Creator, applies the same ‘think global, act indie’ mindset to Rebirth. He dips into old-school Spielbergisms just as much as Koepp but thoughtfully expands on them to keep things fresh. Where the Park original used visual obfuscation to heighten the tension for the audience (and hide the iffy special effects), this instalment applies it to the characters in-universe as well, bringing some real ‘fear of the unknown’ dread to the proceedings.
It also does well in balancing the twin notions that dinosaurs are now a natural reality, and still a result of mad science experimentation as seen throughout the World entries, giving flavour to the returning musings on mankind’s hubris and general treatment of the natural world. They can be scary (the tumorous Distortus rex) but also tender (two Titanosauruses nuzzling each other in the wild), and even cute (the destined-for-toy-fame Dolores the saurus… okay, Aquilops, but how could we resist?).
Jurassic World Rebirth may be putting the cart before the horse with its own sub-title, but it’s been a minute since dinosaurs on the big screen have worked this well. The characters are fun, the set pieces are well-staged, and even as a standalone sequel, it manages to do more with the Jurassic brand than the last three films combined (Fallen Kingdom still deserves its flowers though!). Its future may still be in doubt, but right now, let’s just appreciate dinosaurs being fun again.
