Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) – Film Review

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ed Skrein

Director: Gareth Edwards

Synopsis: Five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion, a new expedition sets off to the research facility of the original Jurassic Park in pursuit of dinosaur DNA that could lead to a medical breakthrough…

Review: Dinosaurs, you just can’t keep these prehistoric creatures off the big screen. Three years ago, much spectacle was made of the third and supposed final chapter in the Jurassic World franchise to be the one to close the curtain on a franchise 65 million years in the making. Having brought the past and the present together and stomped its way to another billion dollars at the worldwide box office, it seemed as though every last morsel of dino DNA had been extracted, and it was time to let it rest once and for all. But, in the immortal words of Jeff Goldblum’s Dr Ian Malcolm from the first film, “life finds a way”, and well, the franchise found a way to resurrect itself once more.

It has been five years since the events of Dominion, where dinosaurs and humanity were forced to co-exist alongside each other. However, due to climate change, the majority of the planet’s surface has become inhospitable to dinosaurs, except for a few areas around the equator. Consequently, these areas have become no-go zones for humans. It is discovered that the DNA of the creatures is the key to a potential new treatment for heart disease, which could be very profitable if brought to the mass market. Therefore, pharmaceutical company executive Martin Krebs (Friend) recruits Zora Bennett (Johansson) and palaeontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Bailey) to lead a mission to the island of Île Saint-Hubert to retrieve these samples of dino-DNA and bring them back. Though when venturing into the land of dinosaurs, you know that things are not going to go as planned, and it becomes a desperate bid for survival.

In some ways, the subtitle of Rebirth is an apt one because the slate has been totally wiped clean in that no one from any of the previous six films shows up, even for the briefest of cameos. Given franchise films have in the past often tried to mine and utilise the nostalgia in place of telling a good story, this is a welcome development. You would think that with a whole new collection of characters, this would offer original Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp and director Gareth Edwards, himself no stranger to tackling films with gargantuan-sized monsters, the opportunity to take the franchise in an exciting new direction.

Alas, while there is enjoyment to be found, it is broadly more of what you would come to expect from a Jurassic adventure, with our protagonists setting off to this island to fulfil their mission, only for things to go wrong and for the dinosaurs to start eyeing up these humans as their next meal. Of course, the film also doesn’t pass by the opportunity to use John Williams’ theme from the original film for a predictable but effective blast of nostalgia, because who doesn’t get emotional hearing that incredible theme from the greatest musical maestro cinema has ever seen?

In Edwards’ capable hands, having also ventured to a galaxy far far away, the action sequences are unquestionably spliced with some Spielbergian DNA. However, they certainly get the blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing, including an enthralling sequence where the crew is in a race against time to extract the DNA from a Mosasaurus and a mission to save a family whose boat has drifted into some dino-dwelling waters. Compelling as these scenes are, such is the threadbare and minimal development of these characters that it becomes hard to be fully invested in their quest.

Even with such talented actors, like Johansson, Ali and Bailey turning in reliably solid performances, the material they are given lacks sufficient meat on its bones to make them as compelling as characters from previous films in the franchise, severely lacking in a memorable line or, indeed anything at all. You want to see them accomplish their mission and avoid a fate that has befallen many characters in this franchise. Yet, since the attachment the audience has to them is so threadbare, it is of little significance who makes it out of the island alive.

It is remarkable that in the 30 years since Spielberg first brought dinosaurs to life in a truly captivating way that will forever remain timeless, every sequel has attempted to replicate that magic, yet none have managed to accomplish that goal. The results have varied from entertaining to the bizarre sight of a dinosaur saying “Alan” to Sam Neill’s Alan Grant. While dinosaurs will always have an inherent appeal, it’s clear that this franchise has run out of fresh ideas. Given the inconsistency of the films over such a long period, perhaps it is time to consider letting it go the way of the dinosaurs once and for all.

Despite offering some entertaining moments, Rebirth fails to offer anything new and instead regurgitates well-worn tropes from previous films. A franchise that once roared has become stale, toothless and in need of fossilisation.