We all have “love it no matter what” franchises that we refuse to be objective about. It might be Marvel, James Bond, Harry Potter or even Mission Impossible. My weakness is anything that comes out of the Star Wars universe. It was the principal fictional mythology of my childhood, and I refuse to say, or hear, a bad word about any of it. I suspect for some, the Jurassic Park movies rise to this level of loyalty. After watching “Jurassic World Rebirth” recently, I can’t understand why.
Anyone who finds fault with the contemporary Star Wars canon is probably screaming the word hypocrite at their radio right now. I accept it. It’s fair. Trash and treasure, and all that stuff. But I do objectively believe that the “Jurassic World” era of the “Jurassic Park” tradition is in serious jeopardy of burning through whatever goodwill is left in the dinosaur-loving audience. The three Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt movies that started the “World” era are fun and only slightly too sentimental. They lean into their dependance on the 1993 original and even invite the first cast to re-join the fray in “Jurassic World Dominion”. At the end of that film, I remember telling everyone that I enjoyed myself, but I also recall hoping the franchise would move boldly into a new phase with whatever came next. “Rebirth” is what came next, and I’m sad to say it doesn’t do anything boldly. The very title itself suggests a departure from the norm, as if the entire menu of “Jurassic Park” is about to get a fresh set of locales, characters and rules. It’s such a shame then that all we actually get is more of the same comfort food. Familiar, formulaic. Just a bunch of empty calories.
The cast, at least, is all new. Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey and Rupert Friend bring fresh energy even if the script and setting require little more from them than showing up. I don’t know how many dinosaur-infested islands there are in this legendary archipelago of secrets, but the team in “Rebirth” has found another one. It has impenetrable jungles, abandoned labs, rusting corporate infrastructure and all the other visual cues we’ve been taught to expect from a second-generation Jurassic film. The iconic T-Rex is back too, of course, and it delivers the most creative action set piece of the entire movie. T-Rex isn’t the big bad in this one, though, so its moment happens in the middle and isn’t all that consequential. It’s like a bit part given to an aging star as a favor. The alpha on this island is an unnamed mutant that has zero charisma, zero shock value and zero allegiance to the laws of cinematic nature. It’s size changes so wildly from scene to scene, it’s hard not to laugh. As creature design goes, we have seen so much better over the years. We deserve so much better. Director Gareth Edwards has done many monster movies, so he knows how to do this kind of thing well. He even directed “Rogue One”, arguably the best Star Wars story there is. I guess he can paint by numbers too, when the script calls for it.
Now that I’m done raining on the parade of “Jurassic World Rebirth” from a critical standpoint, I have to admit that it is a fun piece of entertainment. That comfort I mentioned before has value, and it is why we hold on to these nostalgic brands so dearly. More Jurassic films are coming. I’m sure of it. I actually want it. I just ask that the team at Universal hit the reset button more firmly with the next title. Let’s finally do something completely new with this beloved subject.
