‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ - The best ‘Jurassic’ since the original

The Jurassic franchise has had a bumpy ride since its iconic debut. The original is considered one of the greatest films of all time, but subsequent follow-ups haven’t been so fortunate. Despite the middling critical reception, audiences haven’t faltered, returning again and again for more dinosaur action on the big screen. To that end, writing a review for Jurassic World Rebirth feels futile, unless it’s to say that the critics are wrong and that this just happens to be one of the best in the franchise.

It’s not the highest bar, but it is one that Jurassic World Rebirth leaps beyond. To be clear, the film doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any stretch. Rather, it seems to accept that it doesn’t have to. The movie leans into its critic-proof identity and delivers a B-movie plot about mutant dinosaurs and the development of an experimental drug that can only be crafted by extracting the DNA of the three biggest dinosaurs on the planet.

Thankfully, the people best equipped for this dangerous mission are the most attractive scientists and mercenaries money can buy. Jonathan Bailey is yet another palaeontologist bemoaning the lack of interest in dinosaurs as people across the globe become less enthused with each passing day. His protectors are the team of Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali, along with a slew of other crew members who mainly exist to be eaten when things go haywire.

The characters have been seen before, but the movie’s dialogue makes them worth watching. There are cheesy one-liners that set up the action, and there is an over-the-top nature to much of Jurassic World Rebirth, but there’s an honesty to the delivery that makes it accessible.

The thing is, despite its unoriginality, Jurassic World Rebirth finds a way to be massively entertaining. Gareth Edwards proves once again to be a master of scale, finding the terror in the intricate details of an encounter with larger-than-life beasts. On the flip side is the beauty inherent in seeing creatures once found only in textbooks walking around.

The film is riddled with clichés, plot conveniences, and blatantly transparent arcs for its characters, yet Jurassic World Rebirth makes it work by adhering to a simple principle: Make it fun. You may know where the characters will end up, but on the way there, they’ll be engaging in exhilarating and life-threatening escapades, thanks to their overly simplistic view of the world. A summer blockbuster never needed to be anything more than that.

Rating: Big Screen Watch

Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.