Jurassic World: Rebirth
The bottom line of the “Jurassic” franchise is this: you can never replicate the phenomenon Steven Spielberg’s 1993 dinosaur adventure was. It awed because we’d never seen dinosaurs done in movies in this way before. None of the sequels could do that because simply, it was a singular event. Once you’ve introduced dinosaurs on this scale, the only thing left to do is let them run rampant.
As I’ve written since “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” in 2018, I think the “Jurassic” franchise represents Spielberg as Roger Corman, of sorts. This isn’t about recreating the awe of that moment in 1993, it’s about creating monster movies, a reliable moneymaking franchise a la “Godzilla” that lets the effects run amok, while the humans run away. He knows people will come out because dinosaurs are cool, and they enjoy disaster movies with wanton destruction. Regardless of what you think of the “Jurassic” franchise since 1993, this is what it is. I get people wanting more. I’ll take what we can get. And I enjoyed “Rebirth.”
Returning to the franchise for the first time since 1997 is writer David Koepp, who worked on the scripts for the first two films. I think he’s got a pretty good handle for what this film should be, and why it might appeal to audiences. This franchise is basically about the hubris of man to not only bring dinosaurs back from the dead, but to think that they can control them in any way, shape or form. Each film is playing off of that fundamental idea in one way, shape or form, and often building off of what came before. At the heart of the chaos is InGen, a mega corporation who thought they could go bigger and better, but didn’t think about the human cost. Here, InGen is bankrupt, but a pharmaceutical company- represented by Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend)- has purchased some assets from it; namely, tracking information on what dinosaurs are still alive. You see, because of climate change- and just not being compatible in the human world- many of the remaining dinosaurs have made their way to the equator, where the climate best compares to what they originally lived in. What would a pharmaceutical company need with dinosaur tracking? They are thinking dinosaurs could help create a heart disease medication that would increase life expectancy by 20 years. In other words, a shit ton of money is at stake. To help him Krebs is enlisting a security contractor (Zora Bennett, played by Scarlett Johansson), a paleontologist (Jonathan Bailey), and Bennett’s friend as their boat captain (Kincaid, played by Mahershala Ali) to go to the equator and extract samples from the three largest dinosaurs. Sure, that makes sense.
Koepp’s screenplay has plenty of blatant references to sequences from the 1993 film, but it also finds room for some “Jaws” love in the year of its 50th anniversary. At the helm this time out is Gareth Edwards, who began Legendary’s Monsterverse with 2014’s “Godzilla,” in addition to “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “The Creator.” He is a good fit for the material, not only because of “Godzilla,” but because he can get solid performances out of actors surrounded by visual effects, and knows how to stage effects-heavy sequences for best impact. Yes, the sequence in an on-island market that is a ripoff of the ’93 raptor kitchen sequence pales in comparison to the original, but this film’s T-Rex sequence- involving a family who get shipwrecked and our rescued by the team- is effective, and the sequences in the ocean are all well-executed. And for the first time in a while, I can honestly say I think the characters are interesting in this film, even if they aren’t written with real depth. But we have rooting interests in their survival, and at least one person we definitely want to see get theirs. Don’t worry- as with every other movie in this franchise, craven greed doesn’t pay.
At this point, I think most audiences know what they want out of this franchise. Especially since I feel like I “unlocked” the MO of Spielberg in this continued franchise, my desires are simple- cool dinosaurs and set pieces; characters I at least want to see survive (and enjoy watching); at least one greedy SOB to eat it by being eaten; strong visuals; and a fun score, which Alexandre Desplat delivers in his first collaboration with Edwards since “Godzilla.” “Jurassic World Rebirth” gave that to me in a package that yes, didn’t necessarily need to be 2 1/4 hours, but still entertained me thoroughly. I know what this franchise is, and 1993 wasn’t the blueprint, but the anomaly that set our expectations super high, which every film since has been trying to refocus.
