Despite each installment grossing over $1 billion at the global box office, the previous three Jurassic World films failed to develop any characters that captured even a fraction of the charisma that Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), and Ellie Satler (Laura Dern) had in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 masterpiece. Even if the dinosaurs were the real stars of the franchise, Jurassic World Rebirth seemingly made a savvy decision in assembling a new cast to kickstart the “rebirth” of the franchise. Although director Gareth Edwards is a far more competent visual filmmaker than Colin Trevorrow, Jurassic World Rebirth features the same dull human characters as the other sequels.
Set five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the new film sets up the concept that the dinosaurs living on the forbidden island of Ile Saint-Hubert have biomaterial that can be extracted and used to make radical medical advances. In order to ensure that his company can take advantage of the lucrative financial opportunities, the pharmaceutical representative Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) hires the special operations expert Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), the paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), and the boat captain Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) to lead an expedition to the island. Despite the talented cast, Jurassic World Rebirth suffers from bland characterization, and does not properly utilize its dinosaurs.
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Doesn’t Take Advantage of Its Cast
Among the reasons that Jurassic Park is one of the greatest summer blockbusters ever made is that the audience gets to experience the same sense of awe that Grant, Malcolm, and Satler do upon seeing the dinosaurs for the first time, as they share a collective enthusiasm for science. The characters in Jurassic World Rebirth are shallow and only motivated by money, as humanity itself has grown past its infatuation with dinosaurs. While it was obvious that a business leader like Krebs would always have a cynical perspective, it’s disappointing that Zora is only willing to experience the wonders of the island because of the financial benefits. Although Loomis does briefly speak about the importance of respecting the natural order of life, his concerns are often overshadowed for the sake of comedic relief.
Jurassic World Rebirth features surprisingly vapid and bland backstories for its characters, which they are only able to express through dull, expositional exchanges that are not cinematically interesting to watch. Although it is suggested that Zora and Duncan have both experienced trauma after losing loved ones, this potentially compelling shared history is only briefly mentioned, and does not factor into their decision-making process. Loomis’s backstory is even more frustrating, as despite referencing the fact that he studied under Dr. Grant, the film gives him very few opportunities to discuss why he became interested in paleontology in the first place. Despite an admittedly compelling opening scene, the first third of Jurassic World Rebirth consists of conversations with these characters, who don’t seem to develop in the slightest.
The trailers thus far have managed to hide the fact that Jurassic World Rebirth includes two separate groups of protagonists, as its only shortly after Zora’s group begins moving towards the island that the group establishes the single father Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), his younger daughter Isabella (Audrina Miranda), his elder daughter Teresa (Luna Blaise), and her boyfriend Xavier Dobbs (David Iacono). These characters are riddled with cliches and don’t contain any unique perspective on dinosaurs that would make them compelling to watch. Perhaps the intention was to include characters without special knowledge, who the audience could possibly relate to, but the overabundance of obnoxious family banter undercuts any suspense.
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Takes Too Long for the Dinosaurs To Show Up
Pacing is a major issue in Jurassic World Rebirth, as the film does not take the time to examine the consequences of the ending of Jurassic World Dominion. While the opening scene is among the scariest scenes in the series since the original, it does not include any characters that appear in the rest of the film, which removes any opportunity for the viewer to get emotionally involved. The lack of dinosaurs in the first third may have been forgivable if the characters were engaged in passionate discussion about the ethics of the situation, as was the case in the original Jurassic Park, but their discussions are devoid of any legitimate science. It doesn’t help that the characters seem impervious to harm, which robs the film of any tension when the dinosaurs finally do start appearing.
Edward is ultimately not a strong filmmaker when it comes to characterization, as his previous films, Godzilla and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, both featured overcomplicated plots that preceded the big set pieces. While Edwards may have attempted to replicate the “less is more” lesson from Jaws, he seemingly overlooked the fact that the absence of an active threat means that it must be replaced by something else compelling. Even if audiences only seek out films within the franchise to see dinosaurs in their glory, Jurassic World Rebirth doesn’t give them the screen time or respect that they deserve.
Jurassic World Rebirth is now playing in theaters.