Jurassic World: Rebirth

Summary

I was eight years old when my brother took me to see Jurassic Park in the theaters. It completely blew my mind, and fueled my imagination. I bought Michael Crichton’s novel and over some time I read it cover to cover. The book and film made me a lifelong Crichton fan. I also credit Jurassic Park for making me fall in love with reading books. It holds a special place in my heart. Spielberg’s picture, with its iconic John Williams score, and revolutionary computer generated imagery completely changed summer blockbusters. The film still retains its cinematic magic over thirty years later. 

Jurassic Park’s numerous sequels were a classic case of diminishing returns. After a critically panned entry in the series, Jurassic Park III, the series took a break from 2001 until 2015’s Jurassic World. While not as great as the classic 1993 film, Jurassic World injected some energy back into the franchise. Its sequel was decent if not great, and then it was followed up with Jurassic World: Dominion which may be the worst of all of the Jurassic pictures. It was time for a reboot, which explains why this film is called Jurassic World: Rebirth. I personally would have preferred if the film was called Jurassic Park: Rebirth, because the film’s energy is much closer to the very first picture, and the screenplay is written by David Koepp who wrote the screenplay for Jurassic Park with Michael Crichton. To helm the reboot, Star Wars: Rogue One director Gareth Edwards was chosen. This makes great sense because his takes on Godzilla and Star Wars were both critical and financial successes. I would rank Rogue One as one of the very best Star Wars films. I was somewhat skeptical about this Jurassic entry, just because the trailers were somewhat underwhelming, so I skipped it in the theaters. In retrospect, I think that was probably a mistake. While not perfect, this is the best entry in the Jurassic series since either 2015 or 1993, depending on how well you liked Jurassic World. I watched the film with my kids and wife last night, and we all had fun viewing it.

The film opens at an InGen facility on the Ile Saint Hubert in 2008. The facility is conducting experiments on dinosaurs to craft new breeds of dinosaurs. A series of small mistakes leads to a large genetically modified dinosaur breaking out of its heavily fortified quarters. The employees abandon the island and their research center. In 2025, the majority of the dinosaurs have once again vanished off the face of the earth due to climate issues impacting their survivability. There are only a handful of islands on the equator where the dinosaurs can survive. Those islands are completely off limits to all people, with laws passed in every country outlawing their visitation. An employee for ParkerGenix Pharmaceuticals named Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) approaches covert operative Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) to help him collect some samples from the island for the development of a heart disease drug. She agrees to take the job for ten million dollars. They bring along paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) to help them identify the three dinosaurs that they need to get samples from. There is a catch – the samples will be taken from live specimens, because the blood from dead dinosaurs is contaminated. They travel to Suriname, where Zora recruits her friend Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) to help her  with the mission and for the use of his boat. Through a series of circumstances, on the way to the island they pick up some folks in need of rescue – Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) along with his youngest daughter Isabella, his teenage daughter Teresa, and her boyfriend Xavier.

Jurassic World: Rebirth, despite its annoying name, is the most engaging Jurassic entry in a very long time. As a director, Gareth Edwards does a fantastic job of working with cinematographer John Mathiesson to craft a tropical world where dinosaurs roam freely. I can imagine that blending the computer generated imagery with the real settings must have been a monumental task, but Mathiesson had proven his brilliance at blending the fantastic with the real in Pokémon: Detective Pikachu. When you watch a Jurassic film, it is necessary that you suspend disbelief. I mean, dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. The world building in this picture is the best since the first Jurassic Park. 

The script for the film by David Koepp has an engaging storyline that has a lot of the thrills that one would want from a Jurassic film. I am not going to pretend that some of the dialogue is not stilted or hokey. It certainly is, and that has led to a lot of the complaints regarding the film in reviews. That said, that one issue does not derail the sense of adventure that the picture revels in. The film has lots of elements that it borrows liberally from the first film, but instead of being a true retread, it manages to capture a little bit of the first film’s spark. The script features a previously discarded sequence from the original Jurassic Park novel and also has elements that drew on Edwards and Koepp’s love for the original filmed version of King Kong. There is an old-school quality to the picture that comes across from that. I also appreciate that the picture spends the first forty minutes or so building up to the island with a really impressive sea adventure sequence. There is a lot to like about the script even with some of its deficiencies that I mentioned above.

The cast in the film are more than up to the task with some great actors onboard. Scarlett Johansson is a huge fan of the franchise and she brings the right energy to the role of Zora. Mahershala Ali is inspired casting and makes a role that could have felt like a caricature into something much better. The character is still somewhat paint-by-numbers, but Ali is fantastic. Jonathan Bailey does well as Loomis, although he feels somewhat overshadowed by the actors around him. Rupert Friend is fantastic as Krebs. That was perfect casting on that role. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is also likable in the film. The score by Alexandre Desplat pays homage to the great John Williams score. It elevates the picture. 

The only aspect that I found truly disappointing in the movie was the look of the final genetically modified dinosaur in the film. I think opinions will vary, but I would have been just fine if it had been an even bigger T-Rex or something. Regardless, this is easily the best Jurassic film in a long long time.

Video

Universal Prictures presents Jurassic World: Rebirth on 4K UHD with both HDR and Dolby Vision. Gareth Edward’s work with cinematographer John Mathiesson is above reproach. Shooting the film on 35MM film on ArriFlex 235 and Panavision C, T, and E series lenses, Universal were committed to bringing Gareth Edward’s vision to life. The fine detail is exceptional and shines on the 4K format. The HDR and Dolby Vision bring the finest out of the 4K elements. The production design and visual effects are stunning. This 4K earns a perfect score visually.

Audio

Like the visual aspects, Jurassic World: Rebirth features a truly fantastic Dolby Atmos surround track that uses every part of the Atmos directionality to its benefit. The music by Alexandre Desplat shines, along with the brilliant sound design of the film. This is perfect Atmos sound for your home theater.

Supplements:

• Commentary with Director Gareth Edwards, Editor Jabez Olssen, and Visual Effects Supervisor David Vickery 
• Commentary with Director Gareth Edwards, Production Designer James Clyne, and First Assistant Director Jack Ravenscroft 
• Jurassic World Rebirth: Hatching a New Era – a nearly hour long behind-the-scenes.
• Munched: Becoming Dino Food 
• A Day at Skywalker Sound
• Meet Dolores 
• Hunting for Easter Eggs 
• Alternate Opening 
• Gag Reel 
• Deleted Scenes

Overall Scores:

Video – 5/5

Audio – 5/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4/5

Jurassic World: Rebirth, despite its silly title, is the freshest entry in the Jurassic series since Jurassic Park (or at least Jurassic World.) Screenwriter David Koepp returns to the helm with talented blockbuster director Gareth Edwards, and the result is a rewarding and engaging adventure film. The script itself is not perfect, with some dialogue definitely missing the mark, but the overall story is engaging and the follow-through by Gareth and his crew is above reproach. Aside from a somewhat disappointing final dinosaur in the film’s last moments, I really enjoyed Jurassic World: Rebirth. Maybe I had gone in with lowered expectations due to the most recent Jurassic World pictures, but my family and I agreed that this film was simply a lot of fun. Bringing back David Koepp helped recapture some of the magic of the first film and hopefully rejuvenates this series. The Universal Pictures 4K UHD presentation is technically above reproach. The supplements are also pretty in depth and enjoyable. While critical reception has varied from reviewer to reviewer, I had a great time watching the film with my family. Check it out!