Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) Movie: Scarlett Johansson Save This Dying Franchise?
The dinosaurs are back, and this time they’re fighting for survival. Gareth Edwards takes the director’s chair for Rebirth, bringing along Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey for another prehistoric adventure.
This new chapter unfolds five years after the last movie ended. The world has changed, and so have the stakes for both humans and dinosaurs trying to share the same planet.
The Story Takes a Different Turn
Climate change has pushed most dinosaurs to the brink of extinction. Only a few remote tropical areas still support these ancient creatures. That’s where Zora Bennett comes in – she’s got a job that sounds simple but definitely isn’t.
Her mission involves collecting genetic samples from three enormous dinosaurs. Things go sideways when her team runs into a family whose boat trip turned into a nightmare. Now they’re all stuck on an island that shouldn’t exist on any map.
The Cast Does Their Best
Johansson steps up as the tough team leader who’s seen it all. She handles the action scenes well and brings some real emotion to moments that could have felt flat. The script doesn’t always help her out, but she makes it work.
Ali gets less screen time than he deserves, which feels like a missed opportunity. Bailey brings charm to his role, though I wish the writers had given him more to do than just react to dinosaur attacks and deliver exposition.
Edwards Knows How to Build Tension
The visual effects team outdid themselves creating these massive creatures. When the three giant dinosaurs show up, you can feel their weight and power. Edwards learned well from his work on monster movies like Godzilla.
What I really appreciated was how Edwards builds up the scary moments. He doesn’t just throw dinosaurs at you constantly. The quiet scenes where you’re waiting for something to happen work just as well as the big action sequences.
The Good and Not-So-Good
The movie looks amazing, no question about it. The island feels real, the dinosaurs look terrifying, and the action keeps you on the edge of your seat. I also liked how it connects back to the first park without beating you over the head with nostalgia.
But here’s the thing – we’ve seen this story before. Team goes to island, things go wrong, people run from dinosaurs. The environmental message is important, but it comes across as preachy rather than natural to the story.
Critics Have Mixed Feelings
Most reviewers are sitting on the fence about this one. Rotten Tomatoes shows scores hovering around the mid-50s, which basically means it’s okay but not great. Critics praise the technical work while pointing out the recycled plot elements.
Audiences seem split too. Some fans appreciate going back to basics with more suspense and less CGI chaos. Others feel like the franchise is just repeating itself with different actors and slightly different settings.
My Take on It All
Edwards brought solid filmmaking skills to this project, and you can see his love for the source material. The technical aspects – from creature design to cinematography – hit their marks consistently.
The problem isn’t execution, it’s freshness. After six movies, we need more than beautiful dinosaurs and competent action scenes. The characters feel like they’re going through the motions rather than having real adventures.
Rating: 3.5/5
