JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH – Review

Hard to believe that the big Summer holiday, the Fourth of July, is almost here (and it’s on a weekend, too). Well, if you can’t hit the road or hop on a plane, the local multiplex is your best option for a tropical getaway on a secluded island. Now there’s a slight problem with this dot in the ocean. While flies and mosquitoes can dampen the fun, the pests here are much, much bigger. And very aggressive. And hungry (perhaps even “hangry”). Yes, we’re back in the movie franchise established way back in 1993’s JURASSIC PARK. After two “trilogies”, Universal’s ready for a bright, shiny “reboot” with an all-new cast trying to survive in this familiar foliage. Films are always a bit of a gamble, so is “seven” the “lucky number” for JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH?

This entry starts with a flashback from 17 years ago, as a research team in big, clunky haz-mat-like suits is scurrying about their lab. Looks like they’re tinkering with the dinos (always a big “no-no”), and as is usually the case in these stories, things go terribly wrong. After a few title cards explaining that the dinos we saw out in the world (Europe, the States, etc.) are succombing to unfamiliar climate and viruses, and that the general public has grown weary with the beasts (how fickle), we’re in the “present day” (really five years after the last JW flick). An exec for the pharmaceutical giant ParkerGenix, Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), is stuck in NYC traffic as a dying Brontosaurus is lost near the Hudson. Ah, but he’s soon joined by the woman he was rushing to meet, “covert operative” Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson). Kreb makes his pitch: he wants to enlist her “team” to make a secret trek to the “forbidden” island home (travel is banned there) of the last thriving dinosaurs and collect blood and tissue samples (the dying nearby creatures are not “workable”). The “extracts” will be the basis of a heart disease “wonder drug”. He does insist on an addition to her team (aside from himself). They swing by the soon-to-be-shuttered dinosaur museum to collect expert paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey). Soon the trio zip down to a port in Ecuador to meet Zora’s team leader, Duncan Kinkaid (Mahershala Ali), who will take them in his high-tech boat to the home of “big lizards”, Ile Saint-Hubert. Along the way, they rescue a family whose sailboat was capsized by a school of aquatic dinosaurs. After a harrowing encounter just off the island’s coast, the family is separated from the “covert” team. As Krebs tries to grab a set of three samples (beasts based on the land, sea, and “air”), the family tries to make their way to a long-deserted village. But, when the mutated (circle back to the pre-title scene) dinosaurs go on the attack, the quest for science (and big “pharma-bucks”) becomes a desperate struggle to survive until a possible rescue. This is no relaxing “va-cay”…

After four years away from the MCU (the home of “never say never”) and a brief detour into the “Wes Anderson-verse”, Ms. Johansson is back in full action heroine “mode” as the “gun for hire” who secretly has a “heart of gold” (no surprise). She’s quick with a snarky quip, but can leap right into the chaos, kicking lots of scaly tail. Somewhat regulated to the “in distress” role is Bailey, a grizzled glass-wearing geek (a fantasy breathtaking “brainiac”), who tries to keep out of the “line of fire” while taking the time to gaze lovingly at the gentler behemouths (he did study under Dr. Alan Grant, y’know). And there’s an Oscar-winner (twice) getting in on the monster mash-ups. Ali is given a bit of a tragic backstory (broken family), but mainly he’s a modern update on the rascally sea captain who loves his boat nearly as much as a hefty cash commission. He makes a fine comic partner with Bailey. Since every party needs a “p##per”, this trip has the wonderfully “weasely” Kreb played with an unseen “twirling mustache” by the glowering Friend. Oh, let’s not leave out the “rescued” (not really “stowaways,” I suppose). Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is the concerned, though confused patriarch Rueben, who just wants some quality time with his daughters, college-aged Teresa (Luna Blaise) and adorable pre-teen “snacker” (loves that licorice) Isabella (Audrina Miranda), who is adorable even as she’s in constant peril. The dinos are enough of a handful, but Rueben has to also contend with Teresa’s slacker, goofball “bae” Xavier (David Iacono), who does wonders with the abrasive role.

They’re all told where to run (and what the “green tennis ball” represents, “monster-wise”) by a director who is no stranger to big studio “IP”, Gareth Edwards. After all, he made GODZILLA work for mainstream US moviegoers, and was behind the brightest light in the post-George Lucas space flicks, the superb prequel ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY. He does bring some fresh energy to the scenes of the beasties in full-attack mode, while still taking a moment to give a “shout-out” to earlier entries (mainly the 1993 OG). Unfortunately, he’s somehow hampered by the disjointed screenplay by (speaking of OG), the adapter of the first two films in the series, David Koepp (he worked on the first Spidey, too). The time in between attack never really holds our interest, despite giving a sad backstory to both Zora (she just lost her partner during a “gig”) and Duncan (who takes a moment to gaze sadly at a faded photo of his son), while Henry tries to convince them to do the “right thing” with the samples (who doubts them). The biggest problem with the story’s structure may be the inclusion of the shipwrecked family. They never really “mesh” with the “mission crew”, which may account for why they’re quickly separated from them after they crash land on the island. Perhaps it was thought that these “average” Joes and Josephines, without firepower, would be easier to put in jeopardy and appeal to moviegoers. The cutting back and forth gets somewhat irritating, much as a TV show would flip from the “A story” to the “B story”. Now it does lead to the big nighttime finale that brings everyone together for another explosive showdown with a new dino “big bad”, the mutant “Distortus rex”, whose look owes a lot to another franchise, mainly the Xenomorphs from ALIEN. Certainly the effects on the critters continue to impress, it’s great to listen to strains of the classic John Williams score, and the carnage hasn’t been toned down to be more “kid friendly”, though I found the relentless “product placement” extremely distracting (make sure the logo is readable on that dangerous floating wrapper). Fans of these flicks will enjoy the usual mayhem and “narrow escapes”, but many may wish for something less formulaic (though this is a big improvement over JWD) than the jungle “jump-scares” of JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH. Now keep your hands inside the boat…

2.5 Out of 4

JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH is now playing in theatres everywhere