Why Keep Making These Films?
Why do they keep making films in a franchise whose real worth has been whittled down many films ago? For the same reason the mercenaries in this flick took the job: for the money! I imagine that was the primary motivating factor for Scarlett Johansson and the other actors to join the cast of Jurassic World: Rebirth. Although the fun they probably have had on set also played a part.
The Plot and Pretense
The script does its best to pull back some of the original Spielbergian structure but in a much less sincere fashion. The open water scenes are reminiscent of a Jaws film (2 or 3 perhaps, definitely not the OG), but with dinosaurs. The flimsy pretense for these characters to be on their adventure is matched by the way children are introduced into the mix. The addition of kids to the chaos is one of the original tenets of the Jurassic Park formula but this lot are plucked and stuck into the story, meshed with the mercs in a clumsy collision.
Dinosaurs and CGI
The first appearance of the dreaded velociraptors is quite comical as the character on screen doesn’t see them or even look back until the action is over. I couldn’t help but picture him on a green screen set while somebody flung a bucket of gill onto his face. And his reaction acting to the scene unfolding in CGI wasn’t needed since the camera shot the back of his head. A notoriously bad angle for registering facial expressions. After having seen actual velociraptor fossils in a European natural history museum, the film versions aren’t very realistic. The concept of a kid befriending a tiny dinosaur helps put this film firmly in the realm of the ridiculous.
A Fun Romp
It’s a romp in a fantasy land but it’s a fair amount of fun. I wouldn’t spend money to watch it, spending the time is enough. I doubt it will reach the status of cultural icon but it was kinda cute seeing the T-rex rolling over like a dog. That sentence alone should let you know what kind of movie you’re getting yourself into. The reach for Spielberg magic continues when the characters enter an ancient temple of sorts that Indiana Jones could likely have found himself in at some point in his stories career as the world’s most adventurous archeologist. The addition of a giant flying dinosaur tests the suspension of disbelief but if that breaks now then I must question what kept it going in all the action-filled minutes up until then.
Mutant Dinosaurs and Doom References
The final test of imagination is when the mutant dinos enter the picture and we cross from the childlike world of dinosaurs to the horror movie melee. But the flying freaks do look much like giant turkeys. Of course those are just the tasters as the giant thing from a game of Doom lurks in the smoky shadows to disrupt the plans of Deus ex machina. But the manufactured tension didn’t have me tantalising to keep the show going but rather getting quite excited for the end of this mad road. My yawning ape jaw was evidence of the show becoming a bore before the final two ingredients for a Jurassic Park recipe: an unlikable person being chomped by a big creature and a selfless fella using a flare to lure it away from the kids. The sappy soundtrack detracted from the scene though. The typical stale tale of a tryhard production.
Escapism in the 21st Century
It’s a film from the 21st century that helps viewers leave reality for a little while, escapism in the extreme. Some folks born on this side of the millennium may enjoy it more than I did. Give me the original movie any day. I can watch it over and over. I doubt I’ll ever watch this one again.
