Warning: Major spoilers for Jurassic World Rebirth
Gareth Edwards' stand-alone sequelJurassic World Rebirthbreathed new life intotheJurassic Parkfranchise, and in doing so made up for one of the most common complaints that fans had aboutJurassic World Dominion. The new chapter in the dinosaur sci-fi action series scaled back from the globe-trotting adventures of the previous installments in favor of a self-contained story.
Set five years after the events ofDominion, the world ofJurassic World Rebirthhas lost all interest in dinosaurs.Most wild dinosaurs have died off, and what few remain have collected and are thriving in oxygen-rich environments near the Earth’s equator, in climates that more closely approximate the ancient world from whence their DNA comes.
Whileaudiences and critics remain divided aboutJurassic World Rebirth, it’s impossible to deny that it brings the franchise back to its roots. Built upona repeated twist from the original trilogy ofJurassic Parkmovies,Rebirthdoes an admirable job at undoing one of the biggest flaws in the final chapter of the firstJurassic Worldtrilogy.
Jurassic World Dominion’s Biggest Complaint Was The Lackluster Dinosaur Visuals
Dinosaurs Were A Background Element Of A Globe-Trotting Adventure Movie
Jurassic World Dominionattempted to bridge the gap between the two generations of Jurassic Park-based movies by combining the most iconic cast members from each trilogy, butthe end result was an overstuffed, over-CGI’d mess. With so many human characters to focus on, plus a globe-spanning plot that ranged across several continents, dinosaurs became little more than window dressing.
To be clear, the movie is loaded with different dinosaurs, and there are actually some fascinating species represented, like the cave-dwelling dimetrodon, the feathered pyroraptotor, and the gargantuan dreadnoughtus. But each of them makes a brief appearance or runs through a quick plot break, and then is never returned to.
None of the dinosaurs felt like true marvels, even the massive giganotosaurus, who is the center of the last big action set piece. The formerly breathtaking animals were lost in a morass of CGI and explosions.
Jurassic World Rebirth Made Dinosaurs The Standout
They Even Made Them Seem Legitimately Scary Again
Jurassic World Rebirthhad no such issues.When the dinosaurs were on-screen, they were treated with deference, made to look majestic and powerful as they were in the original movie. Each key scene featuring dinosaurs was centered around the dinosaur itself, with the human characters serving as the minor inconveniences (or in some cases, snacks) that they were.
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Rebirthalso made the dinosaurs feel legitimately scary again, which certainly wasn’t the case withJurassic World Dominion. TheT. rex river sceneintroduced a whole new reason to be afraid of the T. rex, while the spinosaurus/mosasaurus group hunting scene gave off some majorJawsvibes. The mutadons brought some of the original velociraptor juice to the proceedings, while also being even uglier and more monstrous.
Jurassic World Rebirth Remembers What Made The Jurassic Park Franchise Entertaining
Dinosaurs Are Once Again Portrayed With Larger-Than-Life Majesty
When it comes right down to it, people show up toJurassic Parkmovies to see dinosaurs.Each trip to the theater to see one of those movies is an attempt to capture a bite-sized portion of that awestruck emotionthat Dr. Alan Grant has when he first sees a brachiosaurus in the originalJurassic Park.
Jurassic World Rebirthremembers that central premise, and whether you enjoyed the writing or the human characters or anything else about the movie, it’s impossible to deny that the dinosaurs were the stars. It went a long way towards making up for the mistakes of its predecessor in the franchise, if nothing else.
