Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, most dinosaurs are barely holding on in Earth’s unforgiving environment. The few that remain are isolated in remote, tropical regions. Enter ParkerGenix, a powerful biotech company with a risky plan: retrieve DNA samples from the three largest surviving species to develop a revolutionary life-saving drug.
To pull it off, they recruit covert operative Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) to join paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) and team leader Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) on a secret mission to Ile Saint-Hubert, a long-abandoned InGen facility shrouded in mystery. But once stranded on the island, alongside a shipwrecked family, the team uncovers a chilling secret: forgotten, mutated dinosaur experiments, including the terrifying six-limbed Distortus rex.
Written by original Jurassic Park scribe David Koepp, Jurassic World Rebirth finally brings the franchise back to what made it unforgettable in the first place: awe, terror, and that ever-thin line between control and chaos. This is a suspenseful, stripped-down survival story with bite, and it feels refreshingly intimate compared to the oversized, globe-trotting chaos of recent installments.
As Zora, Johansson brings a quiet intensity to the screen, playing her as tough, capable, but burdened by the weight of her mission. Bailey adds warmth and sharp wit as Loomis, while Ali gives a steady, commanding performance as Kincaid. Their chemistry is strong, and like the original trio, they feel real and worth rooting for. The emotional core deepens when the team stumbles across a stranded family, victims of a mosasaur attack. Their presence raises the stakes and gives Zora a more human, personal reason to fight.
Visually, the film is stunning. Director Gareth Edwards leans into atmosphere and suspense, using shadows, fog, and silence to build tension before unleashing explosive set pieces. The blend of practical effects and CGI is some of the best the franchise has seen in years, especially a sequence involving a panicked Aquilops herd that feels almost tactile in its realism.
There are still echoes of familiar franchise beats. We get a mysterious island, greedy corporate agendas, and nature fighting back. However, Rebirth doesn’t try to outdo its predecessors in terms of scale. Instead, it stays focused on the story, with tight pacing and spectacle that never overwhelms the human drama. There’s no over-the-top dino parade here, just a well-told, emotionally grounded adventure with real stakes.
There are a few bumps, of course. Some of the supporting cast don’t get the development they deserve, and a couple of plot points feel a bit too familiar, but those are minor quibbles. Rebirth succeeds where many modern blockbusters don’t: it keeps you on edge, makes you care, and even manages to surprise.
After years of diminishing returns, Jurassic World Rebirth is a sharp, stylish reminder of what this franchise is capable of when it stops chasing spectacle and focuses on story. It may not top the original Jurassic Park – what could? – but it comes closer than anything has in a very long time.
