Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Written by: David Knoepp
I still can’t shake the awe Gareth Edwards brought to Rogue One—that grounded, kinetic style promised a new era for blockbuster sci-fi, but he failed in character development in that film, and it seems he hasn’t learned anything since. Jurassic World Rebirth, though, feels like it’s frantically trying to recapture some magic, but ends up being a sloppy story that uses a family to raise the emotional stakes while falling flat. As the latest in the franchise that goes back to 1993, it’s officially the fourth installment in the Jurassic World lineup (seventh overall in the Jurassic Park franchise) and picks up three years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
Here comes the spoilers…
The film hurls us backward 17 years to an InGen Lab on Île Saint-Hubert, where a lone scientist’s stray Snickers wrapper triggers a containment breach, unleashing the grotesque six-limbed Distortus Rex (D-Rex for short) that looks like it’s a distant cousin of a Beluga Whale. Fast-forward: the planet’s dinosaurs now barely survive in isolated equatorial zones that mimic Mesozoic climates. Enter Martin Krebs, a pharmaceutical exec who strikes a Faustian bargain: recruit ex-military covert operative Zora Bennett and paleontologist Henry Loomis to extract DNA from a Mosasaurus, a Titanosaurus, and a Quetzalcoatlus—sample vitals needed to develop a revolutionary heart-disease cure from, which his company would control and make billions to trillions on.
No sooner do they set sail than a Mosasaurus capsizes a civilian boat carrying Reuben Delgado and his daughters, Teresa and Isabella, and almost useless boyfriend. First off, why would a responsible father take his two daughters through the oceans where these creatures favor living for their summer vacation sailing? Seriously, it’s a dumb idea, and unless you give them a greater, more compelling reason, it’s the same “before your oldest goes off to college” bit.
Zora’s team heroically rescues them, only to be ambushed by a pack of Spinosauruses—Bobby Atwater dies in a tooth-and-claw maelstrom, and there is no emotional loss, as his character was never given any moments to become endeared to the audience. One beached boat and another character snatched away by dinosaurs on said beach later (sorry, Philippine Velge), our remaining crew harvests the Titanosaurus sample with barely a scratch before rappelling into a cliff-side temple for a Quetzalcoatlus egg—where LeClerc meets his end. His death was perhaps the most emotional, although it was almost laughable. Again, poor character development and horrible writing. Meanwhile, a mutated Velociraptor/Pterosaur hybrid adds insult to injury by feasting on the team’s trail.
As dawn breaks, Martin’s greed finally backfires: the D-Rex returns, demolishes the rescue team, chopper and all, and devours him along with his security detail, leaving only Henry clutching the DNA vials. In a final act of defiance, Zora and Henry resolve that this eventual medical miracle must be open-source—a noble sentiment, but one the film never earns. What this film truly needed was to raise the emotional stakes: Martin Krebs’ betrayal reads as thin corporate villainy, but give Zora a personal motive—perhaps a sick loved one—and then we could really feel the conflict between saving lives and playing god. There are some moments when Zora’s military precision just vanishes the moment the plot demands it, and Henry’s moral angst is reduced to one awkward hiss over dinner. We want grit, not speed-run therapy.
Deepen Zora’s arc by introducing an early scene of her visiting a dying family member. Show her desperation to cure heart disease, then let her conscience and love drive that hope.
A blockbuster is only as compelling as the chaos it unleashes—and Jurassic World Rebirth feels stuck replaying too familiar and poorly written beats. With sharper motivations, tighter logic, and real emotional blows, it could’ve been a 9/10 that roared. Instead, it limps along at a 5.5/10—dinosaurs for dinosaurs’ sake, but very little depth to the “why” for its characters. Thanks for reading Writing Movie “W