Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025)

 Jurassic World: Rebirth — A Review

Directed by: Gareth Edwards

Written by: David Koepp

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and others.

Plot Summary (with some spoilers)

Five years on from Jurassic World: Dominion, Rebirth is staged in a world in which the dinosaurs are nearly extinct (at least heavily depleted) and only inhabit remote equatorial areas with good climates for them to survive.

Scarlett Johansson plays Zora Bennett, a mercenary/covert-ops expert. She's contracted (along with an outfit that also includes paleontologist Henry Loomis, etc.) to carry out a high-risk mission: to obtain genetic samples (blood, DNA, etc.) from three massive dinosaurs, said to hold the key to a lethal human disease. 

Along the way, their mission is intersected by a civilian family — Delgados — who are stranded after an aquatic dinosaur boat accident. The crew becomes stranded in tandem on an island (Ile Saint-Hubert) where even more dangers, mutant hybrid dinosaurs (like Distortus Rex, Mutadon, etc.), and abandoned research outposts await.

The mission blurs lines between science, economic need, ethics, survival, and power struggles regarding who gets to control over resources that would "save lives." At the end of the movie, there is the typical dino anarchy, breakouts, losses, and ethical issues of how "medicine" caused by dinosaurs' blood needs to be allocated.

What Works Well

Spectacle & Visuals

The film has some good set pieces. The appearance of the dinosaurs (traditional species and hybrid beasts) is good. Scenes like the Distortus Rex stalking down low passageways and surprise aerial attacks have genuine tension.

The cinematography gets completely into "old-school Jurassic Park" mode in places: sweeping natural vistas, humidity, steamy jungle settings, long shadows.

Solid Cast & Presence

Directed by Scarlett Johansson, and featuring Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, etc., the film has a decent level of performance to rely on. Even when the script stumbles, there are moments in which their screen rapport and level of intensity raise the stakes.

Back to Suspense & Horror Notes

Compared to some of the more action-oriented fare, Rebirth does a better job at re-creating creeping horror, atmosphere, abrupt danger. The glacial buildups, the charged silences leading up to dinosaur attacks—these are things that one recalls.

Box Office & Fan Reception

It performed well at the box office, outperforming many estimates around the globe and here in the US. Apparently, it managed to regain some of the viewers' nostalgia and hunger for that sort of dino action that Jurassic Park promised. 

What Doesn't Fully Land

Plot & Character Depth

Most of the reviews say that the plot is overcrowded at some points, with too much going on and too many plot threads and characters that aren't fully developed. There is exposition, but the movie doesn't use that time to enhance the characters' motivations. Some subplots or characters (e.g. the family of civilians) get screentime but don't always contribute until action requires it.

Predictability & Logic Issues

Like most blockbuster action movies, Rebirth relies heavily on predictable beats: mission fails → secluded location → hybrid monsters attack → moral stakes rise → escape. Some of the "twists" or threats feel forced. Additionally, scientific sense (especially regarding hybrid animals, why certain dinosaurs lived or evolved, etc.) gets strained.

Pacing Imbalance

The first half crawls: too much setup, character introductions, exposition. The second half hurries along, especially with the dinosaurs released. But in between these are lulls when the momentum plummets significantly. For audiences expecting unrelenting dinosaur chaos from the start, it will crawl.

Hybrid Dinosaurs ("Mutants") — Mixed Reactions

Some of the hybrids/mutant new dinosaurs (i.e., Distortus Rex, etc.) are pretty and cool, while some appear over designed, perhaps moving too far from what makes great iconic Jurassic creatures so amazing: brute power, uncertainty, wonder. To some, the fans, the hybrids are exhilarating; to others, they take away from the feel of reality or wonder.

General Impressions

Jurassic World: Rebirth does not break new tracks, but it does a good enough job in reconstituting the franchise. For die-hard series fans, or anyone who's ever enjoyed the idea of dinosaurs run wild on isolated islands, this offers enough spectacle, tension, and visual beauty to satisfy. It isn't necessarily the most intelligent sci-fi or the deepest character study, but it doesn't aim to be—it does its best with what the Jurassic franchise excels at: danger, wonder, and the collision of nature's fury and man's hubris.

Rating: ~ 3/5 to 3.5/5

If I had to give it a rating, I'd say Rebirth is about 3.5 stars out of 5 (or 7-8/10) for fans; for standard viewers, perhaps 3/5, depending on how much dino-action vs. plot/character focus you.

Is it worth watching?

Yes, if you are a fan of big-studio sci-fi adventure, dinosaurs, action, suspense, and can get through some formulaic parts. Also fine in theaters for the visual effects.

Perhaps skip or tone down if you are looking for solid character arcs, originality, or scientific realism.