In Jurassic World Rebirth, even the fiercest dinosaurs aren’t as dangerous as human error – especially when it comes wrapped in a Snickers bar.

• Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the jungle…boom, another sequel.
• Come for the dinosaurs, stay for the nostalgia – just don’t think too hard.
• Jurassic World Rebirth proves that even mutated dinosaurs aren’t scarier than pharmaceutical greed.
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Three years after the Jurassic World trilogy wrapped up its billion-dollar run, Jurassic World Rebirth lumbers back onto the big screen in an attempt to inject fresh dino-DNA into a franchise that many believe should’ve gone extinct with Jurassic World Dominion. Yet still, the roar of genetically modified dinosaurs and the faint smell of franchise fatigue return – this time with a mutated vengeance.

Directed by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One), Jurassic World Rebirth trades in the theme park thrills and global ecological chaos of its predecessors for a more intimate and isolated terror: an island of abandoned, failed dino-experiments that make the Indominus Rex look like a house cat. Our new tale is set a few years after the last film, where the Earth has naturally repelled the prehistoric intruders. Dinosaurs now survive only in scattered equatorial pockets. One such locale, Ile Saint-Hubert – a forgotten InGen research island in the Atlantic – holds the genetic key to a miracle drug, prompting ‘Big Pharma’ to send in the extraction squads. Because what could possibly go wrong?

Leading the mission is Scarlett Johansson’s Zora Bennett, a covert operations specialist with more grit than dialogue. In what is perhaps Rebirth’s strongest asset, Scarlett Johansson offers a familiar center amid the CGI mayhem and screeching chaos. Mahershala Ali, too good for this sort of thing (yet still enjoyable to watch), plays her loyal team member Duncan Kincaid with the kind of gravitas that almost convinces you the plot matters. Joining them is Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Henry Loomis, a paleontologist with a penchant for exposition, who seems both awed and annoyed that dinosaurs still exist.

On the pharma side of things, Rupert Friend plays Martin Krebs with a smirk that screams “I’m the villain,” and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo brings genuine pathos as Reuben Delgado, a father just trying to protect his family after their boating holiday goes Jurassic. Their yacht? Capsized en route to Cape Town by a dino that clearly didn’t get the “peaceful coexistence” memo.

As always, there are kids – because a Jurassic movie without children running from carnivores isn’t complete. This time, it’s Luna Blaise, David Iacono, and Audrina Miranda, who are mostly used for reaction shots and high-pitched screaming, but manage to humanise the movie when the grown-ups are busy bickering or shooting at things with no effect.

The film’s plot – a covert mission gone sideways, civilians stranded, a pharmaceutical conspiracy, and a secret lab of mutant dinosaurs – is stitched together from familiar parts. Think Aliens, The Lost World, and a dash of DOOM for good measure. Some creatures feel fresh (a flying Quetzalcoatlus sequence offers a few edge-of-your-seat thrills), but others feel like lazy reskins of beasts we’ve seen better designed in earlier films. And then there’s the grotesque hybrid lurking in the shadows – part demon, part dino – which might just be the most absurd creature the franchise has offered since Jurassic Park III’s Spinosaurus. The real science experiment here is how far they can stretch this storyline.

And who could’ve imagined that one rogue Snickers wrapper, carelessly discarded, could trigger a biosecurity lockdown that cripples a multi-billion dollar dinosaur research facility? Not the multi-billion dollar dinosaur research facility Health and Safety Manager.

Visually, Gareth Edwards delivers some striking shots, but the film’s CGI swings wildly between cinematic and straight-to-streaming. The contrast between live action and digital occasionally breaks immersion, reminding us that while dinosaurs once inspired awe in 1993, now they occasionally inspire disbelief – and not the good kind. Gareth Edwards has a talent for scale, and the final act does ramp up tension, but even that can’t mask a sense of “been here, screamed at that”.

And yet… Jurassic World Rebirth isn’t a total failure. It’s popcorn cinema in the most literal sense – loud, chaotic, occasionally funny, and designed for the purest form of escapism. There’s something comforting in its familiarity, even if it’s all a bit recycled. The cast is notable, the pace brisk, and the action relentless. It’s not Jurassic Park, not by a long shot, but it’s also not the worst entry in the series. The original Jurassic Park was a cinematic milestone – intelligent, terrifying, and emotionally resonant. Jurassic World Rebirth, by comparison, feels like a monster movie with a franchise label slapped on it. A fun ride, sure. But substance? Sparse.

All is not lost for the Jurassic World. There’s potential for reinvention, maybe even prequels set during InGen’s earliest dino-cloning days – something with less bombast and more brain. For now, though, Jurassic World Rebirth is a slightly smarter B-plot line with A-list actors and a T. rex-sized budget.

Fans who just want to watch dinosaurs wreak havoc on screen again, no questions asked, it’ll work. Anyone hoping for the wonder, science, or story depth of Spielberg’s original – you’ll be left wanting. Dinosaurs may be extinct, but this franchise refuses to go quietly.

Just remember: If you’re headed to Ile Saint-Hubert, pack light, run fast, and maybe leave any expectations at home.

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