What's Inside?
- Gareth Edwards crafts a Spielberg-inspired spectacle, capturing thrilling visuals but struggles to deliver a fresh emotional core for the franchise.
- The long-awaited T. rex raft scene thrills, delivering one of the most intense moments fans have waited decades to finally witness.
- Dolores, the baby Aquilops, charms audiences, becoming the film’s breakout star and driving Universal’s adorable but clever marketing campaign.
Nearly three decades after Jurassic Park changed the cinematic landscape, the franchise returns with Jurassic World: Rebirth. Helmed by Gareth Edwards and backed by the ever-watchful eye of Steven Spielberg, this latest installment promises to honor the original’s legacy while forging its own path. But as audiences flood theaters once again to see dinosaurs roar to life, one question looms large: Is Rebirth a bold new chapter, or just a glossy reel of recycled memories aimed at our nostalgia?
Jurassic World: Rebirth Is Just A Love Letter to Steven Spielberg, or an Echo Too Familiar?
At its heart, Jurassic World: Rebirth doesn’t try to hide what it is—a full-throttle homage to Spielberg’s original masterpiece. Edwards himself admitted, “When I read the script, it felt like a love letter to Spielberg.” And that sentiment echoes throughout the film, from its sweeping shots of a dinosaur-inhabited island to its nods to Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jaws. From the beginning, Spielberg’s presence was embedded into the DNA of this film, not just as executive producer, but as a creative force who helped shape the script alongside returning screenwriter David Koepp.
In a rather candid moment, Edwards said in a podcast, “I get asked by people, ‘How did you get your own voice in the film?’ And I was desperately trying not to… You’re sort of doing your best impression of Spielberg. It’s an impossible task, at best.” For any director, following Spielberg is a near-Herculean challenge. And Rebirth, with all its Spielbergian touches—from the lighting and camera framing to the use of practical effects—feels like it’s trying to recreate the original magic more than reinvent it.
But therein lies the dilemma: does admiration turn into mimicry?
While the return to a tropical island teeming with dinosaurs and the reintroduction of classic elements—like the long-awaited river raft sequence from Michael Crichton’s original novel—provide bursts of fan-fueled adrenaline, there’s also a sense that we’ve seen this all before. The plot, involving mercenaries collecting dinosaur DNA for pharmaceutical ambitions, walks a familiar tightrope: corporate greed meets prehistoric mayhem. It’s effective but hardly groundbreaking.
Visual Brilliance and Genuine Thrills Can’t Mask the Emotional Void
From a technical standpoint, Edwards excels in delivering what blockbuster audiences crave. His decision to shoot on film injects a warm, organic texture rarely seen in today’s CGI-heavy franchises. The set design, deeply inspired by Spielbergian classics like The Goonies and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, helps build immersive spaces that spark adventure. Production designer James Clyne clearly understood the assignment, fusing the ancient, the futuristic, and the familiar with ease.
The horror elements in Rebirth are especially noteworthy. A cliffside sequence that could’ve been plucked from an Indiana Jones film pulses with adrenaline, while the long-teased T. rex raft scene is a chilling highlight that rewards long-time fans. Edwards’ use of lighting and shadow, particularly in the darker, suspenseful moments, amplifies tension and allows the dinos to reclaim their terror-inducing stature.
‘JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH’ debuts with 54% on Rotten Tomatoes. pic.twitter.com/zrhDTaMiIK
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) June 30, 2025
Yet even with the visual spectacle and intense moments, the emotional heartbeat feels faint. The character development is surface-level at best. A-listers like Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali give commendable performances, but their arcs are thin, and the dialogue lacks the memorable weight that defined the original trilogy. You won’t leave the theater quoting lines or missing the characters.
That said, there is one surprising star: Dolores, the animatronic baby Aquilops who bonds with a young character in the film. She’s adorable, expressive, and tailor-made for social media virality, which Universal has leaned into with a “Protect Dolores at All Costs” campaign. While it teeters dangerously close to marketing gimmickry, she’s undeniably charming and perhaps the film’s only truly fresh narrative touch.
Our Take: A Beautiful, Familiar Mirage That Falls Short of Legacy
Jurassic World: Rebirth is not without its strengths. It offers stunning visuals, impressive set pieces, and genuine nods to the franchise’s roots. Gareth Edwards has made a film that feels respectful of Spielberg’s vision without completely losing his own voice, though he certainly tried not to use it. And in that effort lies both the film’s strength and its weakness.
For long-time fans, it’s hard not to get swept up in the orchestral score, the return to wild islands, and the sight of dinosaurs dominating the screen. As actor Jonathan Bailey aptly put it, “For anyone who loves the original Jurassic films, this is the movie for you.” But once the nostalgic high wears off, you’re left with a film that doesn’t offer much new. The heart of Jurassic Park—its moral questions, its character depth, its bold sense of wonder—isn’t fully resurrected here.
So, is Jurassic World: Rebirth just nostalgia or the fresh take fans have been waiting for? The answer is both, but not in equal measure. It’s a polished tribute masquerading as evolution, more concerned with honoring the past than daring to imagine the future. Fans will appreciate the nods, but few will remember this chapter as the one that changed everything.
In short, Rebirth is a solid dino-sized spectacle, just not the reinvention the franchise needs.
Universal Pictures will release Jurassic World: Rebirth in theaters on July 2.
