Jurassic World Rebirth Review: A Disappointing Return to the Island

Hype meets reality in Jurassic World Rebirth.

I’ll be real — I was hyped for Jurassic World Rebirth. How could you not be? We were finally going back to an island in the region. Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, The Creator, and Rogue One) was in the director’s chair. David Koepp, the original Jurassic Park screenwriter, was back. Plus, the cast looked stacked on paper — Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali. It felt like a recipe for a dino-sized hit. Well… not so fast.

When the Dinosaurs Should’ve Stayed Extinct

I’m one of those people who love the original Jurassic Park. It’s one of the greatest movies ever made, plain and simple. Even The Lost World and Jurassic Park III grew on me over the years. When Jurassic World dropped, I thought the franchise had leveled up again. But then Fallen Kingdom threw in human cloning (huh?), Dominion wasted time with giant locusts, and it felt like this series was on the brink of extinction — at least on the big screen. Honestly, the Netflix shows Camp Cretaceous and Chaos Theory did a way better job at keeping the magic alive.

Bland Story, Unnecessary Characters

Sadly, Rebirth takes way too long to get us to the island — the one place fans really wanted to see from the very beginning. Instead of jumping straight into the survival chaos we all showed up for, the movie wastes precious time dragging us through drawn-out setup scenes that feel more like filler than actual story. And once we finally touch down, the script splits focus between the main crew and this half-baked subplot about a random family sailing into dangerous waters. Their only purpose seems to be getting saved by the mission team and then becoming an annoying burden that slows everything down. It honestly feels like the writers didn’t trust the main “man vs. dinosaur” story to hold our attention — which is exactly what we came to see. Do we really need a stranded family drama shoved into the middle of a dinosaur movie? Probably not.

On top of that, the mission to collect the three dinosaur DNA samples just falls flat. It should’ve felt like a high-stakes, nail-biting adventure, but instead, it’s shockingly tame. Take the second DNA grab — they hyped it up in the trailer to look like this intense showdown with a terrifying creature, but in the actual film, it’s basically just a docile dino who’s more concerned with staying close to its mate than tearing anyone apart. It’s such a letdown! You’re sitting there waiting for an epic chase or a deadly encounter, and instead, the whole thing is over before it even gets interesting. There’s no tension, no sense of danger — just another missed opportunity to crank up the action and deliver what fans really want.

Unlikable Cast, Underwhelming Dinos

For a movie that flexes A-list talent, none of these characters are memorable — or even that likable. There’s barely any chemistry between the leads. It feels like most of the budget went to paying the stars because the CGI dinos look bloated and super cheesy. Worse yet, you rarely see them in all their glory. So much of the scenery is green screen that it just pulls you right out of the experience.

A Franchise in Need of Extinction

This franchise continually attempts to surpass the original, but it just can’t. Jurassic Park will always stand alone. After seeing this one, I honestly wouldn’t mind if they called it quits. I was rooting for a knockout, but Jurassic World Rebirth might be the worst installment yet.

Verdict

I give Jurassic World Rebirth 2.5 out of 5 stars. If you’re a diehard fan, maybe you’ll find some fun in it. But if you’re hoping for a return to the classic thrills and chills, you’re better off rewatching the original or diving into the Netflix series instead.

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