Jurassic World: Rebirth ★★★★

Released: 2nd July 2025

Director: Gareth Edwards

Starring: Scarlett Johannson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend

When they announced an additional instalment of the Jurassic World franchise there was a lot of apprehension, and perhaps a small eye roll. It adds to the discourse of Hollywood’s lack of originality when it comes to new releases, especially when tackling summer blockbusters. Gareth Edwards’ Jurassic World Rebirth is exactly what the title states. In fact, arguably it feels distant to its ‘World’ siblings and leans towards Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic film. This new take is an exciting, adrenaline-filled adventure back into the world of dinosaurs.

Three years following on from the presumed ending to the franchise with Jurassic World: Dominion, Rebirth is a new story where dinosaurs are suffering more than excelling living amongst humans. Our new female lead is Scarlett Johannson as Zora Bennett, an ex-military covert operative who likes to specialise in mostly illegal territories to get better outcomes. Trying to live as normal as possible following the death of a friend during a work mission, and the recent loss of her mother, Bennett is recruited by pharmaceutical rep Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) for a new mission that could make her a millionaire, or send her to federal prison. Along with palaeontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) and team leader Duncan (Mahershala Ali), they embark on a top-secret mission to the island of Ile Saint-Hubert – a former secret InGen laboratory set up to create trans-genetic mutated dinosaurs. The job in question is to retrieve three sets of blood samples from the largest prehistoric creatures which hold the key to a potential life changing human medical drug.

Things get off to a great start when they extract their first sample from a Mosasurus which circles the island. Following a mayday call, the team rescues a family shipwrecked by the creature. But when a pack of underwater dinosaurs team up, the family and the group get split up after going overboard. Despite the lack of resources, Zora successfully manages to get the final two extractions and head to an abandoned facility as they plan to be rescued by a search helicopter that was called upon by her. Of course, just as things start to go to plan the iconic T-Rex comes out to play, causing all sorts of horror and havoc.

One of the reasons why this film works is largely due to its creative direction and the individuals involved. Firstly, we have original Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp helming the narrative. Having additionally worked on its sequel, The Lost World (1997), it’s clear the inspiration is to take the seventh instalment in the franchise back to its basics. There’s a few traditional moments in the film, for example the moving around a room, tiptoeing in silence to hide from the Velociraptor, well in Rebirth’s case a mutant one. Secondly, following on from the success of Godzilla (2014) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it makes perfect sense for Edwards to be on board with his knowledge of big creatures of delicate details.

With a starry cast, each character seems to genuinely care for one another, bar the exception of Kreb’s. Scarlett Johansson continues to excel. Jonathan Bailey continues to be a rising star. Following on from his success in Bridgerton and Wicked, it comes to no surprise that he thrives as a nerdy guy who loves dinosaurs. Perhaps an honourable mention is Dolores, the pint-sized Aquilops that will make you want to cry good tears. Every film needs its strangely cute animal – and she’s been popping up on the promo tour as a special treat for audiences.

By no means is Jurassic World Rebirth a perfect film. It has flaws. However, for an instalment in a much loved franchise where expectations were both low and high following Dominion’s lack of thrill, it’s a great return to form. Will I hope they continue to follow on with the franchise? Absolutely not. With nostalgia at its core, Rebirth is probably its best closure.