The Waning Wonder of Jurassic World: Rebirth

Strategic Insights -

In the latest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World: Rebirth, the initial awe and trepidation inspired by the original 1993 film have given way to a formulaic and unremarkable plot. Thirty-two years after the first film, the dinosaurs that once sparked wonder and delight are now treated as mere obstacles by their human prey. The film's attempts to inject new life into the franchise, including a plot promoting open-source sharing of intellectual property, feel like tired and ironic commentary on the exhaustion of the Jurassic Park model.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Jurassic Park franchise has become increasingly formulaic, with each installment featuring humans in perilous proximity to genetically rejuvenated sauropods in a remote tropical location.
  • The human characters in Jurassic World: Rebirth are the usual mix of daredevil adventurers, amoral corporate types, and idealistic palaeontologists, with the mandatory school-age children added for younger viewers.
  • The real stars of the film are the primeval leviathans, who grow larger and more fearsome with each new episode of the franchise, but not more interesting.
  • The plot contrivance driving the story involves a serum to cure human heart disease, which was sparked by the idea that dinosaur hearts are huge.
  • The film's reliance on a waterborne first act, complete with Jaws references, pays homage to the original Jurassic Park film but feels like a shallow copy.
  • Jurassic World: Rebirth suggests that the intellectual property vested in the franchise would benefit from some genetic modification to revitalize its creative engine.

Statistics:

  • The original Jurassic Park film was released in 1993.
  • Thirty-two years have passed since the first film, and six Jurassic iterations have been released.
  • The current film, Jurassic World: Rebirth, features a plot contrivance involving the idea that dinosaur hearts are up to 3 times the size of human hearts.

Sources:

  • "Jurassic World Rebirth" by Jonathan Bailey and Scarlett Johansson, Universal Studios, 2023.
  • "The Jurassic franchise" by an unnamed author, reprinted under a Creative Commons license.
  • "A review of Jurassic World Rebirth" by a Professor of Film Studies, under a Creative Commons license.
  • The 1993 film "Jurassic Park" directed by Steven Spielberg.