Like it or not, Universal is going to keep the Jurassic Park franchise going for as long as it can. It’s one of the studio’s most profitable and practically bulletproof IPs. Straight up, the last three Jurassic World movies are deplorable blockbusters, disliked by both diehard fans and critics. Yet, each entry in the Jurassic World trilogy grossed over a billion worldwide. Similar to how the Transformers films were unstoppable in the early 2010s, the incredible success of Jurassic World is largely due to the franchise’s iconography. That, and the enduring mass appeal of dinosaurs. So, knowing that Universal isn’t going to stop anytime soon, there should be plenty of room to try something different.
Creative Control Falls Back with the Studio
This is where Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) comes in. The seventh film in the overall franchise began to take shape shortly after the release of Jurassic World Dominion (2022), way before a director was even attached. Executive producer and original director Steven Spielberg handed the keys of Jurassic back to screenwriter David Koepp. A longtime Spielberg collaborator, Koepp is famously known for adapting the original Jurassic Park (1933) and its sequel, The Lost World (1997). He is well-regarded for writing Carlito’s Way (1993), Mission: Impossible (1996), and Spider-Man (2002), as well. Most recently, Koepp has kept busy with director Steven Soderbergh, penning his last three critically acclaimed features: Kimi (2022), Presence (2024), and Black Bag (2025).
David Koepp was tasked with bringing the franchise back to its roots, focusing on survival above all else. It seems that after writer-director Colin Trevorrow drove the series into the ground with the embarrassing use of legacy characters in Dominion, Universal was less willing to give a single filmmaker full creative control. The project had entered pre-production to ensure a summer 2025 release date, which ultimately swayed David Leitch (The Fall Guy, Bullet Train) from taking the job, as several creative decisions were already solidified. Enter Gareth Edwards, a director with a keen eye for epic visuals who, more importantly, has proven to work efficiently under studio pressure (see the behind-the-scenes chaos of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).
Writer David Koepp Takes a Back-to-Basics Approach
Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, dinosaurs have begun to die off again due to Earth’s modern climate. They can only thrive in tropical locales around the world’s equator, the most reminiscent of their prehistoric habitats, which are now legally off-limits for all of mankind. This is about as scientifically accurate as Jurassic World Rebirth gets. Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), a representative for the powerful pharmaceutical company ParkerGenix, contacts shady special ops agent Zora Bennett (Scarlet Johansson) for the job of a lifetime. The task? Travel to Ile Saint-Hubert, a forbidden island in the Atlantic Ocean, to collect DNA of three of the largest surviving dinosaurs: a Mosasaurus, Titanosaurus, and Quetzalcoatlus. The reward? Millions of dollars.
According to ParkerGenix and its paleontologist consultant, Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), the biomaterials of these specific prehistoric titans hold the key to unlocking a drug that can cure many fatal diseases, including cancer. Zora agrees to the job, but solely for the money. She likes to refer to herself as a covert operations expert, although she’s more of a glorified mercenary. Regardless of her questionable morals, Zora is to use all of her skills to make it out alive. She recruits her old friend, Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), and his boat crew for this deadly mission, everyone willing to take the risk due to the large sum being enough to get them out of the game for good.
A Mutant Twist Gone to Waste
This setup is exciting on its own, yet unremarkable for a Jurassic film. Luckily, screenwriter David Koepp attempts to inject fresh blood into the series in two ways. The first has been made clear by the movie’s marketing. Zora’s team soon comes to learn that they aren’t just walking onto any island, but an abandoned InGen facility that was once used for creating mutant hybrids for the Jurassic World park. Here, a freak experiment known as the Distortus rex was born. A mutated Tyrannosaurus rex with six limbs that looks like a cross between a Rancor and a Xenomorph, the kaiju-sized D-Rex now calls the jungles of Ile Saint-Hubert its home and poses a unique threat to our heroes.
While it’s featured heavily on the film’s posters and trailers, the D-Rex sadly has little to do in Jurassic World Rebirth. This isn’t how director Gareth Edwards cunningly savored Godzilla’s screen time in his 2014 movie. No, Koepp’s screenplay simply has too many other things on its mind, pushing the mutants mainly until the third act. The inclusion of Mutadons, which are basically huge velociraptors with beaks and pterosaur wings, is also a welcome alternative to using the same old raptors again. However, they, along with the D-Rex, feel more like excuses to sell toys than thematical dangers. At least the Indominus Rex and Indoraptor had active roles that served a narrative purpose in their respective films.
People are Going to be Wrong About the Family Subplot
The second way in which David Koepp attempts to revitalize the franchise has not been made entirely clear from Rebirth’s marketing, perhaps in fear of making audiences question the movie before its release. There is a subplot involving a shipwrecked civilian family, whom Zora’s team saves before they get chomped by a Mosasaurus out in the open ocean. The two parties cross paths by sheer coincidence, but their shared dynamics become pivotal to the success of Jurassic World Rebirth. In truth, this Latino family — comprising single father Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), his eldest daughter Teresa (Luna Blaise), his youngest daughter Isabella (Audrina Miranda), and Teresa’s boyfriend, Xavier Dobbs (David Iacono) — shares just as much of the spotlight.
Many moviegoers will find the family subplot to be less engaging than the main storyline. Does Teresa’s boyfriend serve as poor comedic relief, throwing out jokes that feel bizarrely out of place? Absolutely, and a writer of Koepp’s status should know better. However, for the first time in a decade, the stakes of survival are palpable, and the tension is supremely high. When it comes down to life or death, even an unfunny character like Xavier proves to be endearing by human nature. The addition of a cute small dinosaur — an Aquilops, whom Isabella names Dolores — isn’t forced either. Instead, the bond the small child makes with her new dino friend is indicative of our timeless curiosities.
Jurassic World Rebirth Fully Utilizes Its Star Power
Scarlet Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali are at the top of their game in Jurassic World Rebirth. The trio injects a surprising amount of pathos into their roles, going beyond the stereotypical caricatures that plagued previous Jurassic World films. Each of the three is going to the island in search of something unobtainable, whether that be the cure to all diseases or a greater purpose in life. The dinosaur-filled set pieces are thrilling enough on paper, but letting bona fide movie stars shine at the center of these scenes goes such a long way. Bailey, best known for his roles in Netflix’s Bridgerton and Wicked, captures all the trademark quirks of a dino-loving paleontologist in an especially compelling performance.
The rapport between Johansson and Ali is notably infectious. Moreover, the duo demonstrates that being an action star isn’t all about looks, but also conveying vulnerability. Koepp’s script establishes that dinosaurs have become normalized in the present, with very few people still interested in seeing them in the flesh. Despite this normality, both the leading trio and the Delgado family capture a crucial element of the series: genuine wonder at the sight of a living, breathing dinosaur in the wild, which in return displays mankind’s naivety. Jurassic World Rebirth’s greatest trick is flipping that magnificent awe into pure horror on a whim. No matter if you’re a civilian or special forces, the fear of getting eaten alive is universal.
Life Finds a Way, Thanks to Gareth Edwards
Based only on the spectacular visuals of Monsters (2010), Godzilla (2014), and The Creator (2023), director Gareth Edwards has always seemed like the perfect match for a Jurassic movie. With the renowned cinematographer John Mathieson (Gladiator II, Kingdom of Heaven) at his side, Edwards beautifully captures the kind of grand cinematic scale and untamed visual identity that fans have been craving from this series for years. Choosing to shoot on 35mm Kodak film in a wider aspect ratio (2.39:1, rather than a taller format for IMAX screenings) is a bold yet necessary switch-up that the franchise was in dire need of. Although few animatronics are used, filming on location in Thailand allows for a seamless blend of VFX.
Through his wider scope and clever staging, Edwards gives Jurassic World Rebirth an animalistic quality that sinks its claws into the viewer, drawing them in and never letting go. It creates an adrenaline rush that no other franchise can match. Going from a terrifying river raft chase with a T-Rex (a scene from Michael Crichton‘s original Jurassic Park novel that David Koepp had been wanting to adapt) to the sky-high thrills of extracting Quetzalcoatlus eggs from an ancient temple results in an irresistible summer blockbuster. While not perfect, Jurassic World Rebirth is the proof you need that this IP is still more than financially “viable.” Its cinematic value is priceless; the studio should just take better care of it.
Jurassic World Rebirth hits theaters on July 2!
Release Date: July 2, 2025.
Directed by Gareth Edwards.
Written by David Koepp.
Based on characters created by Michael Crichton.
Produced by Frank Marshall & Patrick Crowley.
Executive Producers: Steven Spielberg, Jim Spencer, & Denis L. Stewart.
Main Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Ed Skrein, Philippine Velge, & Bechir Sylvain.
Cinematographer: John Mathieson.
Composer: Alexandre Desplat.
Production Companies: Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, & The Kennedy/Marshall Company.
Distributor: Universal Pictures.
Runtime: 134 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
