I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, two trilogies spanning 32 years of filmmaking, have just been suddenly soft rebooted back into the mix of the summer blockbuster. Can we possibly have the slightest idea of what to expect?
Unfortunately, yes. It’s a disappointment. Jurassic World: Rebirth, the newest entry in the Jurassic Park franchise, is probably not what longtime fans are looking for. As I watched this film, I constantly compared it to the originals that came before it. I’m not just talking about the original, but the Lost World, and even the lesser favorite Jurassic Park 3. This newest film doesn’t hold a candle to any of them.
The Lack of Humility Before Creativity Is Staggering
The concept of this film is in two parts. The first is the expedition led by Scarlett Johansson to obtain DNA samples from three large dinosaurs. This would be used to cure heart disease. There could be a compelling story here, but it’s explained as plainly as what I wrote. The second part is a father who is taking his two daughters on a sailing expedition around the quarantined area where the dinosaurs now exist in modern times. Why is he doing this? To bond with his daughters. That’s it—no further explanation.
The biggest issue I have is the acting. I call it “Marvel Acting”. It’s a very aloof and smarmy style where the characters seem consistently detached from the conditions they are in. They appear to be almost too cool for the room. Jurassic World: story about the horrors of being isolated on an island full of giant, once prehistoric monsters. And yet their attitude comes off as if they are looking forward to getting a meal at craft services after the dinosaur attack is avoided.
Are Suspenseful Scenes in Jurassic World Actually Suspenseful?
It’s what I would ask myself regularly. The answer was mostly no. The lone exception was the scene where the eldest daughter of the lost family tries to get access to a raft. Meanwhile, there is a sleeping T Rex only feet away. This leads to the most engaging sequence of the movie, where the T-Rex is chasing the family’s raft down the river and, at one point, flips the raft over and tries to attack the youngest daughter. A scene very reminiscent of the first film, when the T Rex was trying to get access to the children in the parked SUV.
Are We Earning the Deaths We See?
Another question I would ask every time someone was eaten by a dinosaur. And often it was a resounding no. Most of the time, there wasn’t even any suspense leading up to it. There were no stakes for the characters, so why should I even care?
I would watch a death scene, like the first one that happens on the boat. The crew is trying to capture a DNA sample from an aquatic dinosaur. Then, once they do, immediately, there is an attack on the boat. A forgettable character is unceremoniously bitten and dragged into the water. A perfect instance of hurrying up to get to an action money shot that we didn’t earn. The problem with the eagerness to capitalize on Intellectual property, which the producers and studio are attempting here, is that it didn’t require any discipline to attain it.
They saw what others, like Steven Spielberg, had done, and they took the next step. They didn’t earn the knowledge for themselves on what makes this a captivating subject. So, they don’t take any responsibility for it. They stood on the shoulders of geniuses to pump out a film as fast as they could. And before they even knew the quality of what they had, they patented it, packaged it, slapped logos on toys and on plastic lunch boxes, and now they’re selling it.
You may be asking, “How can the studio stand in the light of owning a profitable intellectual property, and not do a soft reboot with another Jurassic World sequel?” To that I say, what’s so great about more sequels? Sequels can be disappointing and franchise-ending. It scars the original source material. What you call a soft reboot, I call the destruction of a legacy.
