“The story is simplistic and predictive, and that’s all it needs to be, because the age-old battle to survive the unknown misunderstood threat is all-consuming” writes Kathryn Whitney Boole
Rated PG-13
134 Minutes
Released July 2nd
Jurassic World: Rebirth is the seventh installment in the Jurassic Park franchise which debuted in 1993 with Steven Spielberg’s vivid visualization of Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel. The world created in this new chapter by director Gareth Edwards is more detailed and expansive than in the earlier movies, partly due to innovations in visual technology. The dinosaurs now have more distinct habits, mannerisms and movements that match their body design and personality. Scarlett Johansson expertly fills the shoes of the action hero, “Zora” – commanding, physically capable without being hard, thoughtful, perseverant and with single-minded focus on a goal (to a fault) to procure DNA samples from dinosaurs who have been thriving on an island that was deserted by their human caretakers years ago. None of the characters are the same as in 2022’s Jurassic World: Dominion – this is a new chapter in the epic.
This movie will take you on a ride. The camerawork by cinematographer John Mathieson is superb. He captures the environment with an instinctive sense, moving the camera over long shots as the human eye would move. He records the beauty and the terror of the island. There are many segments that may be familiar territory for you, if you are a sailor, a rock climber, a whitewater rafter, or if you have seen whales up close from a small watercraft.
The story is simplistic and predictive, and that’s all it needs to be, because the age-old battle to survive the unknown misunderstood threat is all-consuming. It’s been told many times over in mythology as ancient as language. The screenplay is by David Koepp, who wrote the script for the original 1993 film and the 1997 sequel. In the first half of the film, we can foresee who is going to meet a violent end because they have committed some selfish action, but later in the story that pattern disappears. The action centers on the team of adventurer-mercenaries who are chosen by Zora to procure DNA crucial in the development of a new heart medication. A pharmaceutical rep played by Rupert Friend hires her to assemble and lead the extraction team. On the way to the island, the crew take on board the occupants of a boat piloted by a father, his two daughters and one daughter’s boyfriend, who have been capsized by an aquatic dinosaur
Director Edwards grew up in England and studied film at university. He says his greatest influences are the work of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino. He began his career doing visual effects for television and in 2008 won the British Sci-Fi London 48-hour film challenge. in 2010 he wrote and shot the film Monsters in only 3 weeks with a 5-person crew using equipment he had on hand for special effects. That notch on his resume won him the chance to helm Godzilla in 2014 and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in 2016.
Scarlett Johansson is now an international star, but that honor did not come overnight. She began acting as a child on Broadway, and her first TV appearance was in a skit at the age of 8 on the Conan O’Brien Show. Soon her manager mom began taking her to film auditions. Critic Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle commented on the young actress’s performance in a film, that she had a “peaceful aura” and predicted that if she could “get through puberty with that aura undisturbed, she could become an important actress.” In this film she has found her voice as a powerful compassionate leader with the strength to see her own flaws. Attesting to her peaceful aura, Johansson is an avid beekeeper. She carries this movie, but it is decidedly an ensemble piece. With minimal dialogue the cast bring a variety of charismatic personalities to their characters.
Mahershala Ali as boat captain “Duncan,” began his career as a Shakespearean actor. He has appeared in TV since 2001 and film since 2003, but it was his breakout role in the Oscar-winning film Moonlight (2016) that brought him international attention. He lights up the screen with strength and composure as the team deal with an increasingly erratic and precarious situation. Jonathan Bailey as research scientist “Dr. Henry Loomis” is fascinated by the study of dinosaurs and is the only one not looking for financial gain from the experience. Bailey is a British musical theatre actor who decided he wanted to be on stage at the age of 5 and appeared on stage and on TV as a child, and on film since his teens. You may know him as “Lord Anthony Edgerton” in Bridgerton. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, who stars as “Mickey Haller” on the Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer, in this film is a long-suffering dad who will go to the ends of the earth to protect his two daughters, played by Luna Blaise and Audrina Miranda, both dancer-actors, who turn in excellent performances here. David Isaacson as the goofball stoner boyfriend provides laughs. Garcia-Rulfo is an as-yet undiscovered star who can hint at great emotion under a stoic front, not afraid to show pain and weakness.
Some critics have been concerned that there are too many iterations of Spielberg’s imaginative cinematic rendition of author Crichton’s concept. But remember that many of today’s audience weren’t even born when the first Jurassic Park premiered in 1993. So far, the box office for the “Rebirth” chapter has soundly beat expectations, domestically and internationally.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com
