“Jurassic World Dominion” did the impossible with dinosaurs co-living with humans in modern times and it’s as if all the stories have been told From the original invention birthed by “Jurassic Park” more than three decades ago to the opening of the surreal theme park in “Jurassic World." 'Dominion's' point-of-no-return didn't end things and there's more story to tell, which surprisingly seems plausible from a creative viewpoint.
Five years after ‘Dominion,’ the earth’s ecosystem has been largely inhospitable to the revived dinosaurs. Those who survive mostly remain near the equator, where the environment resembles the prehistoric period from 65 million years ago.
ParkerGenix, a pharmaceutical company hungry for unlimited profit recruits mercenary Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson; the “Avengers” series, “Hail, Caesar!,” “Her”) and paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey, “Wicked”) to collect DNA samples from the largest living dinosaurs in order to develop a cure for heart disease. The blood and muscle tissues need to come from the largest dinosaur, each living in the ocean, on land and in the skies.
Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) is the evil face of ParkerGenix, a man who puts profit above all else, including human lives around him, which is shown later in his abominable actions. Zora needs and wants money to secure her for life, but she has a good head on her shoulder. She connects with a longtime friend and boat captain Duncan Kinkaid (Mahershala Ali) and a few crew members.
Henry is a true dino-loving fan, who truly loves his work, and gets onboard to see these larger-than-life animals in the wild and for an expedition with an eventual life-saving mission. Although he's conflicted about the end goal. If it's truly a cure, shouldn't everyone have access to a life-saving medication and not a select few who can afford it?
Conveniently, all three largest dinosaurs are now living in the Ille Saint-Hubert island, where a large swath of the areas is forbidden and no longer patrolled by the government due to the extreme hazard.
Parallel to the dino-hunting boat trek, a family on a sailing vacation – sisters Theresa (Luna Blaise) and Isabella (Audrina Miranda) with their dad, Reuben Delgado (Manel Garcia-Rulfo) and Theresa’s boyfriend, Xavier Dobbs (David Iacono) – gets stranded on water when their boat capsized. The ragtag team ends up rescuing the family, although their sense of safety is short-lived when they spot a monstrous Mosasaurus approaching, which is exactly what the team is looking for.
The extended action sequence begins on a splashy note. It’s thrilling to see the giant sea creature flipping through the air and seeing how exactly the sample extraction works. It’s not as breezy as throwing a dart gun and have it launched back into their hands. When a group of scary Spinosaurus circle the boat, the thrill turns into terror. Even crashing into the island doesn’t guarantee their safety either since they are amphibious. The group gets separated and there are multiple close calls and body counts.
Even more anxiety-inducing, the waterfall-filled jungle island turns out to be an experimental laboratory where InGen, the defunct theme park's former operator, experimented with cross-breeding dinosaurs for the park's newest attractions. Those genetically engineered that were malformed and most dangerous were abandoned on this island.
You’d never know what’s lurking behind those lush vegetations, in the river, up in the air, outside of the cave, or what could get inside the underground bunker or tunnel. It never gets old to jump scared or see hapless humans cornered in tight spaces with unpredictable danger all around. A mysterious movement could be a cute baby dino, menacing Mutadon, terrifying T-Rex or ravenous Raptor mutant.
The land mission is one moment of genuine amazement though. It pays homage to the first Jurassic where you looked up and saw the first, beautiful Brachiosaurus for the very first time. While the land portion is a walk in the park, the sky is trickier by nature.
Rappelling down sheer rock face where you could fall to your death or get snatched away at any point by flying, frightening predators while having to figure out how to get the DNA sample is no easy task.
Even after all the samples are collected, the group still needs to find ways to get off the island and fast. As in other Jurassic movies, there comes a moment where the biggest baddie shows up. If you think you've seen all the big bads, Distortus (aka D-Rex) is something else. Alien-like, distorted monster, it doesn't even look like a real dinosaur, and maybe that's the point, considering this is the most disastrous hybrid.
The original river raft scene, cut from “Jurassic Park” all those years ago appears here, and is excellently executed. Another standout scene with a kid in peril is situationally humorous. The movie milks the tension and emotional moments. There's one particular character where you feel they might die heroically. The ending, which doesn't exactly go out with a bang, may divide fans.
When movies typically go bigger with each sequel, 'Rebirth' goes small. It excels in the low and slow mode, predators quietly stalking and creeping up before the pursuits turn relentless and escapes may or may not be possible. While the movie is created as a standalone story, 'Rebirth' gives birth to another Jurassic world of possibilities.
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To learn more about all the dinosaurs and their mutated counterparts that appear on 'Rebirth,' check out:
https://ew.com/jurassic-world-rebirth-dinosaur-guide-d-rex-mutadon-dolores-exclusive-photos-11762569
