“Life finds a way.” Much like the film industry finds a way to keep repackaging the same thing over and over again.

Jurassic World: Rebirth is the seventh film in the franchise. A franchise that started 32 years ago, with a piece of cinema that created a lasting legacy.

When the franchise refreshed itself with the Jurassic World trilogy, it started out okay, but went downhill quickly. The hybrid dinosaurs were fascinating, though.

Jurassic World: Rebirth is set five years after Jurassic World: Dominion. And while the world has become accustomed to the presence of dinosaurs, most of the world has become inhospitable to the de-extinct animals. Only those residing in areas around the equator can survive, and these areas are marked as off-limits to human travel. But it wouldn’t be a Jurassic movie without someone breaking the rules.

Enter Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend). The evidently bad, big pharma guy, wants to retrieve dinosaur DNA so he can create the cure for heart disease – which he will then sell to the highest bidder. To do this, he hires ex-military covert operative Zora (Scarlett Johansson) and dinosaur expert Dr. Jonathan Lumis (Jonathan Bailey). Zora then pulls together some friends to help – including Duncan Kinkaid (Mahershala Ali‌).

So off they set on their mission to Île Saint-Hubert, formerly an InGen research facility, to hunt down the three dinosaurs whose DNA they need: a Mosasaurus, a Titanosaurus, and a Quetzalcoatlus. And if normal dinosaurs weren’t bad enough, this particular island was also home to many mutated dinosaurs.

But what makes things even more tense? A child in peril. So of course, the film introduces the Delgado family, who just so happened to be stranded in the ocean not far off the island. After a chaotic rescue mission and a run-in with a Mosasaurus, they now have their sample, but are down a few members, and their boat.

The family and the crew get separated and remain so for the majority of the film. We bounce between the two plots, each dealing with their own problems, and dinosaurs. The youngest Delgado even befriends a very cute, very marketable baby Aquilops.

The film has some great action moments, and the dinosaurs continue to look great on the big screen. But all of it’s so predictable. The big thrills aren’t as engaging when you already know who’s making it off the island and who isn’t. The plot armour is palpable. But I still enjoyed watching a curious T-rex chase people down a river, even if it didn’t get to eat anyone.

The film has a solid cast. Johansson, Bailey and Ali bring heart to their one dimensional characters – and they all look so good doing it (Jonathan Bailey in his little glasses is an icon). But the acting could only carry the film so much.

The crew and the Delgado family reunite for the final showdown against a pack of hybrid/mutant raptors and the apex mutation – the Distortus Rex. Compared to the previous Jurassic World movies, the ‘final boss’ dinosaur felt undercooked. The survivors had already faced many terrifying creatures, so there wasn’t enough time to let D-Rex shine. While it’s supposed to be horrifying, I simply felt bad for the goofy looking dinosaur with the goofy name.

Overall, it wasn’t bad – it just wasn’t the rebirth I was hoping for. I understand why so many people wanted an R-rated Jurassic film – simply because it would’ve given us something new. But instead, what we got was a family friendly popcorn flick that sits somewhere between a tribute and a regurgitation.

But despite its pitfalls, I commend it for being the first Jurassic World movie that even tried to capture some of the Spielberg magic. *Insert Jurassic Park theme song here*

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