Y OU thought we’d done with the dinos in Hollywood? Nah! They never became extinct, and after regular intervals raised their heads when an ambitious writer and director coaxed them back to the big canvas - to gnash their teeth, snarl, roar and scare the living daylights out of us. The latest resurrection in the hot favourite franchise is Jurassic World Rebirth, which flip flops between nostalgia and reinvention, taking us back to the island where it all began. Honouring Steven Spielberg’s 1993 original, director Gareth Edwards with Jurassic Park Rebirth takes us back into a world of dinos. Knowing he’s stepping into sacred territory, for Spielberg has laid too tall a benchmark and bar to cross, Edwards, in the first twenty minutes pays homage to the great director by reimagining the classic shots that defined the original. The lush green island, the wide helicopter shots, the rustling of the foliage sending a chill up your spine, and the unmistakable thud of a giant step that sends ripples through the cola glass that you are holding - all this lays the foundation for a spectacular spectacle that unfolds in the next two and half hours.

 

 

After the basic premise is laid - why a few humans, for their own greed, want to venture into the forbidden territory, just off the equator, it’s time for highoctane spectacle. Zora Bennet (Scarlett Johannsen) a situational strategy specialist whose job is to obtain unattainable things, teams up with former buddy Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) the owner of the boat who will take her and others to the island. Joining them is Dr Henry Loomis (J onathan Bailey) the scientist who will help identify the dino species - Mosasaurus, Titanosaurus and Quetzalcoatlus from whom the DNA has to be extracted. All this exercise is being done for Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), the CEO of a pharmaceutical firm that will use the dino DNA to make a drug targeted at heart health. In this process, the drug company will make trillions.

 

This motley group, while at sea, rescue four people Reuben Delgado, his daughters Isabella and Teresa and Teresa’s boyfriend Xavier Dobbs, whose boat was overturned in a vicious attack by a ferocious aquatic predator. So, the plot treads on a familiar path. Staying true to the franchise’s tried and tested formula, human greed, over confidence in one’s ability of taking on even the mightiest of creatures as “humans are the most superior and intelligent species on this planet”, and of course the inevitable consequences of messing around with Mother Nature. While many Dinos from the previous movies Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor, Dilophosaurus, Spinosaurus, Mosasaurus, Carnotaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, Compsognathus, Ankylosaurus rekindle the memories of the havoc they caused, new mutant species Aquilops, Diabloceratops, Titanosaurus, Anurognathus, Mutadon, and Distortus Rex (a hybrid), also add much to the scare factor. The ensemble cast goes through the motions and dialogues breathing life into the familiar beats.

 

Dr Loomis is not happy to be a part of this assembly because he doesn’t want Krebs to have a patent for the medicine so that he can fill his own coffers. “Let’s give this to other players so that the medicine is affordable and has a wider reach,” he keeps telling Zora, hoping that she will have a change of heart. Of course, no prizes for guessing - at the end of it all she does. The supporting players, after a few dialogues, are simply meat for the dinos. After a scintillating chase in the ocean where humans pit their courage against Mosasaurus, the two groups separate - follow different paths, encounter many dinos - a few friendly, for most part - not so. And after many hair raising encounters, meet again so that they can escape from the Lab that was the hub of all the experiments in the original movie. While the plot is really just old wine in a new bottle, where Jurassic Park Rebirth excels is in the technical field.

 

With Animatronics blending seamlessly with VFX, what the audience gets to see on the big canvas is different dinos that feel alive. It’s difficult to decipher where metal ends and skin begins. Many scenes will bring back memories of the original - the deathly calm before a T Rex spewing venom appears on the screen, the rustle of leaves giving away the presence of a cunning raptor, the way Dr Loomis is overwhelmed when he touches the leg of a Titanosaurus, or the mutant raptors stalking the humans in a closed space - all still have the power to chill and thrill. Yet, for all its superb technical craft, Jurassic Park Rebirth, doesn’t touch the core of the heart. The emotions that made the original a masterpiece, are very diluted here, buried under layers of quick action and way too many dialogues.

 

The relentless dino action focusing mainly on jaw snapping chases doesn’t let one reflect deeply upon the morality of genetic mutations and meddling with Mother Nature. Having said that, there is no denying the fact that the dinos retain the power to thrill. Kudos to the camera for capturing the sheer awe of a dinosaur, whether it’s the gentle Titanosaurus swishing their tails and courting each other in lush green misty meadows, or a predator rising from slumber with a primal scream. The audience comes for the dinos, and Jurassic Park Rebirth delivers in glorious, teeth-baring details. This adrenaline-fueled tribute is a reminder of why the world fell in love with these giant creatures in the first place. Even if it feels like ‘been there, done that’, it’s still worth queuing up for. So this weekend, book your ticket, grab your popcorn, and step into a forbidden world where against all odds, dinosaurs still rule the planet.

 

The Hitavada Rating: ✯✯✯