'Jurassic World Rebirth' Is Big, Dumb And Fun. What More Could You Want?

The Scarlett Johansson film is entertaining — but it's definitely not a cinematic masterpiece.

Let’s be honest, there hasn’t been a great “Jurassic” movie since 1997. Once Steven Spielberg vacated the director’s chair after “The Lost World,” the quality began to dip almost immediately. Sure, other filmmakers like Joe Johnston and Colin Trevorrow have managed to wring some remaining magic out of the franchise, but we can all admit the words “new Jurassic movie” aren’t exactly synonymous with “cinematic masterpiece.”

And yet, we love these movies. Audiences continue to show up in droves to see them, and there’s no denying the thrill of watching a giant CGI dinosaur projected on the big screen. The bar is low. The upside is high. Enter: “Jurassic World Rebirth.”

From director Gareth Edwards (best known for making visually gorgeous but narratively jumbled sci-fi epics that come in impressively under budget), “Jurassic World Rebirth” is the franchise’s second major revival. With a star-studded cast and the promise of mutant dinosaurs, there’s the potential for greatness. And while “Rebirth” offers an exciting premise and some epic dino action, it’s also dragged down by an unnecessary side plot and some underwhelming special effects.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” begins five years after the previous film. Don’t worry, it’s fine if you can’t remember what happened in “Dominion,” as the events of that film are quickly swept aside. Dinosaurs had briefly roamed the Earth in a “Neo Jurassic” era, but they’re now confined to a few islands along the equator (we’re told that’s the only part of the planet still hospitable to these prehistoric creatures). Meanwhile, public interest in dinosaurs has dwindled. An aging brontosaurus that breaks loose from a New York zoo is seen as more of a nuisance than a spectacle, and ticket sales for museum exhibits are plummeting.

There’s an interesting parallel between the state of dinosaurs within this movie and the state of the “Jurassic” franchise in real life. Both are seemingly diminished, but still powerful. Both have potential, but the path forward is unclear. These are all smart ideas worth chewing on — “Jurassic World Rebirth” swiftly bypasses them in favor of dinosaur action.