Jurassic World Rebirth: enjoyable sequel hampered by plot holes
The latest dinosaur reboot captures the essence of the original – but leans too heavily on 'CGI-heavy set pieces'

This is the sixth sequel to Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster "Jurassic Park", and it is "easily the most fun", said Brian Viner in the Daily Mail. It has "the same snap and bite as the original", and "grips from start to finish".
As the film opens, the world's ecology has not proved hospitable to dinosaurs, and they are now confined to a strip around the Equator. Humans are forbidden from entering this zone, but that doesn't stop sinister pharma boss Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) from plotting an illegal trip to collect samples of dinosaur blood, for use in a lucrative heart-disease drug.
Ultra-aggressive new variants
For this job, Krebs hires two crack mercenaries (Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali) and the "obligatory nerdy-yet-dishy" palaeontologist (Jonathan Bailey).
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
They set off to an island where the largest prehistoric specimens now live, but of course nothing goes smoothly: some of the dinos have mutated into ultra-aggressive new variants – and before long, the "most expendable characters" (those played by the lesser-known actors) are falling victim to their terrifying claws and jaws.
'A dispiriting slog'
There's a pleasingly retro feel to the tropical island set-up, said Leigh Singer in Sight and Sound, and the dinosaurs are bigger and scarier than ever. But alas, the movie quickly descends into a poorly connected series of "CGI-heavy set pieces", further hampered by a terrible script, "paper-thin characters and plot holes so vast, a T. rex could amble through them".
It ticks a few of the "Jurassic Park" boxes, said Leaf Arbuthnot in The New Statesman: "dinosaurs, dread, Jeeps". Some of the jokes raise a laugh; and the actors do their best. But ultimately, it's a "dispiriting slog". If you're in the mood for "a 1990s blockbuster with 1990s energy", you'd do better to watch a 1990s blockbuster.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Alaska has the resources, but America needs the will'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Nvidia hits $4 trillion milestone
Speed Read The success of the chipmaker has been buoyed by demand for artificial intelligence
-
X CEO Yaccarino quits after two years
Speed Read Elon Musk hired Linda Yaccarino to run X in 2023
-
The Red Brigades: a 'fascinating insight' into the 'most feared' extremist group of 1970s Italy
The Week Recommends A 'grimly absorbing' history of the group and their attempts to overthrow the Italian state
-
Summer in Seattle: Outdoor dining like nowhere else
Feature Featuring a patio with a waterfront view, a beer garden, and more
-
Film reviews: F1: The Movie, 28 Years Later, and Familiar Touch
Feature An aging race car driver gets one last chance, a kid struggles to survive in this '28 Days Later' update, and a woman with dementia adjusts to her new life
-
Diane Arbus' Constellation is the largest-ever collection of her work
Feature Park Avenue Armory, New York City, through Aug. 17
-
July fiction: Summers to remember
Feature Featuring the latest summer-themed novels from Darrow Farr, Lucas Schaefer, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a 'triumph of tackiness'?
In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
The Anatomy of Painting: Jenny Saville's 'stunning' retrospective
The Week Recommends Saville's new collection features 'masterpieces' from throughout her career
-
M3GAN 2.0: riotous action sequel to the comedy-horror hit about a killer doll
The Week Recommends A 'ridiculously' entertaining 'hyper-camp mash-up' of Terminator 2 and Mission: Impossible