Rawr! ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Brings Franchise Back from Extinction

 

Jurassic Park is one of those perfect Steven Spielberg movies. The visuals, the score, the performances and its playful mix of terror and wonder make it an all-time summer blockbuster classic. The sequels, however, for the most part, have lacked the “Dino DNA” that made that first walk in the park so special. I would even be so bold as to say that Jurassic World Dominion is one of the worst major franchise sequels we’ve gotten in the last decade … and that’s saying a lot!

Three years later, the bar was set low for Jurassic World Rebirth, Gareth Edwards’ follow-up that serves as a soft reboot for the 32-year-old franchise. But thanks to some intense action scenes, creepy new creatures and a solid cast, this film ably clears that bar like a Titanosaurus stepping over a Compy. So yeah, it’s pretty good.

But let’s get the negatives out of the way first. The opening few minutes are rough. The inciting incident during the prologue is silly in a bad way, and the opening scenes setting the plot in motion (to create a new heart disease treatment, our heroes must collect DNA from three massive dinosaurs which just so happen to be located on and around InGen’s abandoned R&D island) feel like a bad video game intro that doesn’t let us hold X to skip.

Once things get going, though, Rebirth grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go, combining elements of Spielberg classics like Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark – plus a smattering of Park throwbacks – with new thrills and creatures. I wasn’t sold on the idea of mutant dinosaurs initially (flying raptors?! And what the heck is a Distortus rex?), but it all works here. And even when the film slows down to show us a majestic herd of titanosaurs or a cute and marketable baby dinosaur named Dolores, it’s still a joy to look at. Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Godzilla) has a knack for combining human beings with digital creations, and shooting everything on location really helps make us feel like we’re right there with these characters, narrowly avoiding the jaws of a massive Mosasaurus or hiding beneath a raft to evade the gaze of a hungry Tyrannosaur.

Speaking of which, the fact that we get the raft sequence from the original Michael Crichton book translated to the screen in this film is such a joy. If you thought a T. rex was scary before, just wait until you see what they can do in the water!

Humans are typically a side dish in Jurassic sequels (mostly literally in the eyes of its true stars), but I’m happy to say that leads Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali do more than just gawk at dinosaurs and run for their lives. Joining them are a shipwrecked family (plus a boyfriend) played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda, who add some interesting dynamics and heart – yes, heart – to the perilous proceedings.

No Jurassic sequel comes close to the original, but in terms of scale, intensity and sheer summer blockbuster joy, Rebirth roars. Check out my updated franchise rankings below:

1. Jurassic Park
2. Jurassic World
3. Jurassic World Rebirth
4. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
5. Jurassic Park III
6.  Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
7.  Jurassic World Dominion

 

‘Andor’ Made Me Love ‘Rogue One’ Even More

 

You’ve heard it from everyone else, so now you’ll hear it from me: Andor is the best Star Wars streaming series yet. It’s beautiful, it’s tragic, it’s powerful, it’s poignant, it’s real. Those same words could be used to describe Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the incredible 2016 film that first introduced us to Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor and a ragtag group of rebels who stole the Death Star plans and set the stage for the events of Star Wars: A New Hope. The Star Wars fandom is divided about most things, but we can all pretty much agree that Rogue One is up there with The Empire Strikes Back as one of the franchise’s best films.

The first-ever Star Wars Story – one of only two live-action Star Wars films released so far that are not part of the Skywalker Saga – Rogue One was penned by Tony Gilroy, who is admittedly not a massive Star Wars fan but is nevertheless a craftsman in that galaxy far, far away. In the aftermath of that film’s success, Gilroy clearly had unfinished business with Cassian, serving as showrunner for the critically acclaimed Disney+ series that ended its second and final season this week. Like Rogue One, Andor is a grittier take on George Lucas’ galaxy, showing us the flawed architects of rebellion who sometimes have to do less-than-heroic things to conquer unchecked evil. And yes, it’s really, really good.

We all loved the first season way back in 2022 – the amazing costumes, the brutal combat, the cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, and that prison escape – but It was Andor’s second season that cemented it as a classic. Over four weeks, Andor Season 2’s 12 episodes were broken into three-episode arcs, each of which were set one year apart – so it was like getting a new feature-length movie every week. The season’s final moments take us right into Cassian’s mission at the beginning of Rogue One which, in turn, takes us right into the earliest moments of the original 1977 Star Wars film. It’s wonderfully done, and I can’t wait to incorporate both of those films into my first Andor full-series rewatch, which might be coming sooner than later.

Although I’m not quite up to that days-long task just yet, I just finished rewatching Rogue One moments ago, and I’ve never enjoyed it more. Knowing what Cassian sacrificed, seeing how Mon Mothma’s bravery in the Imperial Senate gave rise to the Rebel Alliance, where the line “rebellions are built on hope” first surfaced and what an evil bastard Orson Krennic truly is made me see large chunks of the film in a whole new light. And yes, I still tear up at the end.

‘Hey, Buddy! Eyes Up Here!’ New ‘Superman’ Trailer Showcases Heart and Heroics

There’s really no reason why Superman shouldn’t be one of the biggest movie franchises on the planet. He’s instantly recognizable, he’s charismatic, his powers are fantastic and he represents humanity at its best. In short, he’s hope personified. Unfortunately, it’s that “golly gee” Silver Age optimism that’s been largely absent from the Man of Steel’s cinematic outings since Christopher Reeve donned the cape decades ago.

James Gunn aims to change all that with this summer’s Superman, which flies into theaters July 11. A new three-minute trailer dropped today, featuring Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane doing her first interview with David Corenswet’s Man of Steel. She grills The Big Blue Boy Scout on intervening – and stopping – an overseas war, which has sparked criticism about using his abilities unchecked and outside the law. Superman’s place in the geopolitical landscape is complicated, but the Smallville farmboy simplifies it. He did what he did because “people were going to die.”

We’re then treated to shots of Superman battling a giant monster, an assortment of friends and foes – including Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho, Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, María Gabriela de Faría’s Engineer and, of course, Krypto the Superdog.

There’s a lot to love in this trailer, and I’m fairly certain that Fillion’s Guy Gardner is going to be a lot of fun – the shot of him nonchalantly flipping over a military vehicle with a flick of his wrist tells me everything I need to know about him. There’s a lot of energy here, and I just can’t get over how vibrant it all is. This is a comic book brought to life … and that’s kind of the point.

Check out which action figures I’m going to buy this summer by watching the full trailer below!