Credit: Inside the MagicJurassic World Rebirth promised to wipe the slate clean for the long-running franchise by kick-starting a “new Jurassic era” with new characters and a new island. But not only does the seventh installment in the series rehash familiar tropes and beats, but it also lacks the wow factor, giving audiences the same dinosaurs, with a couple of “mutant” ones thrown in.
The film centers on Scarlett Johansson’s Zora Bennett, a covert ops specialist who’s tasked with leading a team to the island of Ile Saint-Hubert, where they must retrieve life-changing genetic material from three colossal dinosaurs. The problem? Mutant dinosaurs roam the jungles because this is an abandoned InGen facility where, you know, things went wrong.
Rebirth Kills Off the Franchise’s Dinosaurs
Meanwhile, dinosaurs are dying off around the world as the planet’s ecology no longer supports them (whatever that means), despite the fact they were shown to be flourishing in the four years between Fallen Kingdom and Dominion, and even during the latter film.
Those that survive now live near or along the earth’s equatorial belt as the climate there allegedly resembles the one in which they thrived millions of years ago (although what this has to do with the new island and the dinosaurs that have lived there for decades is a mystery).
A New Jurassic World Is Reportedly in the Works
Rebirth might have grossed $868.9 million worldwide, but it was torn apart by longtime fans, audiences, and critics due to its shoddy script (which many fans are convinced was produced by AI), underdeveloped characters, and how it swiftly does away with the popular concept of dinosaurs living alongside humans, something screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park) has admitted he had no idea how to tackle.
Now, there are talks of another film being in the works at Universal Pictures, with director Gareth Edwards and the same cast back onboard.
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It Could Feature Ice Age Beasts Instead of Just Dinosaurs
Given the success of the latest film, it’s hardly surprising. But is it time for the Jurassic franchise to completely start over? We’ve had seven movies with dinosaurs now (nine if you include the two live-action shorts), and not to mention all the other tie-in media, such as video games, novels, and the Netflix animated shows Camp Cretaceous and Chaos Theory.
The real question is, where could the franchise go from here? There is some uncharted territory that’s been touched upon in other media — non-dinosaur prehistoric beasts like saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths from the Pleistocene Epoch, known more famously as the Ice Age. Some of these creatures have been hinted at in other Jurassic media, including the “Jurassic Park: Builder” and “Jurassic World: Alive” mobile games and on the fake Masrani Corporation website that was used to promote Jurassic World (2015).
However, the first proper confirmation of the existence of saber-toothed tigers in the Jurassic universe came in Camp Cretaceous, which, according to showrunner Scott Kreamer, is canon with the film series (although the jury is out on that one as the show also features robot dogs). It’s implied that the sabertooth belongs to the Mantah Corporation.
Jurassic Park (1993) Already Had Saber-Toothed Tigers
But the prehistoric wildcat also makes a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in the original 1993 film, Jurassic Park — as a plushie in the toy store next to the Visitor Center restaurant.
Sure, it’s only a toy, but why is the park advertising beasts from the Ice Age? It’s hardly a stretch to think that InGen genetically engineered extinct species other than dinosaurs. Apparently, according to Rebirth, there’s now also a limitless supply of InGen islands, too, so why not one in a freezing cold region?
Jurassic World Needs a Proper “Rebirth”
Let’s also not forget that Fallen Kingdom reveals that InGen even cloned human beings. Are saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths really that far-fetched? It’s unlikely Universal would want to ditch the dinosaurs in their entirety, though, given how lucrative they’ve been since 1993, but the studio did let David Koepp do almost as much damage to the franchise’s dinosaurs as the asteroid that wiped out the real ones did 65 million years ago.
Still, here’s hoping “life finds a way” and that the franchise really will be “reborn” some day.
Jurassic World Rebirth is available to watch at home. The film stars Scarlett Johansson (Avengers: Endgame), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer), Rupert Friend (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Mahershala Ali (The Green Book), Luna Blaise (Manifest), David Iacono (Dead Boy Detectives), Audrina Miranda (Lopez vs Lopez), Philippine Velge (Station Eleven), Bechir Sylvain (BMF), and Ed Skrein (Deadpool).
Do you think Jurassic World Rebirth 2 needs to ditch the dinosaurs once and for all and give audiences something completely new? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!