Jurassic World: Rebirthwill return to the dinosaur franchise after a few-year hiatus. Despite its title includingJurassic World, the movie will not be a direct follow-up toDominion. Instead, this film will focus on a new set of characters played byScarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, and David Iacono. Taking place five years after the previous film, its plot focuses on a group of scientists who have to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures.
Jurassic World: Rebirthis situated at a crucial point in the franchise. At the box office, it has some massive shoes to fill, as all three films in the modern-day dinosaur franchise brought in over $1 billion. At the same time,it will have to restore the reputation of theJurassicfranchiseafter some of the movies failedto do so. With some of the recent press surrounding the movie, I am confident thatRebirthcan deliver on one key aspect.
The Jurassic World Franchise Has Mostly Leaned Away From Horror
The biggest difference between theJurassic Worldfranchiseand the originalJurassic Parkis its lack of horror. With modern, updated CGI tools at its disposal, it focused very heavily on dinosaur-related spectacles. This led to some fantastic sequences, especially evidenced by some of the action scenes inFallen Kingdom. That said, it stays securely in the PG-13 space and tones down the violence for a wider audience. All three films feel like they areblending multiple ideas and genres, making horror lower on their priority list.
This was a big departure from the original 1993Jurassic Park. Though also making sure to include elements of spectacle, Steven Spielberg’s film has some genuine moments of terror. Audiences fear for the lives of Grant, Ellie, Lex, Tim, and the rest of the gang, when the dinosaurs are let loose. The classic“Raptor in the Kitchen” scene is a great example of its horror.Even with some now-outdated special effects, the scene holds up as a breathtaking moment of fear, helping to create some of the movie’s key horror elements.
Jurassic World Rebirth Really Seems To Be Delivering On The Original’s Horror
And The Team Behind It Is Emphasizing This
TheJurassic World: Rebirthtrailersseem to lean in on the horror elements from the original. I was particularly struck by the opening of the most recent full trailer, which was put out in May. Showing scientists in a lab in hazmat suits, the trailer immediately sees something go awry. One scientist gets left behind with a terrifying dinosaur, and despite begging his colleague to open the door, she lets him be subject to a horrific fate. I was scared for the guy when watching this, so ifRebirthoverall is anything like that, the film could be horror-infused.
In a recent promotion for the film, Johansson mentioned that she associated theJurassicfilms with “dinosaurs more terrifying than you could possibly imagine.”
Beyond the trailer, Johansson and director Gareth Edwards have also spoken about the film in a way that is promising. In a recent promotion for the film, Johansson mentioned that she associated theJurassicfilms with"dinosaurs more terrifying than you could possibly imagine.“In the same promo, Edwards noted that the chilling elements are “why you come to see a Jurassic film,” adding “I think you want to be scared.”
Both Edwards and Johansson seem to be asserting fear as a central tenet of this film franchise. Based on the trailer, it makes sense why the dinosaurs specifically would be such a source of fear, as the lead actor notes.Rebirth’s marketing is really centered around the dinosaurs being bigger beasts than ever. Edwards' perspective, at the minimum,seems to channel less of the spectacle around these oversized prehistoric creatures and more of the sense of fear they can evoke.If he follows through on this vision,Rebirthwill have more horror elements.
Jurassic World Rebirth May Be Living Up To Its Title
It Could Truly Be A Rebirth
If it leans in on the horror elements in the way I am hoping, the film can really live up to its subtitle, “Rebirth.” The originalJurassic Parkfranchise will be reborn in that it will return to its roots in some way. This renewal, however, could be coupled with a reimagining asJurassic World: Rebirthlooks ahead to a new future for the franchise. It can take the tonal qualities that made the 1993 film a classic while using updated visuals to make the film terrifying in the franchise’s new age.
