Cinema’s fascination with giant monsters is as old as cinema itself. Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) is the perfect example of how the industry has fully capitalized on this niche. This is the seventh film in a saga that began in 1993 with the release of Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg. That first installment marked a turning point in the use of digital and animatronic effects, and John Williams’ score would go on to become one of the most iconic in film history.

The impact of this franchise has gone far beyond movie screens. Popular culture has been saturated with these dinosaurs imagined by Michael Crichton in his science fiction novel and immortalized by Spielberg on celluloid. Animated series, video games, theme parks, and tons of merchandise continue to appeal to legions of fans. It’s no surprise that the studios have kept the rhythm of releasing a new film every three or four years.

The Same Jurassic World

Jurassic World: Rebirth picks up five years after the events of the previous film, Jurassic World: Dominion (2022). But it hardly matters whether you saw that one or any other movie in the saga—context is not essential to digest the story presented by veteran screenwriter David Koepp (who also wrote the original film). Once again, fragile humans come face-to-face with towering dinosaurs in a clash as uneven as it is inevitable. A ruthless businessman seeks to get his hands on the DNA of specific dinosaur species and hires Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), a kind of world-famous mercenary, to do the job. Naturally, more classic characters join the mission, forming the “perfect team,” and things spiral out of control.

Over 2 hours and 13 minutes, Jurassic World: Rebirth delivers non-stop action. The plot and its inconsistencies take a back seat—what matters here is making the audience feel like they’re on one of those theme park rides mentioned earlier. Gareth Edwards takes the director’s chair for a job that, from afar, feels like a clear studio assignment. Every sequence seems like a replica of one we’ve already seen in the previous six films, and when it isn’t, it’s some well-worn cliché we’ve encountered in other adventure stories. Along the way, there are also nods to Spielberg classics like Jaws (1975) and even his Indiana Jones saga.

Beyond the visual spectacle and the ever-effective action sequences, Jurassic World: Rebirth offers very little in terms of novelty. It’s clear the main objective is to keep the franchise machine running, but there’s also the sense that this Jurassic world is crying out for a breath of fresh air. Perhaps it’s time to accept that reinvention isn’t the goal here—it’s about repeating the formula with minimal variation and coming to terms with the idea that this, for better or worse, is what awaits us for the foreseeable future.