Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures within that tropical biosphere hold the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind. Skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), contracted to lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure genetic material from the world’s three most massive dinosaurs. When Zora’s operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos, they all find themselves stranded on an island where they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades.

Picking up after the previous Jurassic entries, Rebirth throws the Spielbergian playbook out the window and charges straight into the unknown with a tone that’s best described as Apocalypse Now meets Jurassic Park. It’s bold, brutal, and beautiful to look at, a neo-Jurassic odyssey where survival is earned minute by minute. Gareth Edwards is no stranger to spectacle, but here, he’s clearly living out a childhood fantasy with dino-sized gusto. There’s a boyish glee to the way he directs Jurassic World Rebirth, but also a commanding sense of tension. Think massive IMAX-scale set pieces, gritty character work, and some of the scariest dino encounters ever captured on film.

In many ways, Rebirth marks a return to form. Edwards channels Spielberg’s magic, blending awe, wonder, and fear, while also bringing a modern urgency to the proceedings. Climate collapse, corporate overreach, and dangerous genetic experiments all swirl in the background as a team is sent to the long-abandoned Ile Saint-Hubert; a no-go zone where InGen’s worst mistakes were buried…and where nature, as always, finds a way.

At the centre of the chaos is Scarlett Johansson as Zora Bennett, a covert ops specialist hired to retrieve… well, let’s just say something very expensive and very dangerous. Johansson is all grit and steel, channelling her Black Widow energy in equal measure. Zora is tough, calculated, and more than capable of going toe-to-toe with apex predators; both human and reptilian. Johansson clearly relishes the role, tearing through jungle terrain, rappelling into biohazard bunkers, and battling neo-Jurassic beasts with a pulsating energy. It’s action heroine cinema at its finest.

Every Jurassic film needs that one character to remind us of the wonder and terror of these creatures, and Bridgerton breakout Jonathan Bailey steps up to the plate as Dr. Henry Loomis, a brilliant palaeontologist and former student of Dr. Alan Grant. Bailey is a revelation here, channelling wide-eyed awe, ethical conviction, and quiet heroism. His connection to the dinosaurs, especially a heart-wrenchingly touching moment with a pair of Titanosaurus, brings a layered emotional depth to the picture. Loomis is the soul of the film, and Bailey plays him with just the right mix of Spielbergian wonder and battlefield panic.

But make no mistake — this movie belongs to Mahershala Ali. As Duncan Kincaid, Zora’s grizzled team leader, Ali is all stone-faced cool and relentless intensity. He’s the guy you want by your side when everything goes to hell, and when the third act explodes into full-on survival horror, Ali’s performance becomes the pulse of the movie. Stoic, deadly, and fiercely protective, Kincaid is a straight-up action god, and Ali plays him like he was born in a Michael Mann film. Whether it’s going head-first against raptor hybrids with nothing more than a flare gun, or pulling off a one-man last stand against the film’s final boss monster, Ali owns this movie.

While the elite mission team provides the heavy lifting, Edwards throws a narrative curveball with the introduction of the Delgado family: a civilian clan who crash-land into the nightmare. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Reuben is the no-nonsense father, Luna Blaise shines as the feisty older daughter, Teresa, and Audrina Miranda melts hearts as the youngest, Isabella.

But the real star here? Dolores, a baby Aquilops, who imprints on Isabella and follows the family around like a prehistoric puppy. She’s the Baby Yoda of the Jurassic universe, and yes, you’re going to want a plush version immediately. Edwards knows just when to drop the tension and deliver a moment of emotional levity, and Dolores is proof of that.

And now we come to the nightmare fuel. This isn’t your granddad’s Jurassic Park. Edwards dives deep into the darker side of genetic tampering with the introduction of the ‘Mutadons’ – freakish chimeras born from failed InGen experiments. These things are horrifying: think raptor-pterosaur hybrids with dislocated jaws, distorted limbs, and murderous instincts. They hunt in packs, screech like banshees, and they do not miss.

But nothing, and we mean nothing, prepares you for the Distortus rex, or D-Rex for short. A six-limbed tyrannosaur mutant that looks like it crawled out of Dante’s Inferno, the D-Rex is nightmare incarnate. Its screentime is limited, but when it hits, it HITS ; especially in a brutal third-act sequence that feels like Aliens meets The Descent. Trust us, the final 20 minutes of this film will wreck you.

Beyond the explosions and scream-worthy scares, Jurassic World Rebirth offers some real thematic meat. Edwards explores the ethical decay of science-for-profit, the ecological implications of neo-Jurassic ecosystems, and the fallout from humanity’s reckless pursuit of dominion over nature. It’s heavy stuff, and while the film never loses its popcorn pacing, it still delivers food for thought between the carnage.

Visually, this is some of Edwards’ best work to date. The overgrown ruins of Ile Saint-Hubert are haunting, the creature design is next-level, and the use of scale, both human and prehistoric, is genuinely awe-inspiring. Pair that with a thunderous score, slick editing, and killer stunt work, and you’ve got a film that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

Jurassic World Rebirth is an all-out, pedal-to-the-metal thrill ride that reclaims the glory of the franchise while boldly pushing it forward. It’s packed with monster mayhem, nail-biting suspense, dazzling visuals, and a surprising amount of heart. From Scarlett Johansson’s badass heroine, to Mahershala Ali’s warrior poet, to a tiny dinosaur named Dolores, there’s something here for everyone. This is blockbuster filmmaking done right:  loud, smart, scary, and a hell of a lot of fun.

Image: Universal Pictures

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Four years after the Lockwood estate incident, dinosaurs now live — and hunt — alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine once and for all whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.

Stepping back behind the camera and following up his work on 2015’s Jurassic World is director Colin Trevorrow, and he takes everything up a notch in this, the final instalment of the beloved Jurassic saga. For more than 29 years audiences have been enthralled by this epic franchise which redefined what cinema could be thanks to utterly groundbreaking visual effects first seen in 1993, before revamping the presence of man’s interaction with dinosaurs in 2015’s Jurassic World. Now the final chapter awaits, and it’s a story of the past and the present crashing together that will decide the fate of which species, human or dinosaur, will hold sway over our planet.

Trevorrow takes his time with this story bringing a duel narrative that includes the newer characters of Jurassic World, Chris Pratt as Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing, with those of the original cast including Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant, Laura Dern as Dr. Ellie Sattler and Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm. And it’s fantastic to see these characters united on screen as they fight to save humanity and dinosaurs. With a story that includes corporate conspiracies and a dangerous extinction-level event, Trevorrow revs things up, and by the beginning of the second act, the action gets exhilarating. This first burst of excitement comes in the form of Pratt’s Owen Grady who is engaged in a high-speed motorcycle chase through the city of Malta, as he tries to outrun a pack of Atrociraptors. And it’s a hell of a sequence to witness that will pin you to your seat with adrenaline.

In addition to a good dose of action, Trevorrow digs deep into the horror and scares of Jurassic World Dominion, and of all of the Jurassic films to date, Dominion is certainly the scariest. Looking back to Steven Speilberg’s work on the original 1993 blockbuster, Trevorrow is able to tease out a terrific level of suspense and horror that is sure to make you uneasy, and there are some scary jump scares that will rattle audiences to their core. This combination of action and scares keeps the narrative unpredictable, making this film a complete rush to witness right up until its climactic end.

As an audience member and long-time fan of the Jurassic franchise, it’s a lot of fun to see the return of the original cast including Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. And their appearances here are no mere cameos. These original characters are vital to the film’s narrative, and it’s great to see Grant, Settler and Malcolm interact with Owen and Claire as they do everything in their power to save human and dinosaur kind. This dual-narrative presence provides the perfect balance of nostalgia and contemporary fun, and each character gets their own unique moment to shine.

For audiences who are wanting a fun rush at the movies, Jurassic World Dominion makes for a very enjoyable time. It’s packed full of giant set pieces, fast-paced action, and quirky banter and delivers the nostalgia that we all remember and love. This one is just a fun time out at the movies.

Image: Universal Pictures

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Following the events of Jurassic World, former velociraptor tamer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and park manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) return to what remains of Jurassic World in order to save its creatures from an impending volcanic eruption that is set to engulf the island of Isla Nebula. But their mission takes them back to an altogether new Jurassic World where dinosaurs now run free and could lead to major catastrophes for both humanity and their creations.

Setting the stage for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is noted Spanish director J. A. Bayona who brings his unique understanding of the horror genre to great affect here. While I can’t go into deeper detail without raising the risk of spoilers I will say that Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom really ramps up the terror. It’s all about the horror here and Bayona imbues the film with a great haunted house idea where plenty of terrifying and out of control dinosaurs await. The location of the film really allows for the director to play up the scares and he pulls together some truly freaky moments of Owen and Claire trying to survive and out think and out maneuver the most dangerous creature on the planet: The Indoraptor! Trust me when I say you’ll jump because this is one scary creation, and this lethal dinosaur is programmed for one thing and one thing only: TO KILL. All of this added together makes for a great horror rush and I was definitely feeling the chills.

Along with his horror tone, Bayona also uses the action in this film as a storytelling device. He builds off of his set pieces such as the volcanic eruption on Isla Nebular and the drastic chase to save the dinosaurs and escape the island, and it’s an adrenaline rush that will really crank you up. This approach of action as narrative is something that I’m a fan of and I liked how engaged and invested it got me into this film. And being a blockbuster the action is truly BIG and Bayona and his stars really push the envelope.

In returning to the trajectory of the Jurassic World franchise, evolution is a big theme and this relates not just to the dinosaurs but also to the main cast of Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing. Since the events of the first film both Owen and Claire have evolved and changed with Claire now less of a boardroom business woman and more of a social activist, while Owen has decided to leave the events of Jurassic World behind him and only wants to live away from the world. But when given the chance they jump back into the action to save the dinosaurs and things get interesting from there.

Pratt is again all kinds of heroic as Owen and he once again jumps into the action, overcoming impossible feats and obstacles to punish the bad guys and reconnect with Blue, the velociraptor whom he raised from birth. Howard is also just as agile as Pratt and really gets her hands dirty as Claire and the two of them again exhibit more of their tremendous charisma up on screen and again make this film something really special.

I’ve also got to give a shout out to living legend himself Jeff Goldblum who returns to the Jurassic World franchise as Dr. Ian Malcolm. While his role is small, it’s an extremely important one that gives context to the actions of the film, and the presence of dinosaurs in our world. What Malcom touches on is humanity’s desire to play god and to continually manipulate our ecosystem and planet in the name of ego and profit, and that no matter now much we might believe it we cannot control mother nature….and that their will be consequences for it.

If you’re looking for a rush then you’ll find it with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. This is blockbuster filmmaking at its most epic and by the end of the film you’ll understand that we’re no longer the dominant species on the planet…the dinosaurs are.

Image: Universal Pictures

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Check it out below:

Here’s the synopsis:

Following the events of Jurassic World, former velociraptor tamer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and park manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) return to what remains of Jurassic World in order to save its creatures from an impending volcanic eruption that is set to engulf the island of Isla Nebula. But their mission takes them back to an altogether new Jurassic World where dinosaurs now run free and could lead to major catastrophes for both humanity and their creations.

The new trailer has some particularly gnarly moments, such as Owen’s dramatic escape from the jaws of a T-Rex, and his unexpected reunion with Blue. But if it’s pure shock that you’re looking for then you’ll find it in the  arrival of a terrifying new dinosaur creature that has been completely genetically modified, and who’s very existence goes against the laws of nature.

The film has plenty of awesome action set pieces and once again Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard will be up against it in a very intense piece of sci-fi action. 2015’s Jurassic World made a big impression on audiences and this new installment looks like it will carry on in that tradition, while also bringing something new to the screen at the same time.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will arrive in cinemas on June 21.

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