The Steven Spielberg-directed 1993 film, Jurassic Park, holds a significant irony that continues to resonate with each passing year. Beyond its narrative exploration of humanity's scientific overreach, the film itself created a meta-parallel, advancing CGI technology, establishing the modern blockbuster, and unleashing a technical power that proved too tempting to ignore. This development in the filmmaking landscape has been particularly evident in the more recent era of the franchise, specifically the Jurassic World entries.

While many argue that the sublime characters of the original Jurassic Park, such as Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), have not been successfully replicated, with filmmakers often prioritizing action set pieces, the quality of special effects has undeniably maintained a high standard. The latest installment, Jurassic World Rebirth, stands as a testament to this, earning its sole Academy Awards nomination for Best Visual Effects. Despite making some unconventional decisions regarding public reaction to long-term dinosaur presence, the film's visual portrayal of its prehistoric creatures is a distinct highlight, contributing to its successful box-office return and affirming the franchise's remarkable longevity.

Since its inception, the primary emotion evoked by the Jurassic Park/World franchise has been awe, illustrating scientists' relentless efforts to resurrect dinosaurs and the public's unwavering fascination, despite repeated security breaches leading to fatalities. However, Rebirth diverges from this established premise early on. It posits that after a brief period, once dinosaurs became a common part of society, people would grow bored with these prehistoric animals.

The central premise of Rebirth further reinforces a meta-argument: that audiences require something more than just regular dinosaurs to rekindle excitement for the franchise. The plot involves scientists and mercenaries venturing to a remote island inhabited by mutated versions of dinosaurs, their mission to discover a cure for heart disease. This unusual approach, necessitating the collection of DNA samples from the largest land, sea, and air dinosaurs, facilitates a series of fascinating action set pieces in diverse environments. Notable scenes include Scarlett Johansson's character, Zora, precariously hanging off a boat to harpoon a Mosasaurus, and Jonathan Bailey's Dr. Henry Loomis narrowly avoiding a fall from a cliff while evading a Quetzalcoatlus.

A significant departure in Jurassic World Rebirth is its portrayal of dinosaurs as animals rather than bloodthirsty monsters. While previous films in the franchise have impressed and stunned audiences with the magnificence of dinosaurs, the predominant reaction has typically been fear, as raptors, Tyrannosaurus Rexes, and other deadly species relentlessly hunted humans, seemingly on a mission to kill. Rebirth adopts a nuanced approach, depicting dinosaurs as simpler creatures.

One of the film's standout scenes exemplifies this shift: a Tyrannosaurus Rex chasing a family down a river on a raft. Instead of the typical stealthy, menacing approach, the T. Rex's initial appearance is in a state of sleep. It even startles when the raft inflates. When it finally focuses on the family, its reaction is one of confusion, tilting its head and plodding along curiously rather than with overt malice. Although it does attempt to eat them, its ferocity is notably less intense than that of other dinosaurs in the franchise. The film's Oscar nomination for visual effects is particularly validated by such scenes, where the judgment extends beyond frame-by-frame aesthetics to how these prehistoric animals are reframed. Shots of this T. Rex and a Titanosaurus grazing in a field not only appear realistic but also feel grounded in the natural behavior of wild animals in their habitat, telling a story of the dinosaurs' isolation and a natural order that is not merely a constant battle for survival, unlike the 'thrill ride' approach of previous installments.

Ultimately, the fact that Jurassic World Rebirth, with its mix of strengths and peculiar choices, became one of the highest-grossing films of 2025 underscores the enduring power of this franchise in Hollywood. Regardless of formulaic changes, these films consistently perform well, and the quality of their visual effects has remained undiminished. While the iconic characters of earlier films might be missed, Rebirth remains one of 2025's best-looking films. Directed by Gareth Edwards, written by David Koepp, and produced by Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, the film stars Scarlett Johansson as Zora Bennett and Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Henry Loomis. Rated PG-13, this Science Fiction Adventure Action film, with a runtime of 134 minutes, was released on July 2, 2025. It is now available to stream on Netflix in the U.S., offering viewers an opportunity to appreciate its craftsmanship.