Jurassic World Rebirth’s Rating Sticks to a Series Tradition

Ahead of its release this summer, Jurassic World Rebirth has been officially rated, and it sticks to a long-standing franchise tradition. Per the movie’s listing on the Film Ratings website, Jurassic World Rebirth is rated PG-13, the same rating all previous installments in the series received, dating back to the 1993 original. Throughout its history, the Jurassic Park films have featured several intense sequences that might be frightening to younger viewers, but they aren’t violent enough to necessitate an R rating. They fall right within that sweet spot Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg talked about when he proposed the PG-13 rating be created back in the ’80s.

The official reasonings for Jurassic World Rebirth‘s PG-13 rating include “intense sequences of violence/action, bloody images, some suggestive references, language and a drug reference.” All three installments of the first Jurassic World trilogy had similar “intense sequences of violence/action,” but Rebirth is the first one to have “bloody images.” The original Jurassic Park films earned their PG-13 ratings for “intense sci-fi terror.”

Jurassic World Rebirth director Gareth Edwards has been open about his desire to take the franchise back to its roots. He’s paying homage to the original Jurassic Park by crafting a story of survival, capturing the tone of that seminal ’90s classic. The Jurassic World Rebirth trailer has played up the horror elements, showcasing some of the most terrifying dinosaurs the franchise has seen.

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In a crowded summer movie season featuring the likes of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Superman, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps (among other high-profile titles), Jurassic World Rebirth was voted as the the season’s most anticipated film in a Fandango poll. Though the previous Jurassic World movies weren’t critical darlings, they were all very successful at the box office, grossing over $1 billion each.

As entertaining as some might find an R-rated Jurassic World movie that goes all out on dino carnage, nobody should have expected Rebirth would be the one to blaze that trail. This is Universal’s big tentpole for the summer, and the studio obviously wants to maximize box office potential — especially since it’s premiering in a loaded July. Embracing the PG-13 rating allows Edwards & Co. to appeal to the widest possible audience and stay in line with the spirit of the franchise. While the violence may not be as bloody as something like John Wick, for example, Jurassic World Rebirth will likely push the PG-13 rating to its limits. A film doesn’t have to be R to deliver horrifying thrills.

Hopefully, some of the “intense sequences” in Jurassic World Rebirth are memorable, setting the stage for even more exciting set pieces in future sequels. It’s already been confirmed Rebirth brings back the famous river raft sequence from the original Jurassic Park novel, which sounds like it will be a centerpiece of the film. Jurassic Park still resonates as one of the finest blockbusters of all time because of its expertly crafted scenes of sci-fi terror (the T-Rex breaking out of its paddock, raptors in the kitchen) that proved PG-13 was more than scary enough for summertime audiences.