Scarlett Johansson, star of the upcoming Jurassic World Rebirth, has made a significant promise regarding the tone and direction of the new dinosaur epic, suggesting a welcome return to what made the original 1993 film a cinematic landmark. Speaking at the film’s red carpet premiere (via Variety), Johansson emphasized that the new installment is deeply reverential to Steven Spielberg’s initial vision, indicating that audiences can anticipate a movie that recaptures the suspense of Jurassic Park. This statement is particularly noteworthy for long-time fans, as many of the franchise’s subsequent entries have been criticized for diverging from the original’s carefully crafted balance of awe, science fiction, and genuine terror, often favoring larger-scale spectacle over nuance.
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“So I think it really is a love letter to Steven’s work,” Johansson stated. “Fans of the Jurassic universe can expect to really feel the DNA of the original Jurassic Park in this film.” The 1993 Jurassic Park was revolutionary not just for its groundbreaking visual effects, but for its intelligent narrative that explored the hubris of humanity and the terrifying consequences of playing god. It expertly blended moments of breathtaking wonder with scenes of intimate dread, ensuring that the dinosaurs were formidable and frightening presences. Yet, the film’s pacing, its focus on a small group of characters reacting to an escalating crisis, and its ability to make the unseen just as terrifying as the seen, are qualities that many feel have been diluted in the sequels.
The Jurassic sequels, while often commercially successful, have frequently been accused of prioritizing escalating dinosaur mayhem and broader action sequences over the more suspenseful, horror-tinged atmosphere of the first movie. Through the more recent Jurassic World trilogy featuring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, the trend leaned towards bigger, louder, and more dinosaurs, sometimes at the expense of the edge-of-your-seat tension that defined the original. Johansson’s remarks, specifically highlighting a return to the “DNA of the original,” suggest that Jurassic World Rebirth aims to recalibrate this balance, potentially focusing more on the human vulnerability in the face of prehistoric predators.
Everything We Know About Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth is set five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, in a world where Earth’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to most dinosaurs. The remaining prehistoric creatures now exist mainly in isolated equatorial environments that mimic their original climates. The plot centers on a mission to one such location, Ile Saint-Hubert, which once housed an InGen research facility for the original Jurassic Park. In the movie, Scarlett Johansson plays Zora Bennett, a skilled covert operations expert contracted to lead a dangerous expedition to collect DNA samples from three of the largest dinosaur species inhabiting this biome, as their genetic material may hold the key to a miraculous life-saving drug for humankind.
Zora’s team includes her trusted partner Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), and Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), a representative for the pharmaceutical company funding the mission. Of course, things go awry, and the group of explorers must fight for survival on the island, facing genetic mutations deemed too dangerous for the original Jurassic Park.
Jurassic World Rebirth is being helmed by director Gareth Edwards, known for his work on creature-feature Godzilla and the atmospheric sci-fi epic Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Edwards’ experience in delivering scale and tension makes him a great choice for a back-to-basics Jurassic film. Perhaps most significantly for fans of the original, the screenplay is penned by David Koepp, the writer who adapted Michael Crichton’s novel for the 1993 Jurassic Park and also wrote its sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Koepp’s return is a strong indicator of Jurassic World Rebirth‘s intent to recapture the spirit and narrative quality of the early films. Finally, Spielberg is also involved as an executive producer through his Amblin Entertainment banner, alongside Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, who have been longtime stewards of the franchise.
Jurassic World Rebirth is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 2nd.
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