Scarlett Johansson’s upcomingJurassic Worldsequel,Jurassic World Rebirth, has the opportunity to fix a problem that has plagued theJurassic Parkfranchise for nearly a decade, but it won’t be an easy solution. Despite less than stellar reviews, theJurassic Worldexpansion on the comparatively self-containedJurassic Parkfranchise has been a box office juggernaut, as the three movies have combined for well over $3 billion. There aren’t manydetails available aboutJurassic World Rebirthyet, but based on its heavyweight cast, it will likely continue that box office trend.
While profitability shouldn’t be a problem, there is significantly less certainty surrounding the quality of the movie.Jurassic Park Rebirthhasn’t cast any legacy charactersso far, and seems unlikely to do so as the franchise seeks a soft reboot after the disappointing reviews of its predecessors. With that clean slate in mind, the newest entry in the franchise needs to fix a problem that has been present in eachJurassic Worldmovie, and it all comes down to whether it can recapture some of the magic of Steven Spielberg’s original adaptation of Michael Crichton’s iconic novel.
Jurassic World Forgot What Made Spielberg’s Movie A Classic But Can Bring It Back With Scarlett Johansson’s New Sequel
The Jurassic World movies lost the horror elements that made the Spielberg original so great, but Jurassic World Rebirth can bring back the terror.
Jurassic World Rebirth Will Have To Make Dinosaurs Feel Scary And Larger-Than-Life Again
CGI And Creature Spectacle Have Become Commonplace
One of the defining traits of the originalJurassic Parkwas the legitimate scariness of its dinosaurs. Thanks to the outstanding practical effects work on the creatures, especially the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the dinosaurs felt very real, and as a result they felt genuinely frightening. That scariness continued inJurassic Park: The Lost World, and may have even been perfected in the final scene with the spinosaurus inJurassic Park III, which featured callbacks toJawsamong other horror movies.Each movie treated the dinosaurs as true larger-than-life terrors, which has been sorely missing sinceJurassic Park III.
1993
$63 million
$1.058 billion
91%
1997
$73 million
$618.6 million
53%
52%
2001
$93 million
$368.8 million
49%
37%
2015
$150-$215 million
$1.671 billion
72%
78%
2018
$432 million
$1.31 billion
47%
48%
2022
$265 million
$1.004 billion
29%
77%
That’s the challenge facingJurassic World Rebirth:how to make dinosaurs feel like they actually could exist in the world, and how to make that a terrifying notion again. There is no easy way to fix that problem, even with some of the most talented VFX artists in the world behind the movie. The unfortunate (forJurassic World Rebirth) reality is that movies in general have changed since the T-Rex first broke out of his paddock, horror movies perhaps most of all.
Movies Changed Drastically Between Spielberg’s Jurassic Park And Jurassic World
The Bar For Genuine Scariness Is Much Higher
By the timeJurassic Worldwas released, 22 years after the originalJurassic Park, audiences had become accustomed to seeing over-the-top CGI spectacles and massive monsters. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was well underway and Legendary had just kicked off the Monsterverse withGodzillathe year before, so even the biggest and baddest of dinosaurs felt underwhelming. WhileJurassic Worldadmirably tried to up the ante with hybrid dinosaurs, they lacked the originality of design and gravitas of practical effects needed to actually inspire fear.
The originalJurassic Parkwon three Oscars at the 66th Academy Awards, including Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
Generally speaking, what actually scares movie audiences is far different in 2024 than it was in 1992. Monsters and jump scares don’t quite do it for the average moviegoer, who has been desensitized to that surface-level horror. As a result, theJurassic Worldmovies remained entertaining, but didn’t have anywhere near the impact that Jurassic Park had from a horror standpoint. The heavily-CGI’d dinosaurs placedJurassic Worldmore on par withTransformersthan withJawsorAliens; the movies are fun, but certainly not scary.
Jurassic World Rebirth Doesn’t Have To Reinvent The Wheel To Be A Good Jurassic Park Film
It Should Play Closer To Horror Than Adventure Or Action
Jurassic World Rebirthcan still return the franchise to its horror rootswithout completely altering the formula that has made theJurassic Worldmovies so financially successful. There is legitimate star power leading the cast in the form of Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali, and the recently-revealedJurassic World Rebirthplot synopsisindicates that the story will be free of the shackles of its predecessors, and free to explore new ground. The key to making dinosaurs scary again and reinvigorating the franchise lies in how the dinosaurs are presented.
A return to the practical effects of the originalJurassic Parktrilogy could yield more real-feeling dinosaurs, especially given how far practical effects have come in the last 30 years.
The plot synopsis reveals that Scarlett Johansson’s lead character will be focused on the three most massive dinosaurs loose in the world, meaningthere is already a setup for grand dinosaur spectacles and scenes. A return to the practical effects of the originalJurassic Parktrilogy could yield more real-feeling dinosaurs, especially given how far practical effects have come in the last 30 years. No matter how the dinosaurs are brought to life inJurassic Park Rebirth, the focus needs to be on making them feel legitimately scary again, like the larger-than-life behemoths they actually were 65 million years ago.
Jurassic World Rebirth
Cast
Jurassic World Rebirth, set five years after Jurassic World Dominion, sees covert operations expert Zora Bennett guiding a team to obtain dinosaur genetic material. Their mission collides with a stranded family on a perilous island, uncovering a long-buried secret.
