Thursday , June 11 2026

Blu-ray Review: ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ – Starring Scarlett Johansson

The target audience for the seventh installment in the Jurassic Park film series is basically anyone who hasn’t seen the previous six. Jurassic World: Rebirth, which drew in theatrical moviegoers over the summer of 2025, offers very little new outside of new variations on prehistoric creatures. Now available on Blu-ray (as well as 4K UltraHD) from Universal Home Entertainment, Rebirth is likely to provide a passable diversion for young kids who didn’t grow up watching either of the previous two Jurassic trilogies.

There’s a new cast which is led by Scarlett Johansson as Zora, a mercenary of sorts (albeit a good-natured one with a strong sense of scruples). Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ai is Duncan, Zora’s partner. There isn’t anything noteworthy about these performances, but it’s nice to have some A-list cred chipping in for a bit of intensity. At this point in the Jurassic timeline, 32 years after the 1993 original, dinosaurs are going extinct yet again. The Earth’s changing climate has made conditions untenable for these creatures. It’s actually the most poignant thing about Rebirth, seeing dinosaurs fighting for their lives in urban environments, while everyone blithely carries on with their lives.

There’s a swatch of equatorial land in which the remaining dino specimens are still able to thrive. Somehow it has been discovered that dinosaur DNA can provide a cure for human heart disease. That’s where Zora and Duncan’s teams come in. They are to infiltrate the dinosaur-friendly zone and, using a convenient vial-and-parachute system, extract samples for the purposes of creating what will be a revolutionary medication. It’s a cookie-cutter plot with predictable pacing. If you’re hosting a party of tweens, they’ll be bored with anything that doesn’t involve dino action.

What would a Jurassic film be without a family in peril? A domestic group vacationing at sea, led by patriarch Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, investing some welcome human emotion), runs into trouble with some of the seafaring beasts that Zora’s group is after. During the attack Reuben’s boat capsizes, and his family is left drifting on the bottom-up vessel. Zora and Duncan’s group rescues the bewildered family, which of course leads to Reuben, his kids, and his teen daughter’s boyfriend encountering many close calls as the adventure unfolds.

Rebirth is essentially a mega-budgeted B-movie. It’s venerable franchise name carries it through many belabored, formulaic plot points without adding anything of value. In fact, another recent prehistoric-beasts flick that takes place largely at sea, Meg 2: The Trench, provides better thrills, more laughs—all within a shorter running time. If you haven’t seen Meg 2, check it out first before killing time with Rebirth.

Universal’s Blu-ray edition includes a fairly robust roster of extras. Minor features include an alternate opening, a pair of deleted scenes, and a short gag reel. There is audio commentary with the director Gareth Edwards and a number of key technical crew members. If you really want to know more about the making of Rebirth, this is the ticket. If commentaries aren’t your bag, the nearly hour-long, six-part “Hatching a New Era” provides as much behind-the-scenes info as anyone is likely to desire. Rebirth has great special effects, so it’s ultimately bound to be a must-see for Jurassic diehards.

About The Other Chad

An old co-worker of mine thought my name was Chad. Since we had two Chads working there at the time, I was "The Other Chad."

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