Jurassic World Rebirth

The best Edwards and Koepp can hope for is awe, and Rebirth does capture that – till it decides to go on and on, and starts repeating itself. Together, they have a film that keeps the heart both pounding and beating, with emotions that seem real and friendships that are tender.

Jurassic World Rebirth is a giddy resurrection for a franchise many had feared extinct. The craft is exemplary – it's easily the best-looking, best-sounding film since the first. If it's not the blockbuster of the summer, I'll be amazed.

The result, despite the fresh start, adds very little that is novel, but emerges a brisk, uneven, mostly enjoyable romp. It's not doing much daring or different but this delivers a fun, well-made summer theme-park ride, with fast highs and slow lows. Pleasurable, though it doesn't linger.

There is a definite whiff of staleness about the latest Jurassic film, which strains to come up with a fresh take on a formula that has made billions of dollars. Jurassic World Rebirth has major stars in Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey, and better-designed creatures than ever, but so few thrills that it may be the weakest of the Jurassic franchise.

He and his Amblin team including director Gareth Edwards reunited with screenwriter David Koepp, who wrote the first two Jurassic World films, have concocted another winner with all the elements that made this such a blockbuster series in movies and Universal theme parks. These filmmakers have found a way to mix the time-honored adventure movie genre with that of horror to satisfy contemporary audiences but also spark some nostalgia for a brand we don't see as often in this Marvel/DC superhero era.

More nostalgic than new, but still roars. Whatever the new movie lacks in originality, it makes up for in propulsive narrative drive, big scares and appealing new characters played by a terrific cast.