After Jurassic World Dominion left a particularly foul taste in the mouths of audiences and critics, one might have hoped that the Jurassic series would lope off for an extended hiatus. But hated though it may have been, Dominion also ambled past the $1 billion mark at the global box office … so here we are three years later, about to welcome another Jurassic film, one that seemingly tries to do away with any elements from the entire trilogy fronted by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. Jurassic World Rebirth is trying to market itself as simultaneously “back to basics” exercise and an adrenaline-fueled dino action adventure, and to be fair, its newest trailer does give a glimpse of some genuinely jaw-dropping action sequences. Perhaps that’s what we should have been expecting from a Jurassic installment from director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One), whose recent work such as 2023’s The Creator has been visually sumptuous but narratively paper thin.
Story wise, this certainly feels like elements from every Jurassic film to date have been thrown into a blender. You’ve got a team making their way to a secret island with a mission, as in The Lost World. You’ve got the stranded civilian family they meet and must assist, as in Jurassic Park 3. You’ve got a genetically modified super-dino antagonist to tangle with, as in the first two Jurassic World movies. This one, by the way, has the most absurd name of the series to date: Distortus Rex. We get a few glimpses of him here, and … I guess he’s a mutated T-Rex with a weird head and six arms? Apparently that’s what the focus groups have been demanding, MORE DINO ARMS.
Jurassic World Rebirth stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey, who at one point in the trailer points at a dinosaur egg and proclaims “If we get this DNA, millions of lives are saved!” They’re joined by Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise and David Iacono. The river-rafting T-Rex, we’re told, played itself. We won’t be getting our hopes too high, but perhaps Edwards can at least deliver some series-best action and visuals as his crack team of researchers hunts down these leviathans. Jurassic World Rebirth stomps into theaters in the U.S. on July 2, 2025. Check out the new trailer below.
