The Jurassic World Franchise Wrote a Check That the Rebirth Trailer Refuses to Cash

Jurassic World: Rebirth's First Trailer: A Prehistoric Step Back?

The first trailer for Jurassic World: Rebirth, the seventh installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, has arrived. Directed by Gareth Edwards and boasting a new cast including Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali (alongside the return of original screenwriter David Koepp), the film promises a "new era" following the Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard trilogy. However, the trailer suggests a potential misstep. Instead of exploring the globally dispersed dinosaurs teased in Fallen Kingdom and Dominion, the film appears to return to the familiar setting of a secluded island.

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While the trailer showcases impressive visual effects, particularly the dinosaurs' realistic movement and detailed rendering, the return to an isolated island setting feels like a missed opportunity. The previous trilogy's ending, featuring dinosaurs integrated into the global ecosystem, offered a fertile ground for new narratives. Instead, Rebirth seems to retcon this, stating that dinosaurs now survive only in isolated equatorial environments. This feels like a significant creative regression, especially considering the potential of exploring a world where dinosaurs coexist with humans.

The trailer's focus on a seemingly new island, described as the original Jurassic Park research facility, further reinforces this sense of retreading old ground. This contradicts established canon and undermines the potential of the "world of dinosaurs" concept. The success of the Malta chase sequence in Dominion, showcasing dinosaurs in an urban setting, highlights the untapped potential of exploring diverse environments.

While the film may hold surprises beyond the trailer, the current presentation suggests a missed chance to innovate. The Jurassic franchise's consistent box office success should embolden the creators to take risks and explore uncharted territory, rather than revisiting the well-worn trope of the isolated dinosaur island. The potential for a truly unique and groundbreaking dinosaur narrative remains unrealized, at least for now.