‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Roars Back As Familiar Formula Thrill Ride

‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Roars Back As Familiar Formula Thrill Ride

By Lynn Venhaus

With nostalgic nods to “Jaws,” “Alien” and the 32-year-old peerless original, the thunderous roar of the dinosaurs returns in “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” a super-deluxe summer blockbuster that gets the franchise’s thrills back on track.

With its cartoonish “Jurassic World” theme park trilogy concluded, this new direction means the Jurassic series can endure with fresh faces and a new reason to get near the vicious hulking beasts that have terrorized moviegoers since Steven Spielberg’s classic “Jurassic Park” in 1993.

Still the best of the seven, the equally majestic and macabre original has influenced this latest chapter in large and small ways. For one, screenwriter David Koepp, who adapted Michael Crichton’s brilliant bestselling novel and his sequel “The Lost World” for the films, has returned. This retake is an improvement but still has some clunky storytelling by virtue of the genre formula.

Five years after the events in “Jurassic World: Dominion” (2022), an expedition heads to isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures in water, land and sky for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough, financed by Big Pharma.

Koepp, who wrote the first “Mission Impossible” film in 1996, two of the “Indiana Jones” sequels, and the recent whip smart “Black Bag,” has remarkably made us almost forget the ludicrous “Dominion” and the ridiculous “Fallen Kingdom.”

Philippine Velge dangling off the boat while a Mosaurus snaps.

The only thing we need to recall is that dinosaurs became part of daily life on the planet again, after millions of years of extinction, but their novelty lost its appeal, and they were banished to islands near the Equator to not further imbalance the ecosystem. Travel there is forbidden. Well, then!

That’s where our fearless crew is headed, well-funded by the big bad Big Pharma guys who want enough DNA samples to concoct a heart disease drug that could extend lives. What’s a few run-ins with carnivores?

Rupert Friend is Martin Krebs, the callous company man overseeing the expedition, and makes this haughty executive an easy guy to dislike. Ye olde greed cliches abound.

The theme remains “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” And boy do they here.  As in all the films, being anywhere near hungry predators remains a dicey proposition, only now they’ve ramped up the peril by having genetically modified hybrid dinosaurs roam, hatched at a now-destroyed research lab on the tropical island Ile Saint-Hubert in the Atlantic Ocean.

This is blamed on InGen’s insatiable need to give the short-attention-span public new exhibits at the theme parks. So, you know exactly where this is headed.

Jonathan Bailey, Scarlett Johansson

In intense “Black Widow” mode, Scarlett Johansson is resourceful Zora Bennett, a special ops mercenary enticed by the promise of a big payday, no strings attached.

Both appealing performers, she works well with Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Henry Loomis, a brainy paleontologist who is used to being in a museum, not in the field. They make a formidable team without a hint of romance to distract. They have jobs to do!

Bailey is a longtime stage actor who excels in all his high-profile screen roles ever since his breakout as Anthony in “Bridgerton” in 2020. He smoothly delivers the scientific knowledge and rattles off dinosaur statistics for much of the story’s exposition. He also states he studied under Dr. Alan Grant, a bow to Sam Neill’s character.

Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali appears in his first blockbuster franchise as Suriname-based boat captain Duncan Kincaid, who shares a past with Zora. While he makes every movie better, there is little character development here. Only little snippets of backstories emerge.

After all, the dinosaurs are the stars. A secondary plot involves a dad Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), his two daughters – Luna Blaise as 18-year-old Teresa and Audrina Miranda as 11-year-old Isabella, and Teresa’s slacker boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono). They are traveling by boat for a family vacation but shipwrecked by a terrorizing colossal Mosasaurus. Talk about a Sharknado situation!

Audrina Miranda, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise and David Iacono.

Meant to inject humor and heart into the proceedings, this group is rescued by the others, and thus, a strange alliance forms as they wind up on the island instead of headed back to civilization. Philippine Velge and Bechir Sylvain are part of Duncan’s crew, and Ed Skrein is a security chief on the dino-hunter team.

After a treacherous ocean journey, surviving in the jungle is one of close calls and hidden dangers lurking, and yes, it gets repetitive. We’ve been trained to accept this premise, especially characters being chomped in gruesome ways and children in peril that heightens our anxiety and fear. If you go, you know this – no surprises.

Among the frightening creatures are the semi-aquatic Spinosaurus, Pteranodon with 12-18 feet wingspans, the truly scary mutant Distortus Rex (D-Rex), who is a major antagonist, and these large flying creatures called Quetzalcoatlus. Dilophosaurus and Velociraptors return for brief aggravation.

There are some moments of sweetness, however. Bella adopts a baby Aquilops, a herbivore she named Dolores. Loomis and Zora come across a field of Titanosaurus with extra-long tails that is reminiscent of the original scene in “Jurassic Park” when Grant, Ellie Sattler and Ian Malcolm first see a Brachiosaurus, complete with swelling John Williams’ score.

Rupert Friend, Mahershala Ali, Bechir Sylvain.

Composer Alexander Desplat incorporates Williams’ memorable score throughout here.

Director Gareth Edwards, a CGI-effects specialist who helmed a “Godzilla” in 2014 and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” in 2016, is in his wheelhouse here, crafting stunning visuals and delivering thrills with a familiar story. People who’ve worked with him before return to do their magic – cinematographer John Mathieson and editor Jabez Olssen. The stunt work is also exemplary.

Certain to be a crowd-pleaser, strongly recommend leave children under 8 at home, even if they “like” dinosaurs. This movie features grisly deaths and scary life-threatening scenarios.

It is what it is. “Jurassic World: Rebirth” is fan service and a finely assembled action-adventure engineered to entertain.

 “Jurassic World: Rebirth” is a 2025 sci-fi action-adventure directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Philippine Velge, Bechir Sylvain, and Ed Skrein. Its run-time is 2 hours, 14 minutes and rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, bloody images, some suggestive references, language and a drug reference. It opened in theatres July 2. Lynn’s grade: B.

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Is A Dazzling, Incomplete Spectacle

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Is A Dazzling, Incomplete Spectacle

By Alex McPherson

An eye-popping feast for the senses whose visual inventiveness can’t compensate for a restrictive middle-chapter narrative, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is consistently engaging but will play best for those already well-versed in Spider-Man lore.

Taking place 16 months after the events of “Into the Spider-Verse,” the film follows the exploits of 15-year-old Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), who struggles to balance his superhero role as Spider-Man with the more traditional responsibilities (i.e., attending classes) expected by his strict yet loving parents, Rio (Luna Lauren Velez) and the soon-to-be-police-chief Jeff (Brian Tyree Henry), who are unaware of his alter ego.

Miles, a rebellious teenager experiencing loneliness and heartbreak from his (literally) “out of this world” spider-people companions, including badass crush Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), feels adrift and unable to fully express himself — yearning for freedom and belonging.

Gwen, in her own dimension, is similarly struggling to find acceptance and meaning; her father, George (Shea Whigham), a police chief, discovers her identity as Spider-Woman and blames her for the death of her timeline’s Peter Parker. After battling a monochromatic variation of The Vulture, Gwen is recruited by a team of Multiverse protectors — including the motorcycle-riding Jessica Drew (Issa Rae) and the brooding Spider-Man 2099, a.k.a. Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) — running from her now-perilous bond with her father. Soon enough, however, she’s called back into Miles’ orbit to tackle a new threat.

A bespeckled, self-deprecating foe named The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) shows up in Miles’ reality — brimming with hatred for Miles due to a past wrong that left him covered with holes through which he can teleport across great distances. He’s champing at the bit to become Miles’ “nemesis,” getting stronger by the moment in his fierce desire for revenge. 

Things get even more complicated when Gwen shows up, reigniting her situationship with Miles, and prepares to leave once The Spot teleports elsewhere. Miles ends up following her into an interdimensional portal revealing a whole society of Spider-Beings, including the jovial Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), the unruly, punk rock Hobie Brown (Daniel Kaluuya), seemingly assembled from scraps of paper, and a hulking Spider-Tyrannosaurus, each manifested through different animation styles.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though, as not only has The Spot gained enough power to pose a tangible threat to the Multiverse as they know it, but Miles must continue to fight against fatalistic, predetermined beliefs that restrict his free will on a universe-altering level.

Indeed, “Across the Spider-Verse” certainly has a boatload of information to convey to viewers, and to be honest, some of it soared over my head. This remains the sequel’s greatest flaw: no matter how excellent it looks and how well the talented ensemble brings these characters to life, the film remains ham-strung by a desire to be bigger in the classic sense, leaving its most compelling thread dangling by the end as we wait for the next installment in 2024. 

Directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, and Kemp Powers certainly have a keen sense of spectacle, seamlessly blending art styles together that reflect characters’ specific views of the world and their distinct, variably layered personalities. From a watercolor backdrop melting from mournful blue to hopeful pink with the thawing of emotions, to a brief detour into stop-motion animation straight out of “The Lego Movie,” and frantic action sequences throwing characters of all styles at the screen at once, packing in multitudes of nerd-culture references along the way, “Across the Spider-Verse” is equal parts mesmerizing and fatiguing by the end of its 136-minute runtime, boosted by a thumping, energetic score by Daniel Pemberton and a catchy soundtrack. The passion poured into this project by everyone involved is apparent from start to finish, at least from a presentation standpoint.

“Across the Spider-Verse” still falls prey to sensory overload in its second half, just like its predecessor, but is refreshingly focused on human relationships in its beginning stretch, particularly regarding Miles’ bond with his parents. Moore, Lauren, and Tyree Henry lend real pathos to their roles in these slower sequences, tenderly and believably navigating difficult choices along Miles’ transition into adulthood. Steinfeld is also excellent, particularly in early scenes with her alienated father: vulnerable and courageous, bitter and earnest. Gwen’s not defined by her will-they-won’t-they romance with Miles, but rather by her personal strength to confront her demons and fight for what she believes in.

It’s somewhat disappointing, then, that as Miles and company journey through the Multiverse, encountering bazillions of Spider-Beings, that “Across the Spider-Verse” reverts so frequently to exposition dumps and rushed characterizations that allow little time to be fleshed-out beyond the surface level.

Talk of so-called “canon events” (the expected happenings of each Spider-Man story) are interesting in a meta-textual sense, but the film leaves the concept’s thornier elements dangling, hopefully to be explored down the road, in favor of simplistic messaging. The Spot, too, idiosyncratically brought to life by Schwartzman, is sidelined for most of the second half, a Big Bad seemingly too big for the already overstuffed film to address.

No matter how likable the characters, or thrilling the animation, “Across the Spider-Verse” is unable to break free from the expectations of tradition: a story whose ideas of empowerment and individuality are only broached but not fully delved into, set-up for greater things in the future. Perhaps “Beyond the Spider-Verse” will rectify these qualms, but as it stands, “Across the Spider-Verse” can’t match its breathtaking presentation with equally strong storytelling.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is a 2023 animation-fantasy film directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson and starring (voices): Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Luna Loren Valez, Oscar Isaac, Issa Rae, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Rachel Dratch, Brian Tyree Henry, Shea Whigham, Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya, J.K. Simmons, and Mahershala Ali.
It is rated PG for sequences of animated action violence, some language and thematic elements and the runtime is 2 hours and 20 minutes. It opens in theaters on June 2. Alex’s Grade: B

‘Spider-Man’ Leaps Into Second Spider-Verse With Eye-Popping Innovation But Super-Frantic

‘Spider-Man’ Leaps Into Second Spider-Verse With Eye-Popping Innovation But Super-Frantic

By Lynn Venhaus
Pop art, quantum physics and pathos collide in a grand superhero spectacle, resulting in this “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” sequel being a mind-blowing amalgamation of next-level animation like but surpassing the 2018 original.

In this second installment of an animated film trilogy, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) catapults across the multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.

However inventive and clever it is, though, about half of the storyline is incoherent and panders to fan service — and the sensory-overload-on-steroids style is overwhelming and exhausting. Yet, we’re all locked in.

This 2 hour and 20- minute eye-popping extravaganza takes place across six dimensions, has 240 characters in it and had over 1,000 animators working on it – the most ever.

The Spider-Man mythology, easily relatable for teens who understood creator Stan Lee’s metaphors for figuring out their place in the world, began as a socially inept high school student who was bitten by a radioactive spider, and thus developed superpowers. That was in 1962, and in fighting crime in his subsequent Marvel Comics issues, Peter Parker would eventually learn “with great power comes great responsibility.”

Since 2002, there have been eight live-action Spider-Man movies, plus his role in “The Avengers” franchise, not to mention a past TV series, Broadway musical, video games and books.

The three co-directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson mash parts of the old films with elements of the comic books. That comic imagery, added in with drawing and painting styles of the 20th and 21st centuries, results in a visually stunning work. Art historians will be in for a treat.

And comic book fans will be delirious about the Easter eggs – no doubt courtesy of cheeky producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller who finally won an Oscar for directing the first movie (previously robbed for “The Lego Movie”) but only co-wrote this script with David Callaham, a veteran of the first and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

I understand their desire to throw in as many gags for the super-fans, but that darn muddled narrative lets the rest of us down. And their need to fiddle with the Spider-Man canon to keep it fresh and interesting. Sure, there are compelling human emotional touches (dead relatives, loved ones in peril), but the hyper-kinetic storytelling weakens the overall effect for those ‘not in the zone.’

Another sticking point is that the middle entry in this animated world ends with a cliffhanger, then states Miles will return in “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.” It is set for a March 29, 2024, release — frustrating to viewers who like things resolved before waiting for another one, because this one just ends without a resolution.

And if you did not see “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” released four and a half years ago, you will be lost here. As a quick recap, Miles Morales, a black Hispanic Brooklynite, was juggling his life between being in high school and a Spider-Man, but when Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk uses a super collider, he finds out that others from across the Spider-Verse have been transported to his dimension.

This time, 15-year-old Miles remains on Earth – 42, but as he discovers more multi-verses, he meets dozens of other Spider-People. In this global take, we meet a Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), a cockney street punk Spidey named Hobie (Daniel Kaluuya), a snarling, hulking vampire Spidey Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), and a pregnant Spider-Woman, motorcycle mama Jessica Drew (Issa Rae). Saving the world is tough business, and there are existential crises happening.

Miles’ mentor, Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), is shown as a young father, married to MJ (Zoe Kravitz), who brings his baby along for the adventures. Sad girl Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) is a combo grrrl rocker and a Spider-Girl whose anguished storyline is equal to Miles’.

Spidey and The Spot

While one can applaud the energy and the dazzling visuals of non-stop action, characters are often frazzled, and the pace is so frenetic that you feel like you are trapped in this parallel universe too. Who’s good, who’s evil, and who may be both?

Shameik Moore has returned to voice Miles, and he’s dandy as the angsty teen who is exasperating to his parents because of his time-management skills (they don’t know he’s keeping the bad guys in check, at least in his neighborhood).

His parents are voiced by Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Loren Valdez, joining a slate of major talent whose vocal work is solid but does not immediately identify them. Yet, it’s easy to place J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, SNL’s Rachel Dratch as the principal, and Jason Schwartman as the revenge-seeking villain “The Spot” (a standout).

Hyper and hypnotic, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ” has pushed forward the genre and is a fun fan experience. The propulsive score by composer Daniel Pemberton is also a plus. I give the animation an A+ but the story a B-.

It’s a lot to juggle sci-fi, action, adventure, family, comedy, drama, and fantasy in one animated feature, and this film does display heart, even if the movie can’t stand on its own.

After two decades of superhero comics ruling the bombastic blockbuster box office, what’s next? Has art opened another dimension? One of the Spider-Verse’s greatest strengths is that it still surprises, and these multiverses show no signs of maxing out.

One thing is for certain, the enthusiasm for this head-spinning series is not waning anytime soon (even with the grumbling about waiting for the next sequel). It’s as if we’ve hopped on one of the wildest amusement parks rides ever, and we need to see where it leads.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is a 2023 animation-fantasy film directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson and starring (voices): Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Luna Loren Valez, Oscar Isaac, Issa Rae, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Rachel Dratch, Brian Tyree Henry, Shea Whigham, Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya, J.K. Simmons, and Mahershala Ali.
It is rated PG for sequences of animated action violence, some language and thematic elements and the runtime is 2 hours and 20 minutes. It opens in theaters on June 2. Lynn’s Grade: B

This review also appeared in the Webster-Kirkwood Times’ Reel World with Kent Tentschert.

Heavy and Dull ‘Swan Song’ Messes With Fate Despite Virtuoso Ali

Heavy and Dull ‘Swan Song’ Messes With Fate Despite Virtuoso Ali

By Lynn Venhaus

Sometime in the future, Cameron (Mahershala Ali), diagnosed with a terminal illness, contemplates an alternative solution by his doctor (Glenn Close) – a clone will take his place, sparing his wife Poppy (Naomie Harris) and his young son Cory (Dax Rey at 8) the grief of his loss. They must not discover the deception. In this heavy — and heavy-handed “Swan Song,” altering their fate has consequences. Can he let go, and how much can we sacrifice in such cases?

With its daring premise and showing the technology to back up messing with fate, “Swan Song” takes us on an unusual journey. However, without two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali delivering a heart-wrenching performance – and this time in a dual role, this film would be a slow-moving ‘what if?’ storyline without much to recommend.

Writer-director Benjamin Cleary, who won an Oscar for his short “Stutterer” in 2015, raises ethical questions but fumbles by not fully develop any answers, or explain certain aspects about the likelihood of technology overreach and those inherent implications. Playing God has its costs. (And shouldn’t we know this?)

The tone is all over the place. It’s cold and clinical with a lot of fancy high-tech, slick 3-D graphics (Cam is a graphic designer) and sterile surroundings, but then it’s warm and fuzzy when depicting happy family scenes.

Dax Rey, as 8-year-old cute-as-a-button Cory, melts your heart during the time he spends with his father. As his wife Poppy, Naomie Harris has terrific chemistry with Ali – they were both Oscar-nominated for their performances in “Moonlight,” with Ali winning Best Supporting Actor in 2017. He won two years later for “Green Book.”

That trio’s emotional earnestness goes a long way in softening such disconcerting material. But it’s not enough to overcome what is, for the most part, a dull slog.

Mahershala Ali and Awkwafina

The small ensemble includes Awkwafina as a glum participant in the experiment who becomes friends with Cam.

The replica, who has been programmed with all of Cam’s memories, emotions, and experiences, is groomed to take over and will assume his place in the family. Two weeks after that, everything will seem normal – like there was no replacement and the clone won’t think he is a clone.

Some of the movie’s puzzling elements include not explaining his illness, and it’s just weird that the doctors have a compound where the dying live out their final days without their loved ones, who will never know about the secret experiments.

With any loss, not being able to say goodbye is always a regret. Therefore, this seems cruel, not helpful. Are we saying loss is too painful so let’s live a lie so that others, oblivious, will live longer happily ever after (up to a point).

Isn’t death an inevitable part of life? How we cope is key to the human experience.

Here, Ali’s Cam is jealous of the clone – and suspicious, and it’s all gone too smooth, except for him getting testy about the clone’s ease in assimilating into his former life. One of the reasons he wants to shield his wife is that her twin brother had died a year earlier, and she fell into a deep depression over his death.

These kinds of scientific fiction films are always trippy mind-benders, only this one happens to be just ‘meh.” We need more of a satisfying story to understand and accept it.

“Swan Song” appears incomplete, leaving out crucial details and then ending abruptly. Nevertheless, Ali has become one of our most reliable and exciting actors, so his performance is a standout in an otherwise tepid film.

“Swan Song” is a 2021 sci-fi drama written and directed by Benjamin Cleary. It stars Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Glenn Close, Awkwafina and Dax Rey and is rated R for heated language. In select theaters and streaming on Apple TV+ starting Dec. 17. Lynn’s Grade: C