Jurassic World: Rebirth

"I'm too smart to die."

"You know, intelligence is massively overrated as an adaptive trait."

Thirty two years after dinosaurs returned, life has mostly returned to normal.  Dinosaurs are only able to survive on islands along the equator, which are off-limits to humans.  Despite this, pharmaceutical company ParkerGenix needs biological samples from three of the largest living dinosaurs for a revolutionary new cardiovascular disease cure.  ParkerGenix executive Martin Krebs (Friend) enlists the help of retrieval specialist Zora Bennett (Johansson) and associates on a classified mission to Ile Saint-Hubert.  The island was the home to a former InGen dinosaur laboratory and is the location of the dinosaurs they need.  The retrieval team includes Zora, Krebs, paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Bailey), Zora's long-time associates Duncan Kincaid (Ali), Bobby Atwater (Skrein), LeClerc (Sylvain), and Nina (Velge).

Meanwhile, Reuben Delgado (Garcia-Rulfo) is traveling across the Atlantic ocean with his daughters Teresa (Blaise) and Isabella (Miranda).  Teresa's slacker boyfriend Xavier (Iacono) is also onboard.  They are enjoying the trip, until their sailboat is attacked and flipped by a dinosaur.  They are able to send a distress signal and are rescued by Zora's team.  With no other option, both groups continue to the island.  Can they obtain the samples and stay alive long enough to get off the island?

This is the 7th film in the Jurassic Park franchise and the 4th Jurassic World film.  

The Good:

While this film is connected to the previous films, it tells a distinct story and does not feature any of the characters from the previous films (although Alan Grant, the character played by Sam Neill in the franchise, is mentioned).

The T-Rex does not disappoint - that is probably the best scene in the movie, lots of action and suspense.

The dinosaur, Dolores, is cute.

The Bad:

Mahershala Ali is underused - he is great, but doesn't have enough to do.  The family has good moments (like the T-Rex encounter), but as a whole are just annoying.  Scarlett Johansson seems miscast in her role, not bad, just not great.

Other Comments:

-Set 5-years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion (2022).

-Lots of references and call-backs to the 1993 Jurassic Park film.  It also shares plot elements with Michael Crichton's "Lost World" novel.

-It's not my favorite entry in the franchise, but my dinosaur-loving nephews enjoyed this film.  Since they are the experts, I will say it was ok.

Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) 133 minutes 

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, bloody images, some suggestive references, language and a drug reference.

Director: Gareth Edwards

Starring: Scarlett Johansson as Zora Bennett

Mahershala Ali as Duncan Kincaid

Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Henry Loomis

Rupert Friend as Martin Krebs

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Reuben Delgado

Ed Skrein as Bobby Atwater

David Iacono as Xavier Dobbs

Luna Blaise as Teresa Delgado

Audrina Miranda as Isabella Delgado

Bechir Sylvain as LeClerc

Philippine Velge as Nina

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

"Did I hit it?"

"You didn't hit it. You destroyed it! It doesn't exist anymore."

Callie (Coon) and her children Trevor (Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Grace) are evicted from their apartment in Chicago.  With no other options, they travel to the property Callie inherited from her late father: a remote farm in Summerville, Oklahoma.  They are unimpressed with the dilapidated house, which is another difficult reminder of Callie's complicated relationship with her father.

The family reluctantly settles into their new life.  Trevor gets a job at the local diner, to spend more time with his crush Lucky (O'Connor), while Phoebe enrolls in summer school.  Phoebe befriends her conspiracy theorist and podcasting classmate known as Podcast (Kim).  Her summer school teacher, Gary Grooberson (Rudd) is a seismologist who is studying the unusual activity in town.  Phoebe also notices strange things at the house.  After finding a ghost trap hidden in the house, Phoebe discovers that her late grandfather was a member of the Ghostbusters and an old enemy has emerged.  As they explore the property, can Phoebe and Trevor find the tools to save the world from ghosts?

This film is a sequel to the 1989 film Ghostbusters 2 and the 1984 film Ghostbusters.

The Good:

The film packs a nostalgic punch that was missing from the 2016 gender flipped version Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, directed by Paul Feig.  The story, written by director Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan, is full of details connected to the original films, while also telling a new story.  This works as both a love letter to fans of the original series, while introducing a new audience to the franchise.

Most of the characters from the original films return here, to varying degrees.  William Atherton, who was antagonist Walter Peck in the original films, does not appear here, but is in the sequel.  I laughed when the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man appeared on the screen in a fun nod to the original film.  The new cast works well, especially Paul Rudd (although I wish he was in more of the film).

The Bad:

It takes some time to get into the story.  With a 2+ hour run-time, you would hope/want the story to move along a little faster.

Other Comments:

-Reitman's father, Ivan Reitman, directed the original Ghostbusters movies.

-Dan Aykroyd's daughter, Stella Aykroyd, is Deputy Medjuck (the character is named after Joe Medjuck who was a producer in the original films).

-The film features practical effects, which works well.

-Gozer, Zuul, and Vinz appeared in the original 1984 film.  There are some fun nods to those performances in this film (including Zuul's dress).

-Dedicated to Harold Ramis, who died in 2014. Ramis family read the script and endorsed the film, including the use of Ramis' likeness.

-As a fan of the original series, I enjoyed the nostalgia and updates to the franchise.  It was great to see the original cast (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts) and where their characters are now.

-There are 2 scenes during the credits, one features original cast member Sigourney Weaver and Bill Murray and the other features Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts.  Both work well as glimpses into the lives of the original Ghostbusters, while also hinting at future appearances.

-I enjoyed the film and look forward to the sequel.

-A sequel, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, was made in 2024.  The cast of this film returned for the sequel, which was again written by Reitman and Kenan (with Kenan taking over as director).

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) 124 minutes

Rating: PG-13 for supernatural action and some suggestive references 

Director: Jason Reitman

Starring: Carrie Coon as Callie

Finn Wolfhard as Trevor

Mckenna Grace as Phoebe

Bokeem Woodbine as Sherman Domingo

Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson

Logan Kim as Podcast

Celeste O'Connor as Lucky Domingo

Bill Murray as Peter Venkman

Dan Aykroyd as Raymond "Ray" Stantz

Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore

Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz

Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett