The dinosaurs are back on the big screen

?The dinosaurs are back. In the seventh installment of the Jurassic saga since its inception in 1993, and the fourth installment in the Jurassic World series, Jurassic World Rebirth, the colossal creatures return to the screen once again. The film is directed by Gareth Edwards — who directed Godzilla and The Creator — and features a star-studded cast led by Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey. Since its release, the movie has grossed over USD 300 million worldwide. So, what does the story bring this time?

In a world where the presence of dinosaurs has become ordinary, humans no longer show interest in the creatures as they once did. Given climate change and a shifting Earth, dinosaurs now inhabit equatorial regions, rendering these areas desolate and a threat to human life.

Operations specialist Zora, played by Johansson, takes on a mission from a private pharma company to traverse a tropical island where she can find blood samples from the three largest dinosaurs alive. The mission’s objective is to develop a revolutionary cure for heart disease, with mns at stake. Zora embarks on this treacherous journey alongside her friend Duncan, played by Ali, the dinosaur fanatic doctor Henry, played by Bailey, and the company’s representative, Martin, played by Rupert Friend.

A family trip. Meanwhile, a family — consisting of a father, his eldest daughter and her friend, and his younger daughter — sets sail across the ocean from Barbados to Cape Town, South Africa. They are left stranded in the open waters when their journey is obstructed by dinosaurs. They wait for help from Zora and her team, but the tides decide to turn against them.

Some shortfalls: The filmmakers didn’t seem to be satisfied with Zora and her team’s mission as the main storyline, deciding to introduce a supporting plotline involving the lost family. This was our gripe with the movie, especially given that the family’s acting felt forced and was subpar at best. The unsuccessful choice regarding the secondary plotline would have been tolerable if it had not taken up more than half of the movie’s runtime.

The best part about the movie? The dinosaurs, who were a joy to watch on screen, whether in their natural habitat or in battle scenes. Encounters between humans and dinosaurs were not as frequent as expected, with the first interaction between the two occurring an hour into the movie. Aspects like cinematography and special effects prove to be the movie’s strong suit. The movie score was also captivating, coming as no surprise from the Oscar-winning French composer Alexandre Desplat.

While performances weren’t exceptional, they were good enough, especially when compared to the family’s scenes. The movie is also great as a standalone, since you can understand the story without having seen the previous films in the series.

WHERE TO WATCH- You can watch the movie at Vox Cinemas at City Centre Almaza and Alexandria, City Stars Cinema, Scene Cinemas at Cairo Festival City and District 5, Cima Arkan, and Point 90 Cinema. You can also find the trailer on YouTube (Runtime: 2:25 minutes).