To 3D/4DX Or Not To 3D/4DX: Buy The Right Jurassic World Rebirth Ticket

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Ah, the dinosaurs. Celebrated for their excellence in terror and mayhem, there is a 2025 movie we're about to talk about named Jurassic World Rebirth that revels in both. So while most people are arguing over whether or not this is a good sequel to the 1993 original, we're here to ponder over another important question: To 3D or Not To 3D?
If you want to know how I felt about director Gareth Edwards' entry into the series as a cinematic experience, you can read my Jurassic World Rebirth review. For those of you who want to know if this walk with prehistoric beasts is worth the extra ticket money, or if you'd be better off saving up for a ticket to Ile Saint-Hubert, this is the place to be.
Wait, that was a boring introduction; can I take that again? What I should have said is, welcome…to Jurassic World Rebirth's 3D/4DX!
The Jurassic series started in a time when standard format showings ruled the earth, so this isn't exactly a series that had premium format baked into it. Of course, as any scientist will tell you, the right beast will evolve to fit its environment, which is exactly what this franchise has done. IMAX, 3D, and now 4DX have become natural additions to the Jurassic World, so I didn't question snagging a ticket to the 3D/4DX showing. (Sorry, IMAX fans, the swift booting of F1's magnificent 4DX showing came with a cost - and that was maintaining its large format footprint.)
I have to wonder if any of the folks at Universal Parks were consulted for Jurassic World Rebirth's premium format package. Taking this voyage actually reminded me of some experiences with Universal Orlando's rides, with some natural throwbacks to Jurassic Park River Adventure coming to mind as well.
While some of the usual problem factors present themselves here, Rebirth's overall thrill ride is quite solid - bordering on top tier. The folks at DNEG should have all of the hats tipped towards their efforts in 3D conversion, as this film has some seriously crisp 3D punch. None of it made me flinch, but that may have been because the 4DX part of the ride was as rockin' and rollin' as should be expected.
When you look for what to expect before the window in a 3D movie, you should always be looking for what pops out. No, literally, the effects that jump out of the screen and move towards you are what occupy this sphere of thought. Jurassic World Rebirth doesn't have any major problems with this factor, and it mostly takes advantage of this piece of the puzzle.
If you've ever wanted to feel threatened by Ed Skrein pointing a souped-up shotgun at you, or Mahershala Ali pointing his finger at you, telling you to run, this is the place you should be. Oh, and there are some cases where dinos like the Spinosaurus feel like they're going to snap you up out of your seat. So if you're into dinosaurs on your dinosaur tour, that's on the menu as well.
Flipping the 3D lens in the other direction, going beyond the window, measures how much depth of field we're getting in any given conversion. Do you feel like you could walk through the jungles of Ile Saint-Hubert? Does it look as if you could walk between Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey, in the name of grabbing one of those Dr. Peppers in the gas station scene? Then you're traveling beyond the window, baby!
I don't think I've seen spatial reasoning this beautifully defined in quite some time. To invoke the gold star experience of seeing Daniel Craig's face well defined in No Time To Die's 3D presentation is saying a lot for any movie. Jurassic World Rebirth gets pretty close to that height, and has so much depth you'll want to run and pet that ailing Brachiosaur on the streets of New York.
It was always going to come to this, wasn't it? For as long as I've been doing 3D/4DX hybrid write-ups, I've noticed that the brightness tends to be a bit dimmer than usual in this particular format. That could be due to the theater I'm attending to see these showings, as your mileage will vary depending on how your local moviehouse tends to its projectors between formats.
Unfortunately, I think one of the downsides to filming Jurassic World Rebirth on beautiful Kodak film is that a lot of shots involving even the slightest shadow on people's faces become automatically dimmer. I'm thankful the night-based scenes aren't terribly obscured, so the Distortus Rex is still frighteningly visible in its third act rampage. Sadly, this conversion seemed to need a little more time to cook in this department.
All of this talk about brightness and windows probably has you wanting to take your 3D glasses off about now. Which is natural, as we learned early in childhood that if you do just that, you get a really cool blurring effect. Growing up, we learn that this blur is supposed to be a sign of greater image manipulation; thus leading to a really cool stereoscopic image as a result.
That's pretty much what's on tap with Jurassic World Rebirth. Your usual 2D anchor points are very much present, while the rest of the world blurs into double vision. So Scarlett Johansson can look perfectly clear in a scene where Rupert Friend is trying to sell her on visiting a dinosaur island, while the New York skyline looks like it's glitching in the Spider-Verse.
They weren't giving 4DX-branded ponchos out just for fun, folks. Jurassic World Rebirth has two big set pieces involving aquatic thrills to boast about: the Mosasaurus chase and Jurassic Park's deleted T-Rex river scene. Both of those scenes pass muster in the world of 4DX, with both the seat-mounted cannons and the ceiling-based fan/sprinkler system springing into action when the time is right.
You kind of have to feel sorry for Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and his on-screen family, because that Rex-based scene has you splashing along with Rebirth's Delgado delegation. However, the devil is in the details with 4DX, and there's one scene that took the cake with its subtlety.
When Jonathan Bailey is grabbing the sample from the Quetzalcoatlus nest, the ceiling sprinklers actually drip some water on the audience's heads. I didn't expect that, and it was a nice touch that added to the immersive nature of the film.
I think 4DX scent effects are dead, folks. They're as present as those two velociraptors that got taken out by that Mutadon in David Iacono's on-screen bathroom break. There was nothing to speak of, and unless it's a problem localized to my theater, this is something that someone at 4DX may need to address. Pretty please.
Speaking of 4DX effects that seem to have gone away, Jurassic World Rebirth's 4DX trailer featured some pretty strong usage of the air cannons mounted to the seats, only to disappear in the finished film. Scarlett Johansson's big shootout with the Mutadon in the tunnels still looks pretty awesome because of the 3D effects, but missing that texture was a bit of a bummer.
Likewise, for the absence of any sort of light effects, which could have very easily been included in the early scene where The Essex is sailing through a stormy night. The opening lab crisis would have been a good place to use that factor as well. At least the smoke effects were pretty active, highlighting fog, engine fires, and other obscuring factors.
Last, but not least, the air effects are on fire with Rebirth, allowing you to feel the wind in your hair while walking with dinosaurs, or inadvertently speeding towards a D-Rex.
I'm going to try and say this with the most rational adult verbiage I can: Jurassic World Rebirth let me feel what it was like to walk like a T-Rex, and I will forever love it for that. The Raft Scene includes some prime moments of dinosaur walking that show off why Motion Effects are the meat of the 4DX-perience, and that's only the beginning!
The rocking of the Essex, both in peace and in a dino battle, highlights the subtlety that can be present for this sort of experience. Meanwhile, a frantic Rupert Friend driving towards that Distortus Rex is an all-out spectacle, right down to the beast pounding its fist to stop the Jeep in its tracks. It's wild, but rightfully so - which is a good time to remind you all to check out the 4DX safety regs before heading out.
If there's any potential for audience discomfort, it may be from the boat-based scenes rocking in a very realistic fashion. I didn't have any problems, and neither did any of the members present in the thrilled crowd watching this showing.
The 3D factor isn't a problem either, as it's more of an annoying dimness rather than the frustrating, eye-straining sort. (Sorry, Wicked 3D/4DX, need to call you out on that again; if only so you can change for good.)
Jurassic World Rebirth may not have IMAX on its side, but it put the 3D/4DX format to wonderful use. I've decided to absolutely endorse this experience, as I think the bells and whistles helped me enjoy this movie a little more the second time out. So if you're going to see this Rebirth, definitely spend the extra time and money for the premium thrill ride!
That wraps up my thoughts on Jurassic World's latest installment in theaters, and regardless of how I feel about certain pieces, I look forward to more adventures with these beautiful creatures. (Seriously, they gave us a T-Rex rolling over like a sleepy cat. Never forget that.)
As for our next 3D/4DX excursion, next week delivers James Gunn's Superman in this gorgeous format! While I won't be doing the all-out write-up like you saw above, I'm sure I'll have something to say about how Krypto is even more of a good boy in stunning premium exhibitions. Until next time, my fellow cinematic adventurers!