MOVIE REVIEW: We find out if sequel 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' is a roar-some reboot
Following the poor critical reception to the previous two Jurassic World movies it's time for a soft reboot.
Writer David Koepp makes only brief mentions to events in those flicks - and bar a lumbering Brontosaurus trapped in the middle of New York we don't get to see any dinosaurs running wild in city settings.
Instead, we head back to an island, this time Ile Saint-Hubert in the Atlantic Ocean, as a team embark on a mission to extract DNA from three dinosaurs for a ground breaking medical breakthrough.
That may sound like 'seen it all before' territory, and some of it is, but new dinosaurs and environments as well as humans with varying motivations ensure things are kept reasonably fresh.
Having helmed Monsters and the Godzilla reboot, Gareth Edwards was a wise choice to take the directing reins and he shoots a few of the franchise's best, most exciting set-pieces.
Leading the way is an ocean-set face-off between the human cast and a Mosasaurus and several Spinosauruses.
Scarlett Johansson ( Zora) brings star power as a mercenary with a heart amid a fateful previous mission and Jonathan Bailey's passionate, wise-cracking Dr Henry Loomis is a spiritual successor to Sam Neill's Dr Grant.
I'm not sure we needed the Delgado family - and David Iacono's Xavier can be a grating presence - but they serve up more people in peril to take us to different parts of the island.
Rupert Friend ( Martin) may as well have 'baddie' stamped on his forehead but he is a lot more charismatic and opinionated than most of the series' human antagonists.
Like the other Jurassic World flicks we get DNA-spliced, mutated dinosaurs, headed up by the colossal Distortus rex which doesn't get much screen time and can't evoke the fear of other main animal players in the franchise.
The T rex makes a welcome comeback - and for once doesn't save the day - and there's no sequel-baiting; Rebirth is a standalone adventure.
Which is probably for the best as while this is one of the series' better sequels, recapturing the magic and wonder of the original continues to prove an almighty, probably impossible, challenge.
Pop me an email at ian.bunting@reachplc.com and I will pass on your comments – and any movie or TV show recommendations you have – to your fellow readers.
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