While there are plenty of reasons to be excited about Jurassic World Rebirth, there's one aspect in particular that gives me hope the sequel will recapture the magic of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. Following the box office success but poor reception of Jurassic World: Dominion, the new film will effectively reboot the franchise with a whole new cast in Jurassic World Rebirth — including Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali. Rebirth will act as the seventh installment in the Jurassic Park series and presents an ideal opening to revisit the franchise's foundations.

Set five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion, Rebirth will be centered on a team tasked with collecting DNA from the surviving dinosaurs on an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park. Aside from an exploration of the new hybrid dinosaurs, everything we know about Jurassic World Rebirth is relatively limited. Some may argue the Jurassic World trilogy echoes the original trilogy somewhat unfavorably, but one recent confirmation from Gareth Edwards makes me confident the director understands what puts us in awe of the first movie and is trying to achieve something similar.

According To Gareth Edwards, Jurassic World Rebirth Is Striving To Capture The Practical Elements Of Jurassic Park

Edwards Calls Jurassic World Rebirth A "Love Letter" To Steven Spielberg

According to Edwards, Jurassic World Rebirth dedicates itself to real-location shoots and fewer blue screens to attempt to recapture the magic of the 1993 classic movie, Jurassic Park. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, it was revealed that a large proportion of Jurassic World Rebirth was shot in Southeast Asia, before the crew moved to Malta and the Mediterranean for the movie's scenes on the ocean. As a crucial cinematic experience for Edwards, Jurassic World Rebirth hopes to capture the essence of Spielberg's magnum opus and bring back the simplistic qualities that cemented Jurassic Park's place in film history in the first place.

Jurassic Park did lead the way with computer graphics, but I feel like we got lost along the way with the arms race to a spectacle... Jurassic actually only had just a few dozen VFX shots in it, and it's such a powerful film. So, it was trying to go back to all those tricks and ideas that tease the audience, that creates suspense and tension that get you on the edge of your seat. I just wanted to create that feeling I had when I was young of being in awe of these things.

As Jurassic World Rebirth's title indicates, the sequel is a new beginning for the franchise, which is crucial for many aspects. Not only is the movie striving to recapture the essence of Jurassic Park with these filming techniques, but Rebirth is also embracing a simple but compelling narrative driven by new characters. In certain respects, the movie will be reminiscent of Jaws, but ultimately, "it's a giant love letter to Steven Spielberg and his earlier films..."

If Jurassic World Rebirth's Challenging Shoot Translates To The Movie, It'll Be Just As Tense & Exciting As The Original

Jurassic World Rebirth Faced Some Challenges During Its Production

The filming process for the new chapter has not been without its obstacles. To capture the "very primeval" image, shoots took place in rivers and mangrove swamps, which Edwards revealed were filled with poisonous snakes and venomous spiders — a fact concealed from their actors at the time of filming. Aside from these threats, the director faced huge challenges with their water stunts shot in the Mediterranean.

It's clear the weight of these challenges was considerable, and it will reportedly mark the last time Edwards will shoot in the ocean. That being said, Jurassic World Rebirth is clearly making an effort to replicate the same level of tension and excitement as the original. Edwards is every bit optimistic about the venture, stating, "I'm glad we persevered... sometimes near-death experiences [have] these high-reward factors if you manage to succeed." From all we've seen so far, it is safe to say Jurassic World Rebirth has the potential to be the best entry in the franchise since the original

Source: Entertainment Weekly