Commentary: ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Has The Perfect Video Game Plot
by Frank Martin
Video games and movies don’t often translate into a one-to-one comparison. This is largely because the plot structure for a film and a game are wildly different. Films often revolve around character arcs rather than action. The needs of the characters are often the driving force behind the plot rather than the other way around. In a video game, players need something to do, so the plot often takes center stage, usually in regards to accomplishing a mission or series of objectives. In that way, the plot of Jurassic World: Rebirth aligns perfectly with the structure of a video game.
In search of the perfect medicine, Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) hires Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) to lead an expedition to a remote island home to three gigantic dinosaurs. Their plan is to work with scientist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) to take samples of the three dinosaurs, each inhabiting land, sea, and air. It all goes astray when the encounter with the sea dinosaur causes their ship to crash on the island. They then have to make a rendezvous with a helicopter while avoiding the other dangerous dinosaurs around them.
Video games often have numerical objectives. They require the protagonist to explore different areas of the map while acquiring necessary items, which is exactly what Jurassic World: Rebirth is about. It’s not difficult to see an opening video game scene that takes place on the water, causing their ship to crash. Then players would have to traverse the island in order to capture blood samples from the land dinosaur and scale a mountain to get samples from the air dinosaur. This objective-based plot is perfect for an adventure video game in the Jurassic Park universe, and it’s a bit disappointing they decided to turn it into a movie instead.
Jurassic World: Rebirth is now streaming on Netflix.
