If you’ve got a kid who can recite the difference between a Giganotosaurus and a T-Rex by heart, you’re probably already being grilled about the new movie. Jurassic World Rebirth is slated for a July 2, 2025 release. It feels like we just finished the last trilogy, but Universal is leaning hard into a fresh start. Gareth Edwards, the guy behind Rogue One and Godzilla, is directing this one. That alone should tell you something about the vibe. It’s going to be gorgeous, but it’s probably going to be intense.
Parents are already asking: is Jurassic World Rebirth for kids or is this one leaning into the "horror" roots of the original Michael Crichton novels?
Honestly, the Jurassic franchise has always lived in that weird middle ground. It’s not a "kids' movie" in the way Despicable Me is, but it’s also the biggest brand in the world for seven-year-olds. This new chapter stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali. There are no Chris Pratt jokes or Bryce Dallas Howard running in heels this time around. The tone is shifting.
The rating reality and what it actually means for your living room
While the official MPA rating hasn't been stamped on the film yet, every single entry in this franchise—from Spielberg’s 1993 classic to Dominion—has been rated PG-13. You can bet your mortgage that Jurassic World Rebirth will follow suit.
PG-13 is a broad net.
Some PG-13 movies are basically PG with a single "F-bomb" thrown in to look cool. Others, like the ones Gareth Edwards tends to make, use the rating to push atmospheric dread and scale. In Rebirth, the story takes place five years after Dominion. The dinosaurs are struggling. They’ve mostly died off because the planet’s ecology isn't great for them. The ones left are living in isolated tropical environments.
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The plot follows a team trying to get DNA from the three largest dinosaurs left on earth to create a life-saving drug.
When you hear "life-saving drug" and "covert mission," you aren't thinking of a whimsical romp. You're thinking of a survival thriller. For a younger child, the "scary" parts of these movies aren't usually the blood. It’s the tension. It’s the sound of a claw clicking on a metal floor. Edwards is a master of scale, making humans look tiny and helpless. If your kid is sensitive to "monster" jump scares, this one might be a heavy lift.
Comparing the "scare factor" to Camp Cretaceous
A lot of parents get lulled into a false sense of security because of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous or Chaos Theory on Netflix. Those shows are great. They have real stakes. But they are fundamentally designed for a younger audience.
Jurassic World Rebirth is a different beast entirely.
The script is written by David Koepp. He’s the guy who wrote the original Jurassic Park and The Lost World. If you remember the scene in The Lost World where the T-Rex eats the guy in the waterfall or the "long grass" sequence with the raptors, that’s Koepp’s DNA. He writes suspense that feels physical.
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I’ve seen parents take five-year-olds to these movies only to have to leave twenty minutes in because a secondary character got bitten in half. It’s a mess. Don't be that parent. If your child has only seen the Lego versions or the cartoons, the live-action "realism" of Scarlett Johansson being hunted by a predator that looks like a giant, wet lizard might be traumatizing.
Why the 2025 setting changes the game
The world in Rebirth isn't a theme park. There are no crowds of tourists to act as "dino-fodder." It’s a rugged, isolated expedition. This narrows the focus. It makes the peril feel much more intimate.
When a movie is set in a park, there's a certain level of "fantasy" to it. But when it’s a survival mission in the wild, the violence can feel more grounded. We’re looking at a film that deals with the extinction of these animals (again). That’s a heavy theme. It’s not just "cool dinosaurs hitting each other." It’s about the ethics of science and the desperation of a dying species.
Specific triggers to watch out for
When we talk about whether is Jurassic World Rebirth for kids, we have to look at the three big pillars of the PG-13 rating:
- Peril and Panic: This is the big one. Expect long sequences where characters are trapped in small spaces (like the leaked "shipwreck" or "island" set photos suggest) with predators.
- The "Chomp" Factor: People will get eaten. It’s rarely gory, but the sound design in these movies is usually what does the damage. The crunching sounds and the screams are designed to be visceral.
- Language: Usually, these movies are pretty clean. You might get a few "hells," "damns," and the allowed one or two "S-words."
If your child is under eight, they might struggle with the "perceived" reality of the dinosaurs. The VFX have reached a point where the brain doesn't see a puppet; it sees a hungry animal.
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A quick checklist for parents
Not every kid is the same. Some seven-year-olds can watch Jaws and eat popcorn. Others are terrified of the dark.
Think about how they handled the Indoraptor in Fallen Kingdom. That was basically a slasher movie for kids. If they spent that entire movie under a blanket, Rebirth is likely going to be too much. Gareth Edwards loves "low-light" cinematography. Expect a lot of scenes where you can only see the dinosaur when the lightning flashes or a flashlight flickers.
On the flip side, if your kid is a "Paleo-nerd" who cares about the accuracy of the feathers (or lack thereof) and the skeletal structure of a Baryonyx, they will probably be too fascinated to be scared. The intellectual engagement with the dinosaurs often acts as a shield against the fear.
What's actually in the movie?
We know the story involves a secret island (shocker) and a quest for a "miracle cure" derived from dinosaur DNA. This adds a layer of corporate espionage and human-on-human conflict.
Sometimes, the human villains are scarier for kids than the dinosaurs. In the previous films, we saw dinosaurs being auctioned off and tortured. For animal-loving kids, this is often more upsetting than the "scary" parts. Seeing a dinosaur in pain or being mistreated is a major emotional trigger that parents should be ready to talk about.
Actionable steps for parents before opening weekend
If you're still on the fence about whether is Jurassic World Rebirth for kids, don't just wing it on opening night. This isn't a "wait and see" situation when tickets are $20 a pop and popcorn is even more.
- Screen the Director’s Work: Put on Godzilla (2014) or The Creator. Watch how Gareth Edwards handles tension. If the "weight" of those monsters feels too scary for your child, Rebirth will be the same.
- Wait for the "Common Sense Media" review: Usually, within 24 hours of the premiere, sites like Common Sense Media or Kids-In-Mind will have a literal "count" of every swear word and violent act.
- The 15-Minute Rule: If you do go, tell your kid they can tell you at any point if they want to leave, no questions asked. Sometimes just knowing they have an "out" makes them braver.
- YouTube the Trailer with Them: Don't just watch it yourself. Watch them while they watch it. Do they lean in or do they look away? Their physical reaction to a 2-minute trailer is a 90% accurate predictor of how they'll handle a 2-hour movie.
Ultimately, Jurassic World Rebirth looks like it’s trying to reclaim the "prestige" feel of the original. It’s going to be a cinematic event. But it’s also going to be a "scary" movie. If your kid is ready for the jump from "dinosaurs are toys" to "dinosaurs are apex predators," then they’re ready for Rebirth. If not, there’s always the Lego specials on streaming.