Every creative morsel hiding in the nook of a storyline about marauding dinosaurs terrorizing humans appeared to have been chewed up by the time the “Jurassic World” trilogy plodded its way to the finish line with 2022’s “Jurassic World Dominion.” With that release, the overall franchise had pumped out six “Jurassic Park” movies, numerous best-selling video games and an animated series, and had all but surrendered to abject silliness on movie screens (a dino whispering Chris Pratt? C’mon now).

So it’s no surprise that when news broke that Universal, hot-shot filmmaker Gareth Edwards and executive producer Steven Spielberg were collaborating on something of a reboot, the reactions ranged from guarded optimism at best to skepticism to outright derision.

Scuttle all those doubts.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” stomps the series back to its hold-on-to-your-seats-for-dear-life origins. It freaks us out, makes us marvel in wide-eyed wonder at the sight of these mighty digital beasts, and gives us characters we can root for (even a cute little dino named Dolores).

That’s the right approach for “soft” reboot that serves as a heartfelt homage to Spielberg (the numerous “Jaws” references are an absolute delight — pay attention to the Quint/Robert Shaw-inspired boat scene with the jaws skeleton).

Now for a little bit of bad news: “Rebirth” takes too long to crank up its action engine. But once the exposition drops anchor, you’re in for a nonstop theme park ride.

The plot is a 100-proof McGuffin, serviceable nonsense wherein cold-blooded mercenary Zora Bennett (a bad-ass Scarlett Johansson) signs on with a lucrative pharmaceutical company to extract potent, genetic-rich blood from three species of dinos (Quetzalcoatlus, Mosasaurus — my favorite — and Titanosaurus). The big lugs are all camped out on Ile Saint-Hubert (Thailand’s Krabi islands are well-used here), an ominous tropical spot the world has tagged as a forbidden zone, and for good reason: It was where InGen futzed about with dino DNA — a no-no as we all know. This trio of dinos’ blood could lead to a cure for cardiac disease, which would be a financial boon to anyone who gets their grubby hands on it.

Bringing altruistic balance to Zora and Big Pharma honcho Martin Krebs’ (Rupert Friend) greed-inspired motivations is paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey of “Wicked”). He’s a hot science geek who sports eyewear that never comes off even when he tangles and dangles with dinos. Curious that. He’s no stereotype either; he’s athletic and able to stand on his own next to the formidable derring do of Zora, her trusted colleague Duncan Kincaid (Oakland Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, making something out of a nothing role) and others on her crew, representing an all-you-can-eat buffet for cranky dinos.

All of ‘em are engaging enough, but the real breakout stars — besides those dinos — are members of the Delgado family. You can’t help but root for them. The poor sods accidentally insert themselves into this mission after their sailboat capsizes from the overactive water acrobatics of a Mosasaurus (an aquatic dino, and they do give a star-making performance.)

Whenever the film focuses on the Delgado, “Jurassic World Rebirth” comes alive with tension and laughter, thanks partly to screenwriter David Koepp, who has given the clan fleshed out and enormously likable personalities. There’s dad Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo of “Lincoln Lawyer”), his college-bound daughter Teresa (Luna Blaise), Teresa’s lackadaisical boyfriend Xavier (scene-stealer David Iacono) and 11-year-old Isabella (Audrina Miranda). They are, throughout the film, thrown into the eye of jeopardy.

The easy-to-digest plot allows Edwards to concentrate on humans’ roller-coaster-ride like encounters with these spectacular beasts while paying homage to Spielberg’s canon, including the aforementioned “Jaws,” the original “Jurassic Park” and even his Indiana Jones movies. Those visual cues and references give the film an old-school, blockbuster charm as the talented Edwards — who gave us the underrated “The Creator” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Movie” — breathes life into a franchise that seemed poised for extinction.

Details: ??? out of 4; opens Friday in theaters.

“40 Acres”: Director R.T. Thorne’s post-apocalyptic, Afrofuturistic feature debut grabs you from Scene 1 and never lets you go. And by the end, it will have shredded every nerve you have. But this brutally violent thriller has higher aspirations, too, as it links our racist past to our present and to a dystopian future. That gives it more urgency and potency as it dips into history and recalls Black rebel leaders through the ages. Danielle Deadwyler gives one of her most searing performances yet as Hailey Freeman, an always-on-guard momma bear and former soldier who is ferociously protecting an integrated family on crop-rich Canadian soil that’s being targeted by famished, bloodthirsty creeps. Her teen-aged son Manny (Kataem O’Connor, in a star-making performance) adheres to a strict regimen, arising early to do crucial patrols around the fenced perimeter of the land in an ATV. He lets his guard down over a young, attractive woman named Dawn (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) he spots after a swim in a river. Thorne uses flashbacks to fill in Hailey’s backstory — when a fungal pandemic took over and war broke out — and divides the film into chapters, essentially, and fleshes out other characters, including an Indigenous family that lives with them. Throughout, Thorne remains in control as a co-screenwriter and director. It’s a remarkable directorial debut and a reminder that Deadwyler can do almost anything with that steely-eyed look she’s known for.

Details: ???•; now playing at the AMC Mercado 20, Santa Clara, and the AMC Metreon 16, San Francisco.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.