The following contains spoilers for Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, now playing in theatersJurᴀssic World Rebirth introduces plenty of new mutant dinosaurs, but it weakens one of the most iconic dinosaurs in the franchise. Jurᴀssic Park changed the cinematic landscape when it debuted in 1993, becoming one of the most successful blockbusters of all time. The mix of awe and horror at the cloned dinosaurs led to plenty of great cinematic moments, with some of the most memorable being the attacks by creatures like the T-Rex or the Velociraptors.

Both of these dinosaur breeds have become synonymous with the franchise, appearing in every single film in some capacity. This extends to Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, where the more recognizable dinosaurs are forced to share screen time with a new breed of mutant dinosaurs. In the process, one of the franchise’s most iconic dangers gets nullified as a threat, instead serving as a brief showcase for how dangerous another new kind of dinosaur really is.

Jurᴀssic World Rebirth Replaces The Raptors With The Mutadons

The Mutadons Are The New Generation’s Answer To Raptors

Jurᴀssic World Rebirth doesn’t do much with the iconic Velociraptors, effectively replacing them with the mutant hybrids known as Mutadons. The raptors are among the most famous dinosaurs to be featured in the Jurᴀssic Park films, with the creatures being the focus of some of the franchise’s most iconic scenes.

Jurᴀssic Park‘s kitchen sequence, the tall grᴀss mᴀssacre from Jurᴀssic Park: The Lost World, and the trained raptors of Jurᴀssic World all leaned into the idea that the raptors were among the franchise’s most recognizable elements. The Jurᴀssic World trilogy even established Blue, a heroic-coded companion for the heroes.

However, the raptors are more or less an afterthought in Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, which effectively replaces them with the Mutadons. A new man-made variant of the raptors, the Mutadons benefit from having pterodactyl-like wings, giving them more speed and the gift of flight.

The Mutadons, much like the D-Rex, are the primary new dinosaur threats of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, replacing the more traditional dinosaurs that had largely been the focus of previous films. The T-Rex still gets a fun showcase, however, with one of them chasing after the Delgado family down a river.

By contrast, the raptors don’t get anything like that. Instead, the typical beats of a raptor confrontation in the Jurᴀssic films are given to the mutadons, especially after one of them chases the Delgado family into a small store. In fact, the only prominent scene featuring a raptor is in service of showcasing the dangerous potential of the Mutadons.

Why The One Raptor Scene In Jurᴀssic World Rebirth Is All About The Mutadons

The Mutadons Make Quick Work Of The Raptors

The only scene that prominently features the raptors in Jurᴀssic World Rebirth comes about halfway through the film. After the Delgado family reaches Ile Saint-Hubert, they make their way across the island. At one point, Xavier Dobbs (the boyfriend to Teresa Delgado) goes off on his own to pee.

Behind him, two raptors sneak up on him, seemingly preparing to ambush him. However, before they can, a mutadon flies from the sky and attacks one of them. The camera remains focused on a terrified Xavier, who stands perfectly still and lets the fight play out behind him.

It’s a short one, with the other raptor fleeing while the mutadon quickly kills the first raptor before carrying its body off to be consumed. It’s a small scene, meant to highlight that whatever the mutadon is, it’s a greater threat than the typically lethal raptors.

The fact that the mutadon isn’t even clearly seen underscores how dangerous the creature is meant to be, with the mysterious qualities of the animal making it all the more frightening. The mutadons play a big part in the climax of the film, chasing after the Delgado family in the same way the raptors hunted the protagonists of Jurᴀssic Park.

It’s notable though that the raptors are so quickly defeated and discarded by the film. While the T-Rex might pale in comparison to the multi-armed and monstrous D-Rex, there’s at least a great showcase for the iconic T-Rex during the river raft scene. By contrast, the raptors are an afterthought, a plot device used to prove how ᴅᴇᴀᴅly the mutadons are before releasing them on the protagonists.

The Raptors Being Sidelined In Jurᴀssic World Rebirth Underscores The Film’s Self-Aware Commentary

The Raptors Are Replaced By The Mutadons In-Film And In Real Life

The raptors have been a key part of the Jurᴀssic franchise since the very beginning, quickly established in the very first scene of Jurᴀssic Park as a dangerous and lethal creature. The raptors remained ᴅᴇᴀᴅly over the course of the original trilogy, but were placed in a new light during the Jurᴀssic World films.

However, they now serve as a literalization of one of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth‘s themes. The film is partly about how the idea of dinosaurs has, to the general public, worn out its welcome. Dinosaur exhibits are being shut down, while many of the dinosaurs who escaped into the wider world have died in the years since Jurᴀssic World: Dominion.

This is a subtextual commentary on the way the franchise can be seen by some audiences as a relic of the past, with the mutant dinosaurs explicitly stated in the film to be made in the hopes it would attract attention from modern audiences. This extends to real life, where the promise of new monstrous dinosaurs can hopefully bring audiences back to the franchise.

The raptors being incapable of holding their own against a mutadon is an extension of that concept, in-universe proof that the raptors are the predators of the past and can’t keep up with the new and improved tweak on the concept. In practice, the mutadons are upgraded raptors, capable of all the same scares while picking up some new attributes.

The mutadons are supposed to terrify and thrill audiences, replicating the initial effect of seeing raptors that has steadily been worn down over years of seeing the creatures in action. Unlike the T-Rex though, the raptors don’t even get a good showcase for long-time fans of the series.

One of the most iconic killing machines in the series can be taken down with ease by a single mutadon, establishing the mutadon’s credibility as a central threat for the rest of the movie. It makes sense on some level, but is a disappointing turn for raptor fans who were hoping for some fun thrills featuring the creature in Jurᴀssic World Rebirth.