visitors . However , after a power failure liberates the dinosaurs , the animals proceed to kill the majority of the park ’ s administration , and leave the tour group fighting for the lives .
In the two decades following its release , critics have frequently cited Jurassic Park as one of the greatest science fiction films ever produced . The film was an instant commercial success , breaking numerous box office records , and quickly evolved into a global pop culture phenomenon . Jurassic Park has been credited for reigniting popular interest in dinosaurs , and its innovative visual effects are heralded as groundbreaking ( Morris 212 ). Three sequels to Jurassic Park have since been produced , although none have been able to replicate the critical success or cultural impact of the original film . As with much of Crichton ’ s body of work , Jurassic Park functions as a cautionary tale against man ’ s interference with nature , a perspective which carries over into the film ’ s various sequels . However , there is one ideology in the Jurassic Park franchise wholly unique to the original film : feminism .
There is significant potential in deconstructing Jurassic Park as an early text in third-wave feminism . There is established historical precedent for science fiction narratives being designed to “ provide social commentary and resist social norms , however explicitly or subtly , through metaphors and conventionally less realistic settings ” ( Bressler and Lengel 23 ). Socially conscious science fiction narratives customarily reflect contemporary social concerns . Thirdwave feminism is popularly regarded as commencing in the early 1990s ( Snyder 176 ), the time period during which Jurassic Park was originally produced and released . One of the film ’ s major plot points is that the entirety of the park ’ s dinosaur population is female , in order to prevent them from breeding . Consequently , this interpretive research essay contends that Jurassic Park ’ s dinosaurs serve as an all-inclusive metaphor for femininity , and their emancipation in the film ’ s climax is a metaphor for social movements pursuing sexual equality . Thus , this essay complements greater research into gender and sexual roles in popular media . Third-wave feminism – and feminism as a whole – encompasses a number of different ideologies and movements , many of which are still treated with dismissal , prejudice and even outright hostility within patriarchal communities . The ultimate aim of this essay is to help normalize and promote feminism in popular media , especially by revisiting a culturally enduring media text such as Jurassic Park .
Framework & Methodology
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