1 Jurassic Park: An Idealist’s Utopia Christopher J. Boosey San Diego City College Author Note Prepared for Politics 101 (CRN: 73601), taught by Professor N. Boushee
2 Abstract The inherently subjective nature of utopias means thatone person’s utopia is quite likely to be another’s dystopia(Van Belle, 2018). In the Jurassic Park film, we are introduced to a theme park, which is a regularly used metaphor within fiction for a utopia. The creators of this metaphorical utopia are idealists and like most idealistthey “were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should”(Spielberg, 1993). Realists were brought in to cast a skeptical eye over this utopian project as part of a check-and balance process and found this utopia to be a dystopia. The idealists in the film struggle, much like in real life, to accept the inherent flaws in the utopia that cause it to be dystopic, and, as in real life, the realists must persist, in the common interest, to enlighten the idealists of the realities. The film shows how easy utopias can become dystopic and provides lessons on the responsibility of realists to act to prevent this. Keywords:Utopia, Dystopia, Realism, Idealism, Politics, Government, Jurassic Park
3 Jurassic Park: An Idealist’s Utopia Jurassic Parkis a science fiction film, released in 1993 and directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the first film of a franchise and of the originalJurassic Parktrilogy. It is based on the novel of the same name by author Michael Crichton, who also wrote the screenplay for this film. The film is set on the fictional Costa Rican island of Isla Nublar. John Hammond and a team of genetic scientists have created a theme park of de-extinct dinosaurs. However, due to initial problems, including deaths, lawyers require that a group of experts sign off on the park. The park is hit by issues, including sick dinosaurs, sabotage of security and safety protocols by an employee, a tropical storm, released dinosaurs, etc. Some people escape while others die. The film ends with Hammond agreeing that the park was a mistake. Theme parks are often used within fiction as metaphors for utopias and are useful as a device to show how utopias can become dystopias. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines a utopia as “a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions” (n.d.-b), and a dystopia as “an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives” (n.d.-a). However, a simpler way to think of them is that a utopia is heavenly, and a dystopia is hellish. However, Van Belle rightly states that the inherently subjective nature of utopias means that one person’s utopia is quite likely to be another’s dystopia (2018). Another concept covered within this essay is the difference between idealists and realists.
Want to read all 11 pages?
Previewing 4 of 11 pages Upload your study docs or become a member.
Want to read all 11 pages?
Previewing 4 of 11 pages Upload your study docs or become a member.
End of preview
Want to read all 11 pages? Upload your study docs or become a member.