Recently, Netflix added the Jurassic World collection to its film repository. We all remember the worldwide excitement when the epoch-making film “Jurassic Park” was released in 1993. Directed by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg and based on Michael Crichton’s bestselling novel, the movie led to two sequels: “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic Park III.”
In 2015, “Jurassic World,” directed by Colin Trevorrow, reignited nostalgic feelings of "Jurassic Park" fans. “Jurassic World” has so far had three sequels: “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” in 2018, “Jurassic World: Dominion” in 2022 and "Jurassic World: Rebirth" in 2025. The change of title from “Jurassic Park” to “Jurassic World” signifies that the disastrous theme park for dinosaurs has now turned into the world in which we live.
In watching the Jurassic World movies, we come to realize that we too are now living in Jurassic World, metaphorically speaking. In the Jurassic World films, for example, ferocious, mighty dinosaurs fight each other to the death and devour humans brutally. Dinosaurs terrorize other animals and humans by the law of the jungle that allows the strong to prey upon the weak.
As dinosaurs do in the jungle, today’s strong countries, too, do not seem to hesitate to break law and order. They terrorize the world by invading small countries, exploiting weak and poor communities, and threatening world peace with nuclear weapons. Tyrannical politicians, too, wield power to oppress people and silence their political foes. Moreover, we see extreme hostility and abhorrence between the left and the right, between progressives and conservatives, and between socialists and capitalists.
In the above movies, it is ultimately wayward scientists and commercial companies that bring disaster to our world: In “Jurassic Park,” for example, InGen creates the dinosaurs using biogenetic technologies. In “Jurassic World: Dominion,” a villainous corporation named Biosyn seeks commercial profit by experimenting with dinosaurs, using genetic technologies only to bring catastrophes to human civilization.
Meanwhile, like the people who brought back extinct dinosaurs for commercial and political gain in the above movies, today’s radical political activists are also bringing back obsolete Marxist ideology and wrongfully trying to apply it to the electronic age of bitcoins and cryptocurrency.
It is true that in the 19th century capitalists ruthlessly exploited factory workers. Today, however, labor unions are powerful enough to control management, and instead of exploiting workers, big corporations create numerous high-salaried jobs for their employees. The "Jurassic World" trilogy vividly shows us how dangerous it is to bring back extinct species that are no longer viable but only destructive in this electronic age.
The "Jurassic World" movies strongly resemble our contemporary world in many ways. We, too, are now witnessing the deplorable phenomenon that our world is radically divided by two incompatible, antagonizing groups that try to kill and eliminate each other. People are divided by ideologies, creeds and religions, and so are countries. These factions abhor and try to eliminate each other. As a result, there seems to be no possibility of reconciliation or peaceful coexistence between the opposing sides.
The "Jurassic Park" movies warn us of the danger of bringing back the past for commercial purposes, ideological reasons or amusement. The problem is that dinosaurs are an extinct species, and we no longer live in the Jurassic Age. The films also admonish our blind trust in computer technology that can malfunction and our misuse of genetic technologies that can be disastrous.
The "Jurassic World" movies remind us that we need to coexist despite our differences. Otherwise, we will be doomed. As the famous adage says, “United we stand, divided we fall.” It is true that unity is essential for survival, and division leads to failure. At the end of “Jurassic World,” after surviving cutthroat situations due to the vicious attacks of furious dinosaurs, protagonist Claire Dearing asks Owen Grady, a dinosaur trainer, “So what do we do now?” Owen answers: “Probably stick together, for survival.”
The recurrent theme is about the peaceful coexistence between humans and dinosaurs. At the end of “Jurassic World: Dominion,” a scientist solemnly narrates: “We act like we’re alone here, but we are not. We’re part of a fragile system made up of all living things.” Then she continues, “If we’re going to survive, we’ll have to trust each other, depend on each other, coexist.”
The "Jurassic World" trilogy also edifies us that we should embrace different ideologies, religions and races, and try to coexist with them, not to eliminate them. We are not alone in this world: we must live with others. The "Jurassic World" movies enlighten us that we should try to understand others and converse with them, even though they may look hostile or dangerous. In the movies, Owen Grady shows this possibility by succeeding in communicating with the ferocious raptors, developing mutual respect.
We are living in the 21st century, not in the Jurassic Age. Civilized people cannot live in a Jurassic world.
Kim Seong-kon
Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are the writer's own. -- Ed
khnews@heraldcorp.com
