The other night I watched Jurassic Park – I was horrified the first time I saw it (in a cinema with sonic mega roars blasting me out of my seat, and the deep thudding footfalls striking to my very core) but I couldn’t help watching it again when it appeared on TV – and now it’s a bit of a classic.
However, am I the only one irritated by the character called Ellie – the one who made the mad dash through the grounds to turn the electricity back on? She showed plenty of spunk and vivacity, but her little jokes failed to hit my funny bone. I was annoyed by her apparent obsession with children but I realize not everyone is as hard-hearted as I am. Just so long as no one assumes that all right-thinking women should be as keen, or that it’s every woman’s duty, or stuff like that. I don’t want people like Ellie to be the stereotypical woman, is all I’m saying.
I’m kind of like the guy in this…. I would be stumping hastily out of the car to avoid the talking child, but if we had to spend time together (preferably without Ellie giggling idiotically from the far corner) … well, a child can win you over as a person in his or her own right.
I remember walking along and a woman in front of me had a little girl by the hand. I was in a really grumpy mood that day, ready to scowl at all and sundry, and suddenly the little girl looked over her shoulder and gave me a huge sunny smile, as though to say “hey, Diddums! Nice to see you!” (though we had never met before in our lives). A big smile spread over my face in return – it was our own secret moment and I felt much better for it.
So, you see, children don’t all run screaming round supermarkets or catapulting stones through windows (as happened to my mother once – she was just lucky she wasn’t in the room at the time, as her chair was right by the flying glass. The police said they couldn’t do anything, though it has happened to other people in the same area – the little culprit had long since scarpered).
One way or another, there was a certain dated feel about Jurassic Park, and I suspect it’s because the character Ellie was supposed to the perfect woman – beautiful, intelligent, witty, kind, and mad keen to have children. In that sense nothing has changed. Also there was so much emphasis on her being the ‘top mind in her field’ and having to defend her right to be the one rushing around waving a gun…. We can only feel women have achieved true equality when the film doesn’t even bother to mention such issues.
Aside from that niggle, it was good, as always. Later on I had this little email exchange with Mum:
Me: It was quite a good day for all that dinosaury stuff on TV – misty and cool.
Mum: Aarugh!
Me (grinning): Jeff Goldblum was the best bit. All the way through.
And so he was.
