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Modern Monsters Essay Research Paper AUTHOR Patrick (стр. 2 из 2)

who outflank their keepers by figuring out how to propagate without males. In “Species” the alien is a

Jackie the Ripper from outer space, a praying mantis who is looking for a good mate. The most

dangerous monster in the universe, according to these films, is a woman having a child without

permission. It’s hard to miss the underlying rage against welfare moms and pregnant teens in these

movies.

Meanwhile, in “Predator,” Arnold Schwarzenegger faces off against a murderous extraterrestrial

who inhabits the jungles of Central America, and when Danny Glover confronts the alien’s

replacement in “Predator 2,” the monster has decided to visit Los Angeles, of all places. One wonders

just which aliens these movies are talking about. In a time when so much political rage is directed at

illegal aliens, it can’t be all that surprising that films like “Independence Day” would be such a hit.

Finally, there is the little matter of the bomb, or bombs. Explosives are, by far and away, the most

popular special effect in these video-arcade movies. It would be impossible to imagine a

contemporary action film or creature feature that isn’t littered with the detritus of demolitions,

preferably nuclear. Not only do these toys give us the biggest bang for the buck, they are also the

perfect tool for obliterating an enemy for whom we feel nothing but rage. Bombs are macho and

impersonal, how perfect.

Until, of course, they start going off in the World Trade Center, in front of a government building

in Oklahoma, aboard a TWA flight out of New York, or at a disco outside the Olympic Village. Then

bombs are murderous, insane, cowardly, craven, and–yes–monstrous.

We need to pay attention to the kinds of monster stories we tell. They could come back to haunt

us.