Feminists are disturbed by the traditional gender roles displayed by the male and female leads in the trailer for the upcoming release Jurassic World. Thankfully, lead actor Chris Pratt has issued a preemptive “apology” via Facebook for anything that might be said, not said, or even implied when he embarks on press junkets to promote the movie.
According to Hollywood director Joss Whedon (The Avengers), based on simply the trailer alone, the male/female relationship is straight sexism out of the 1970s. Before he swore off Twitter for good, the director tweeted: “…and I’m too busy wishing this clip wasn’t 70’s era sexist. She’s a stiff, he’s a life-force – really? Still?”
That was in response to a tweet by feminist entertainment blog The Mary Sue indicating that they were too busy “fanning” themselves over Pratt.
The New York University blog NYULocal picked up on Whedon’s assessment and agreed that a more progressive take would have been apropos:
Joss Whedon’s tweet wasn’t so wrong though. Upon viewing the Jurassic World clip it’s immediately apparent that Pratt and Howard’s characters fall into stereotypical tropes that are less than progressive. It’s nice that Bryce Dallas Howard plays a female scientist, but if she’s just going to play it straight-laced and one-dimensional the role isn’t really making great strides for women in show business. And the fact that Chris Pratt’s chill, fun-loving character doesn’t stop with his entendre-filled come-ons after Howard’s character rebuffs his advances is disrespectful.
It’s 2015, and there’s no excuse for not writing complex, three-dimensional characters.
And because of today’s progressive fake-outrage culture, Pratt decided to issue a pre-apology for things he hasn’t even said yet. Taking a cue from his Avenger friends who were recently accused of saying anti-feminist remarks about their co-stars during their press tours for The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Pratt wrote the following on Facebook:
For the last word on this topic, Kemberlee Kaye said it best via Legal Insurrection.com:
I don’t want to see a dinosaur movie that doubles as an exposé illustrating how so and so broke free from the chains of a gender stereotype in order to accomplish a ground-breaking scientific feat, because newsflash — NO ONE CARES. Cripes. We hardly get any dinosaur movies as it is, is it too much to ask that they come without social commentary?
Watch the “ultra-traditional” Jurassic World trailer below:
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