The Frankenstein Myth in contemporary cinema

Abstract

Through an examination of Rocky IV, Blade Runner, and The Terminator, this essay constructs an evolving dystopian shadow myth that expresses repressed fears the culture has about its relationship to technology. In its patriarchal form, the myth depicts an increasing division of technological agency from human agent, leading toward an entelechial end of human obsolescence. If this tragic “perfection” is to be averted, the myth implies, the culture must reintegrate feminine values into its consciousness, thereby activating an oppositional entelechial motive to reidentify agent with agency.