Movies I Watched in 1993 As a Kid That Were Really About Money

When I went to watch Jurassic Park in 3D the other week, I realized that I have a different understanding of the movie than I did watching it as a kid, or rather, I watched it through the lens of an adult rather than as a child. I was the same age as the young boy in the movie, Tim, when Jurassic Park came out in 1993, so I experienced the story through him. Watching the movie again, I thought: “This is a movie about money.”

My new description of Jurassic Park: An eccentric, grandfatherly CEO uses science to clone dinosaurs for profit. He convinces two renowned paleontologists to endorse his park in exchange for giving them money to fund their research for three years. Everything goes to hell after a disgruntled computer-network engineer who believes he is poorly paid shuts down the park’s security system to steal embryos, which he intends to sell to a competitor for $1.5 million. The dinosaurs, who are minding their own business, end up eating some people.

I mean, right? This was not my understanding of the movie when I watched it as a pre-teen in 1993.

Some others from 1993:

Mrs. Doubtfire: A divorced unemployed man learns he can gain more custody time with his children if he finds a stable job and living situation. He decides to disguise himself as a British woman to work as his ex-wife’s housekeeper.

The Sandlot: A young boy steals his stepfather’s most prized possession, and his gang of friends make an attempt to help him recover it after they lose it during a baseball game. The boy is grounded for a week, but the experience ultimately inspires him to seek a career as a sports commentator for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Adventures of Huck Finn: A child and an escaped slave encounter two con men who attempt to bamboozle Anne Heche, Renee O’Connor, and Laura Bell Bundy out of their money.

Free Willy: A homeless boy steals food to survive and after being caught by police, is ordered to clean up graffiti at a theme park, where he befriends a whale named Willy. The owner of the theme park attempts to make money off of their friendship, and then decides to kill Willy to collect on a $1 million insurance policy. The boy frees the whale.

Next time: 1994

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