So I'm writing a paper for my Intro to Cinema class and the movie I have to write about is James Cameron's The Abyss (1989... the one with the water tentacle alien thing)... and one of the questions I need to answer is this:

What is the value of this film to our society? Try to go beyond that of entertainment value. Explore the idea of the film being a mirror to our society; what will it have to say about the time in which it was created? For example, if we look at the films of Disney, the earlier works showed the princess waiting for somebody to rescue her vs. the more recent films when the princess either rescues herself or the prince.

So far, I have determined the theme of the movie to be 'The Human Will to Survive' but I cannot for the life of me find any sort of research, quotes, or other such articles to help me answer the question of cultural significance/value to our society...

This paper is due tomorrow, so I really need to get it done soon... I just need somebody to be like a sounding board and maybe help get the ideas flowing... hopefully somebody who has seen the movie...

Thanks in advance!

Edit: I have also already mentioned the Technological advancements made by ILM for this movie earlier in my paper...

Are you allowed to use forum posts as a resource for your paper?

I don't know, but mostly I just need somebody to bounce ideas off of...

I'd say it's more about the differences within humans than overall survival, that there will be some people who represent the best an the worst of them.

I'm confused as to whether you're asking for sources or opinions. As for cultural significance, the plot of The Abyss reflected our anxiety about nuclear war (a lot).