Blade Runner is a 1980's science fiction movie that is directed by Ridley Scott, and that stars numerous well known actors, such as Harrison Ford, Sean Young, and Daryl Hannah. Although, if you are expecting a Star Wars or 2001 a Space Odyssey type movie, be prepared for disappointment. The movie is based on the story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.
Unlike most other futuristic movies Blade Runner has a dark and pessimistic view of the future. It takes place in 2019 in Las Angeles, which is full of acid rain, decaying skyscrapers, and masses of people. The movie focuses around genetically designed human replicants that have been made as slaves for the humans. At the beginning of the movie we find out that four advanced replicants, the Nexus 6, have killed a shuttle crew, and commandeered a ship back to Earth. They want to go to Earth so they can meet their designers at the Tyrell Corporation and argue for their freedom from slavery, and to exist beyond their four-year lifespan.
So, Captain Bryant forces a retired blade runner named Deckard (Harrison Ford) out of retirement so he can arrest these escaped robots. Deckard falls in love with Rachael (Sean Young), a replicant secretary at the Tyrell Corporation. The humans are completely indifferent to each other, whereas the four replicants, Roy (Rutger Hauer), Pris (Daryl Hannah), Leon (Brion James), and Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) have more human-like qualities.
Blade Runner is different from all other science fiction movies for numerous reasons, and it is this difference that makes it a classic in this genre, even though it was a commercial bust when it was released. The major aspect of this film is that it forces the viewer to become an engaged viewer, rather than...
Ridley Scott
It was pleasant to read your good essay on director Ridley Scott's thought provoking science fiction film. "Blade Runner" made me reflect on how mankind's ability to evolve technology (in this case to create amazingly lifelike automatons) may well outstrip the ability to resolve the moral dilemmas which ensue from doing so.
I think Scott was intrigued by whether we will treat our creations as disposable machines or recognize that artificial intelligence may become so highly developed that androids deserve special treatment commensurate with their unique status as copies of us imbued even with qualities such as self awareness and human aspirations.
The movie does make one wonder if our intelligence in developing human replicas will be greater than our wisdom in knowing how to accord them appropriate treatment. The film conveys the director's view that mankind cannot expect to create a class of robotic slaves without the tragic consequences which slavery brings.
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