Blade Runner: What Is the Future of Western Society?
Blade Runner: What is the Future of Western Society?
Alexander Urazov
WRIT 140
10/25/10
Jay Fisher
Assignment #3
Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult science fiction classic, Blade Runner, has received both acclaim and criticism for its debatable vision of the future. Set in a 2019 post nuclear war Los Angles, this dark, decaying, futuristic world is home to the remaining humans of earth as the more privileged have fled to bountiful off world colonies. Enslaved Androids (called replicants), manufactured by the Tyrell Corporation, are charged with the tedious and dangerous tasks of fighting for and building these colonies and are outlawed from earth. The story follows Rick Deckard, a blade runner who is responsible for hunting down a dangerous group of six next generation replicants who escape to earth. On the surface, Blade Runner seems like sci-fi private eye story meant only to dazzle the eye with its technological cityscapes and fascinating gadgets. However, as we follow Deckard on his mission, a serious critique of moral, corporate and technological trends of the past and present emerges. Scott’s Blade Runner is stomach-churning vision of what those trends can potentially lead to.
In the world of Blade Runner, the line between technology and humanity is continuously blurred, representing the increasing presence and pervasiveness of technology in the 1980’s. This is the most evident of Ridley Scott’s exaggerations of 1980’s trends. The director presents a world in which everything is wired and technology is an inescapable part of everyone’s lives. Inhabitants are constantly bombarded with an overload of neon lights and sounds. Kevin Telfer explains that Blade Runner “Exaggerates the presence of the mass-media, evoking sensations of unreality and pervasive spectacle.” This horrific image of the future serves as a manifestation of the fears of people about the increasing role of technology in everyday life. In 1981 IBM released its first home computer with
Alexander Urazov
WRIT 140
10/25/10
Jay Fisher
Assignment #3
Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult science fiction classic, Blade Runner, has received both acclaim and criticism for its debatable vision of the future. Set in a 2019 post nuclear war Los Angles, this dark, decaying, futuristic world is home to the remaining humans of earth as the more privileged have fled to bountiful off world colonies. Enslaved Androids (called replicants), manufactured by the Tyrell Corporation, are charged with the tedious and dangerous tasks of fighting for and building these colonies and are outlawed from earth. The story follows Rick Deckard, a blade runner who is responsible for hunting down a dangerous group of six next generation replicants who escape to earth. On the surface, Blade Runner seems like sci-fi private eye story meant only to dazzle the eye with its technological cityscapes and fascinating gadgets. However, as we follow Deckard on his mission, a serious critique of moral, corporate and technological trends of the past and present emerges. Scott’s Blade Runner is stomach-churning vision of what those trends can potentially lead to.
In the world of Blade Runner, the line between technology and humanity is continuously blurred, representing the increasing presence and pervasiveness of technology in the 1980’s. This is the most evident of Ridley Scott’s exaggerations of 1980’s trends. The director presents a world in which everything is wired and technology is an inescapable part of everyone’s lives. Inhabitants are constantly bombarded with an overload of neon lights and sounds. Kevin Telfer explains that Blade Runner “Exaggerates the presence of the mass-media, evoking sensations of unreality and pervasive spectacle.” This horrific image of the future serves as a manifestation of the fears of people about the increasing role of technology in everyday life. In 1981 IBM released its first home computer with
Bibliography: Kerman, J. B. (1997). Technology and Politics in the Blade Runner Dystopia. In J. B. Kerman (Ed.), Retrofitting Blade Runner (2nd Edition ed.). Madison, Wisconsin : Univeristy of Wisconsin Press. Schloss, T. (n.d.). How Science Became God In Blade Runner. Telfer, K. (2001). Untitled. Whitehead, J. W. (2002, 12 18). Blade Runner What It Means To Be Humans In The Cybernetic State.