Tech Noir: The Dystopia of Blade Runner

“The pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Parmenides taught that the only things that are real are things which never change... and the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Heraclitus taught that everything changes. If you superimpose their two views, you get this result: Nothing is real.” (Philip K.Dick)

 The 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? tells the story of Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter that exclusively hunts rogue androids.  He often feels empathy for his targets and struggles with his emotional feelings, a key human component, though none-the-less a component that is out of step with societal expectations and the requirements of his job (Dick).  The themes of dehumanization within a technological society and a philosophical analysis of what it means to be human carry over to the film based upon the novel. Ridley Scott advances the well-worn future aesthetic infused with cold sterile societal expectations from his film Alien.  Blade Runner depicts consumer society as a scarred mise-en-scène of industry built upon the foundation of rubble and debris, and in the process defines the standard for the future film noir sub-genre, “cyberpunk.” The Blade Runner landscape is defined by its use of moody sets and locations, dark cinematography, and costumes that mix real-world old and new aesthetics, while also serving up a script beautifully charged with high concept postmodern themes.

A terribly beautiful dying future.  These characters search for meaning through their rejection of pre-programmed meta-narratives handed down by their God. All of these elements form a postmodern picture of a defective, multicultural, capitalist and fascist future where the simulations are "More human than human".