Author : Maleeha Silveira
‘Bladerunner’ is a 1982 Sci-fi movie directed by Ridley Scott based on the novel ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’ by Phillip K. Dick. The plot of the movie centres around the escape of enslaved sentient robots known as replicants from the off-world planet onto earth and more specifically a cyberpunk LA. Deckard, a Bladerunner, is an officer tasked with hunting down and ‘retiring’ replicants. The movie engages with themes of morality, agency, responsibility, cruelty and capitalism.
Cruelty
At the beginning of the movie, we are told that the AI are called ‘replicants’ who have deviated from their programming. They were intended to be used as slave labourers on off-world colonies but following a ‘bloody mutiny by a Nexus 6 combat team’ they were declared illegal on earth. The idea that Tyrell Corporation created replicants to carry out slave labour wouldn’t be such an outrageous thing if it wasn’t for the fact that the replicants were made to appear human and were sentient. To me that seems sadistic to implant memories into their minds, make them bleed a blood-like substance and to give them a four-year life span. Furthermore, we see that the character of Rachel genuinely believes she is human in the beginning and has an existential crisis due to this. We also see that despite the efforts make replicants human-like, the language used after the ‘bloody mutiny’ refers to their execution as ‘retirement’ to dehumanise them.
Capitalism
The movie is set in a futuristic, cyberpunk Los Angeles, surrounded by buildings and over-population. Featured throughout the film are advertisements on billboards and blimps, reinforcing the idea of consumerism and capitalism. But one that stands out the most is the advert for the off-world colonies. This provides a backdrop to the cruelty faced by the replicants due to their slave labour being used on these off-world colonies. Tyrell, the genius behind Tyrell Corp, is an extremely rich and powerful man because of this and he is above the law, as he continues creating replicants and using replicants despite them being illegal on earth. The idea of colonising other planets also reeks of capitalism and monetary gain. The advertisements also suggest that they are offering places to live on the off-world planets in exchange for money, meaning only the wealthiest can live there where it is not overpopulated and polluted.
Responsibility
Tyrell seems like a man who wants to play God, he doesn’t consider the consequences of creating sentient beings. I believe that if you will create such beings, you must fulfil their needs like parents bringing children into the world. Tyrell abandons his moral responsibility and even when he does experience the consequences, he continues with developing his technology. Furthermore, in giving the Nexus 6 replicants a 4-year life span, Tyrell gives them no chance of living a fulfilled life as it is only a fail-safe. Looking back on the movie one can sympathise with the plight of the replicants in the scene where Roy saves Deckard and spares him reciting the famous speech ending with the line ‘All those moments will be lost in time… like tears in rain… Time to die.’ This really drives home the poignancy of living such a short life span of 4 years and a part of that as a slave too.
Human rights
Finally, I would like to address the issue of human rights and whether they should extend to replicants. I believe that they should due to the idea that they possess what makes us human – which is free will. The sentience which they experience should allow them rights because it’s what some may argue separates us as humans from animals (though this is a discourse in itself). Human rights are something we feel extremely strongly about so far as humans have more rights than animals and other life forms on earth too. This links directly to all my previous points in that humans may have more physical needs that a replicant, but we feel like we deserve respect and are allowed to exercise our free will, which is what human rights instruments allow.
To summarise, ‘Bladerunner’ is more than just a sci-fi movie it explores interesting themes and can be read into as social commentary. Ridley Scott inadvertently explores human rights, capitalism, and ethics in a sophisticated way through his adaptation of the source material. Solidifying it as a cult classic when it comes to cinema as there is so much depth to the movie, it is truly ahead of its time.
