Do androids dream of electric sheep?

Rating: 9/10 (10 August 2012)

In 1968 science fiction writer legend Philip K. Dick posed a legitimate question, asking: Do androids dream of electric sheep? Well, do they? If the thought hasn't crossed your mind yet, feel free to give it a shot... And/or try the movie version of Dick's novel, where Ridley Scott tries as well to shed some light on the matter and force us to think. And rethink again. As "Blade Runner" is indeed existential science-fiction in its purest form. Not mass audience compatible on its release, the film became cult nevertheless and Scott continued to make his own alterations, so the fifth cut was eventually labeled the final one. Voice-over, romance and additional side plots are either subdued in the current version or a thing of the past, while the central philosophical theme is now strongly emphasized, and the experience thus gets much more intense. "Blade Runner" takes place in a "retrofitted" future, in a society that has evolved, but where the intentions of the big corporations contrast with the squalor in the overcrowded streets of the megalopolis. This beautiful anti-future where man creates replicants in his own image in order to send them to dangerous, menial or leisure work on off-world colonies makes the perfect setting for the art form of neo-noir. Especially when some replicants are running wild. Time to make clear that their existence is limited.
"Blade Runner's" cultural influence has been enormous. Its visual style constituted a model for many retro-future flics to come, the underlying themes proved fascinating and have held sci-fi fans in their grip until this day - plus there's that decisive extra where Scott begs to differ from Dick's novel. The movie version for sure brings us closer to answering Philip K. Dick's initial question: Do androids dream of electric sheep? After watching we might conclude: Yes, quite likely. But at the same time there's that new question that arises, which is: What's a replicant?