A Question of Humanity?

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 1999)

How do we know that we are human, and if we are human, what does it mean to be human? These two philosophical inquiries are explored at great length in Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" The film is based on Philip K. Dick's great novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" The inquiries that I have just mentioned were originally present in the novel, and despite much academic criticism, they are also present in "Blade Runner"
In a sense, it is difficult to discuss the film without discussing in terms of the novel, so I will make constant comparisons in this review. Many critics have argued that the awesome visual effects and stylish cinematography overwhelm the content of the story and themes. This response is not entirely uncommon, despite the huge cult following the "Blade Runner" has accumulated. The film does not deserve such criticism. On a second viewing of the film, the spectacular effects do not overwhelm the story. We can understand that the visuals depicting Los Angeles in the year 2019 help to advance the themes. Many critics miss the human side of the story, or lack there of, and may object to the powerful visuals for this reason. It can be argued that the visuals serve to portray a dehumanized world where only subtle signs of humanity's existence are dispersed throughout, where existentialist notions such as what being human is and what being human means are not easily answered. In a way, each medium reinforces the other. There are many obvious differences between the novel and the film, but they essentially complement one another in result.
"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" has two primary themes, which are also present in "Blade Runner". The first is what constitutes the essential human being and how we distinguish the essential human being from that which only masquerade as human. And the second theme is that if you fight evil, you will wind up becoming evil. In the film, we have the character of Deckard who is becoming more and more dehumanized throughout the story, and the replicants are becoming more and more human. At the end they meet and the distinction is gone.