Genre cinema is an effective background for many artists to relay deep philosophical ideas to a mainstream audience. There are often interesting and complex concepts, hidden behind simple and engaging plots and impressive visuals, in the films of popular genres such as horror and science fiction films. The relationships between man and technology, the creator and its creation are one of the most popular themes of sci-fi films. The quick development of technology in the second half of the 20th century instilled first admiration and than fear in the minds of people, which was depicted in the works of sci-fi writers and film creators. The way technology had changed society on the household and general cultural level found its reflection in science fiction as well. The cyberpunk authors of the 1980s painted a rather pessimistic picture of the world led by the quickly developing progress, while big Hollywood blockbusters used sci-fi stories and settings as simple backgrounds and plot-devices for visual spectacles, often lacking any deep insight into the topics such films could raise. This research will focus on two films representing both approaches: Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) and I, Robot (2004) directed by Alex Proyas. Both films under analysis are centered on the relationships between humans and artificial intelligence created by them, but they approach the subject with different levels of depth and accessibility for the viewer free title generator for essays
Films under analysis show the not-so-distant future of humanity, where people use artificially created beings for their comfort and progress. In Blade Runner, these creations are human-looking “replicants”, while in I, Robot, they are various robots, each having different functions. Both films are based on the literary works by acclaimed science fiction authors Philip K. Dick and Isaac Asimov respectively. Dick’s work is characterized by the Cold-War inspired paranoia and unsettling pessimism about the future of humanity. His characters often question the reality and struggle to find their place in the world of technology, and these aspects of his work are present in Blade Runner that is based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. At the same time, the film I, Robot is not directly based but inspired by the works of one of the fathers of modern science-fiction literature - Isaac Asimov, mostly by his famous concept of the ‘three laws of robotics’. Asimov’s work is known for its deep humanism and optimistic view of scientific progress; thus, the action blockbuster approach to his heritage by the creators of I, Robot is surprising and it contradicts the spirit of his work. Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is considered one of the predecessors of the cyberpunk genre in cinema. Its visual style, which is the mixture of film-noir and futurist setting and great attention to detail in its world building, has greatly influenced other works of the subgenre. The depth of the approach to philosophic aspects of technology became a template for many cyberpunk films to follow. Proyas’s I, Robot, on the contrary, is a typical Hollywood action film that uses the sci-fi plot to create a series of effects-filled set pieces. While it is not as shallow in its depiction of the future of humanity as other similar films, it never reaches the depth of the source material it is based on.
Despite their completely different approaches in the mood, visuals, and depth, both films tackle the same question: how will humanity deal with the inevitable invention of artificial intelligence and how this event will influence the self-identification of both the creation and creator. In Blade Runner, human scientists have invented ‘replicants’ - artificial humans visually indistinguishable from people who have more strength and dexterity to survive in the extreme conditions. Thus, ‘replicants’ are used for the military causes and for inhabiting the worlds with an environment not suited for humans. However, to prevent these creations from taking over the humanity, their life span is limited, which causes a revolt of the more freethinking generation of ‘replicants’ with one goal – to live longer. During a hunt for such a group of revolt ‘replicants’, a professional hunter – ‘blade runner’ Deckard (Harrison Ford) starts to question how human these creatures have become and how much humanity their existence leaves to him. Thus, the film raises a philosophical and spiritual question of what makes someone a true human. During his search for the rogue ‘replicants’, Deckard meets Rachel (Sean Young) - a female ‘replicant’, who thinks she is a human, because of the artificial memories she has been implanted with. The mere possibility of a person being a ‘replicant’ without knowing it raises even more philosophical questions and creates the most famous speculation on whether Deckard himself is human. By the end of the film, the border between humans and ‘replicants’ is almost non-existent, as the audience begins to root for Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) – the leader of the revolt creations who shows his tragic humane nature. The final shots of him dying are filled with religious symbolism (his hand is impaled which reminds of a crucifix, and a dove flies away when Roy is dead, which symbolizes his soul). The interesting element of the Blade Runner’s sci-fi universe is that artificial organisms exist throughout in it, not only in the form of replicants but also as expensive synthetic animals (an owl and a snake in particular). In Dick’s book, this is explained by the fact that all animals are extinct as the result of a nuclear war; in the film, there is no explanation. However, the viewer understands that these artificial animals are created not for the sake of saving the non-existent species but as a form of decoration. Much like the animals, the ‘replicants’ exist because of the selfish human motifs, and they are treated as objects and not as intelligent creatures. For humans, their creations are cherished as long as they remain submissive and safe, but as they become self-aware and try to disobey their masters, they become dangerous.
I, Robot depicts a similar world, in which most of the everyday household and industrial functions are carried out by robots. While machines are not mistreated as ‘replicants’ in Blade Runner, they are treated like household items, as the obsolete and broken versions of robots are disposed of despite remaining devoted to their creator and true to their programmed function. In the world of I, Robot, the mechanic creatures work according to the laws of robotics, and they are essentially servants to the people. The conflict in the world of the film is caused by the existence of two deviant creatures: a policeman Del Spooner (Will Smith), who does not trust robots despite no precedent of them being a danger to people, and Sonny (Alan Tudyk), a robot, who has artificial intelligence and can possibly break the three laws. Researchers single out the unique features that make Sonny more than a typical household appliance. Within I, Robot, various attributes of Sonny are seen to be unique and to place him apart from other robots; the fact that he possesses emotions (such as anger), his curiosity about the world and about himself, the fact that he has a secondary processing system that allows him to choose not to obey the Three Laws, the fact that he has “dreams”… Clearly some of these unique features… …are highly suggestive of moral agency or at least of metaphysical personhood.
The moral dilemma of whether Sonny can be considered a person and thus, should be treated as such, in both his rights and accountability for his actions, constitute the core moral conflict of the film, which is much deeper than a typical blockbuster film can afford to have. These characters represent two sides of technological progress: the fear of robots replacing humans of basic professions in the future and the fear of people losing control over their creations. The antagonistic operation system V.I.K.I. is also not just a simple rogue program because her attempt to take over the world is driven by her interpretation of the three laws. When people demonstrate self-destructive behavior, the computer thinks that the best way to protect them is to take over the control and to deprive the humans of their free will. Ironically, this is what people themselves do to their creations to prevent them from taking over. While the film raises interesting questions, it soon devolves into a typical scenario of ‘evil robots try to take over the world’, which displaces thought provoking ideas with mindless action scenes. Still, while the two heroes of the film, a robot and a human, find ways to cooperate to defeat the evil program behind the apocalyptic scenario, the film ends on a somber and haunting image of Sonny becoming a ‘spiritual leader’ of forgotten outdated robots, which means that the future after the film’s credits is not so bright after all.
Two films under analysis provide their unique take on the question that is inevitable with the development of computer technologies, robotics, and prosthetics.
These films speak immediately of a growing cultural concern with what might be described as an industry of human synthesis. They chronicle – and in complex ways respond to – the start of nothing less than a cultural revolution, one in which we would begin the process of remaking, reshaping, perhaps even perfecting the self, while at the same time germinating the technology that could eventuate in these same technological creations finally replacing the self.
This observation is true regarding these films, as the most effective aspect of both of them is world-creation. The films show two examples of technology-driven depictions of the future. The world of Blade Runner is a dark and depressing vision of the future, as the expert describes it: the constant sense of physical decay and disrepair in Blade Runner… …points up the interconnected patterns of “consumerism, waste, and recycling” that mark late capitalism. The crisis of self-identity of humanity is highlighted by the landscape of the city that drowns in steam and rain, with only colors being cast by the illumination of neon commercials. Researcher Scott Bukatman describes the film’s world as “cyberpunk urbanism” that “exaggerates the presence of the mass media, evoking sensations of unreality and pervasive spectacle. The researcher highlights the importance of advertisements and commercialization of technology present throughout the film in the backgrounds of the futuristic city. Such a vision of the world mirrors modern informational escapism brought by the omnipresent new media. Characteristically, the film mostly takes place at night and in its visuals, it is inspired by film-noir, the film genre heavily influenced by the post-WWII depression in the USA. As a stark contrast, I, Robot, at least in its first act, paints an inspiring and optimistic picture of the future, where robots have made human lives much easier and safer. The robots help people in making food, take care of their health, and perform hard physical labor, thus making the lives of people simpler. The film is bright and colorful in its design and even during the robot rebellion in the final act it remains the optimistic and lighthearted in mood. While there is a caution about the future of humanity during the final shot of the film, the overall vision of the future in I, Robot is presented more positively than the one shown in Blade Runner.
In conclusion, two films under discussion deal with the future world, where technology is deeply integrated into the lives of people. Their creators devote much attention to creating future societies, where people take advantage of the technological progress but consequently face its darker side. The creators behind both films have devoted much attention to making their imaginary worlds as believable and as real as possible; thus, these films work effectively on the background level. The futuristic landscapes, the interiors with various technological innovations serve the purpose of world building, and all demonstrate how inseparable from everyday lives of people the technology will be in the future. At the same time, the futuristic settings of both films provide the filmmakers with a possibility to raise important question on how the humanity will deal with inevitable challenges of technological progress. The robots in I, Robot and’ replicants’ in Blade Runner are physical representations of technology; they show how it can influence the humanity in the non-distant future by making the lives of people more comfortable and safe while creating other possible threats. Blade Runner tackles this issue on a deep philosophical level, raising the ethical question of creation, responsibility of the creator, and the essence of humanity. The film’s dark mood and brooding atmosphere reflect the more pessimistic view on the future. I, Robot, while not on par with Scott’s film, still succeeds in showing a plausible picture of the future and ends on an ambiguous note, which is a rare occasion among blockbuster sci-fi films. Still, Proyas’s film delivers a simplified version of the ideas that have inspired it, replacing Asimov’s humanism with car chases and violence against robots.