Futurecop

Both in what it shows and in what is absent from it, Blade Runner (1982: deviates in morally significant ways from the 1968 novel by Dick on which it is based. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? precariously balances two themes connected with the “replicants”: they represent the oppressed and exploited in capitalist society and at the same time embody the danger of humans becoming mechanized. The logical nexus between these two thematic ideas is provided by Mercerism and its attendant test for empathy as the factor distinguishing humans from androids. Ridley Scott’s film version, on the other hand, omits Mercerism entirely; and while it “humanizes” the replicants more than Dick’s book does, this finally exacerbates the problem arising from Blade Runner’s emphasis on violence in its depiction of their “termination.” The film does evoke feelings of resentment and anger against a repressive status quo; but it finally turns those feelings on the very entities rebelling against the system, even as its imaging of their violent deaths would persuade viewers of the futility of rebellion. This “catharsis” of antagonism towards the abuses and waste of the present system is radically at odds with Androids’ message. (RMP)

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