Conflict
The first criteria
for a science fiction move is a source of conflict, or a clash between good and
evil. In theStar Wars triology, unarguably three of the best science
fiction films ever made, there was the everpresent struggle between the Jedi,the
defenders of all that was good, and the Empire, frequently reffered to as the
Dark Side. Blade Runner does contain conflict between good and evil,
however the good and evil are not as clearly defined. The viewer would assume
that the "good" in Blade Runner is the character of Deckerd played by
Harrison Ford.
Deckerd was a
"Blade Runner"(otherwise known as a bounty hunter) called out of retirement to
exterminate escape Replicants. Replicants were human-like androids designed by
the Tyrell corporation. At one point in time they were used to perform tasks
unfit for humans to do. In other words, they were slaves. They performed these
tasks until they were deemed no longer neccessary. Four of them escaped from
their enslavement to planet earth. It was Deckerd's job to retire them before
they caused any harm. It is ironic that the fact that he kills three of the five
replicants does not neccessarily distinguish him as "good." Instead it is the
fact that he does not kill all of them that qualifies him. The fifth Replicant,
Rachael, had always been unaware that she was a replicant, therefore she
developed greatly into a human-like being with many positive qualities. Although
it is his sworn duty to destroy them, Deckerd cannot find it in himself to retire
her. He more or less saw her as the human she thought she was and he develops
feelings of love towards her. This is somewhat awkward for both of them as can
be seen from the uneasiness in their faces in this clip from the movie.
The
Replicants had to be retired because they were extremely powerful and intelligent
beings that were not afraid to cause harm when neccessary. They were developed by
Tyrell, the main cause of evil in this film.
From the picture, one can see that Tyrell looked harmless,
more like your average grandmother. He was not a large burly man who could kill
with his hands. Instead, Tyrell killed through the power of his mind. Tyrell
went too far with his experimentation by trying to create human exsistance
through synthetic means. This is something that no one will ever be able to
create properly and therefore should never attempt it. By creating these
replicants, he doomed them to their miserable exsistance. This in turn spawned
the venge that they felt for humans. It is poetic justice the Tyrell met death
through the hands of one of his own creations.The
replicants create somewhat of a grey area in the battle between good and evil.
Yes, they were often simple killing machines, who could easily take a life
without remorse. However, a question arises whether they really came back to
earth to seek revenge or merely to get away from their enslavement. Roy Batty
speaks of the horrors of their enslavement in hissoliloquyat
the end of the movie. One cannot blame them for yearning to escape the turmoil
that they lived, human or not human. Perhaps they were not neccessarily "evil"
but merely naive of the fact that they did not have to kill in order to survive
and only doing what they thought was neccessary.
**Believability**
**Visual
Effects**
**Conclusion**