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The Blade Runner: Reflection Of Humanity, And Science-Fiction

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Science-fiction often shows a vision of the future, where science and technology have the appearance of helping humanity, but are actually hurting it. An essential component of sci-fi, is it’s ongoing conflict between technology and nature or humanity. In Blade Runner 2049 (dir. Villeneuve, 2017), this is a prominent theme, as the plot follows replicant Officer K, in search for the miraculous child of a replicant, and his struggle to find his own identity. Science-fiction is a genre that allows society to view themselves in a detached way, where they have no connection to the situation of the character on screen, but understand that the movie is a reflection of humanity. The movies central theme of identity can only be looked at by its comparison to artificial intelligence, and what it means to be ‘alive’ as a replicant. Blade Runner 2049’s genre of science-fiction, allows its central theme of identity to be explored, through it’s identifiable lack of humanity and nature, reflection of humanity, and …show more content…

An example of this, is the movie Gattaca (dir. Andrew Niccol, 1997), where genetic engineering has lead to a society of beings whose every gene has been specifically created to form a ‘flawless’ human being. Humans whose genes have not been genetically altered are seen as lesser, and not as capable or competent. In this film, the main character’s genes have not been altered, but he illegally takes the identity of a genetically engineered man in order to have the opportunities that are not offered to someone without altered genes. His humanity, allows his to thrive in this setting, as he is more willing to take risks and is not held back by a future that has been planned out for him. This control of what once was organic, erodes on humanity’s sense of individualism, and inherently changes what is natural, or even human, about

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