On the podcast this week, Steven and Sean are hunting down a cadre of murderous, doomed robots in the 1982 film from Ridley Scott, Blade Runner.
This film is set in 2019, a time that, I think it’s safe to say, most of us have lived through. We’re familiar with what 2019 actually was: mostly meh, but hey, at least there wasn’t a rampaging virus ruining everyone’s time and a bunch of dumb butts who think wearing masks is a rights issue.
This film missed the reality mark quite a bit, technology-wise. We don’t have flying cars, super photo enhancers, or robots so real that they’ve pretty much passed the Turing test. It sure would be a lot cooler if we did. Who doesn’t watch a film like this one and think, “Dang, it would be so great if I could just take a nap on a long car ride. I could if I had one of those automated, flying cars!”
Maybe it’s okay that we don’t have all those things, though? Flying cars would be amazing, but who out there wants to be killed by a robot with a grudge? I can safely say that’s not how I want to go out (I’m hoping for death by puppies).
We’d end up having to entrust our safety in the blade runners. They appear to do a dang good job of dispensing all the rogue replicants, but it seems like living in this future is a tough task. It’s pissing rain all the time, bleak mega-cities are what people call home, and I’d bet the wealth disparity is off the charts. It’s a freaking dystopia! Even Harrison Ford can’t make me want to live in this world.
Still though, it’s a damn good film that encourages deep thoughts and fun conversation. It’s truly impressive how well this film still holds up many decades after its release. It set the bar high for science fiction films and has rarely been outmatched. This one is a classic that everyone should see at least once.
(Recorded on December 21, 2020)
Links to Stuff We Mentioned:
Blade Runner trailer - YouTube
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Wikipedia
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - IMDb
Broken Toe: Symptoms, Recovery, and More - Healthline
The resolution war: is cinema falling behind home entertainment on innovation? - Screen Daily
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - IMDb
