Blade
Runner is a very strange movie. At least top 10 strange movies out of
all the movies I have ever seen. (I've seen Pulse... that movie is
awful...) Back to the point though. While watching this movie, it was
very weird that there wasn't a huge way to declare a human from a
replicant. I think that the replicants have become so advanced in
design not even the creators could tell the difference. This may be
where the empathy tests come in. These empathy test seem like the
best way to figure out whether or not a being is an actual human, or
the man made replicant. Let's take a look at the Blade Runner Wiki's
definition of a replicant.
“A
replicant
is
a synthetic human with paraphysical capabilities. It is a genetically
engineered creature composed entirely of organic substance. …
Humanoid replicants were created for military purposes and for the
exploration and colonization of space. The Tyrell
Corporation recently
introduced the Nexus 6, the supreme replicant — much stronger and
faster than, and virtually indistinguishable from, real human beings.
Earth law forbids replicants on the planet, except in the huge
industrial complex where they are created. The law does not consider
replicants human and therefore accords them no rights nor
protection.”
I believe that with the latest advances in replicant technology, the
replicants can't even truly tell if they're human or not. Since they
look just like humans, and have organic components, it can be argued
that they are a living being. That's besides the point I want to
make. My main point is that these replicants are so advanced, they
believe that they are human. When Pris is shot and is dying, I don't
think she is having a malfunction. I think that she believed she was
truly a human the entire time she was alive, and upon being shot, she
truly realized that she could be lying to herself. The entire
freakout scene was pretty surreal. That wasn't a malfunction
happening. I believe that was pure anger that was developed by the
replicant's CPU. How do you feel about this?
I really love your thoughts on Pris' death! I never even though of the fact that she is probably so set in stone about being a human. In the movie it talks about how replicants will begin to gain emotions through their A.I. programming if they survive long enough and maybe thats what begins in Pris because dying is such a human act. Not even human but just something anything really alive goes through.
ReplyDeleteGood post Quincy, I like your idea that the newest replicants are so advanced that they believe they human. Thats an awesome idea and I think I'm going to agree with it, although I would say that instead that they know they are human, they believe that they deserve to be human. They believe that they are human ENOUGH to be allowed to live among them. Without her epic death, the great replicant debate would be entirely one-sided against the robots (or can we call them that? Clones? Creations?). In her dying moments she attempts to grasp at humanity, she TRIES to feel pain and suffering and I think she does, in her own demented way. Deckard looks on, knowing that replicants were more than just man made slaves.
ReplyDeleteI really love these arguments about man vs. machine and/or human vs. Replicant and I think yours is incredibly insightful as well... Pris doesn't think her circuit board is malfunctioning or her battery is dying. She actually believes that she is dying and her death is emotional because of that. The viewer cannot tell the difference, humans can't tell the difference, and I think you're also right when you say the creators probably can't even tell the difference. This is advanced technology. The Replicants also experience memories, making them more human and making it harder for them and the viewers to accept that they're fully machine. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYour point about Pris's death is really good, and dead on. _She_ doesn't think of herself as a machine, but as a person. It's quite clear that all the replicants feel the same way, and what's so interesting about this movie is that blurry line between what's real and what's manufactured, the question of what consciousness really is and what it makes us. I'd have liked to see the reading incorporated into this though. It's discussion of nostalgia and artificially-constructed cityscapes would have complemented this nicely.
ReplyDelete