Discuss the characteristics and conventions of the Science Fiction genre in

‘Blade Runner.’

The film that changed the look of cinematic sci-fi forever, ‘Blade Runner’ has transcended its
initial box-office failure to become one of the cult films of the Eighties. Ridley Scott’s vision of a
dystopian future, where humanity comes a poor second to commerce, seems more prophetic with
each passing year. Retired Super-cop ‘Blade Runner,’ ‘Deckard’ (played by Harrison Ford), is
specialized in identifying and ‘retiring’ androids. He is persuaded back into service when a group of
‘Replicants’ illegally returns to Earth, but he soon finds himself as desperate, vulnerable and
uncertain as the ‘Replicants’ themselves.
Many elements are intertwined to create the conventional sci-fi genre such as adventure, fantasy
and occasionally horror, but fundamentally,

‘…in science fiction, science, fictional or otherwise, always functions as a motivation for the nature of
the fictional world, it’s inhabitants, and the events that happen within it, whether or not science itself is
a topic or a theme.’ (Cook & Bernink 1999, p.191)

‘Blade Runner’ follows this basic rule, but eventually creates its own ‘super genre’, as it is also a
mixture of the police/detective thriller and film noir genres. This unsurprisingly establishes a film that
doesn’t follow the familiar norm. It is interesting to note what Ridley Scott said with regards to what
drew him to the project: “I kept thinking it wasn’t really science fiction at all. In a funny kind of way, it
was a rather contemporary movie.”
Visually speaking, a film such as ‘2001: a Space Odyssey,’ brings into existence a universe of
awe and wonder, exhibits the beauty & elegance of space and demonstrates the clean lines &
efficiency of technology. Sobchack states that the visual connection between science fiction films

‘…lies in the consistent and repetitious use not of specific images, but of types of images which
function in the same way from film to film to create an imaginatively realized world which is always
removed from the world we know or know of. The visual surface of all SF film [sic] presents us with a
confrontation between a mixture of those images to which we respond as ‘alien’ and those we know
to be familiar.’ (Sobchack 1988, p.87)
 Thus ‘The major visual impulse of all SF films is to pictorialize the unfamiliar, the nonexistent, the
strange and totally alien – and to do so with verisimilitude which is, at times, documentary in flavour
and style’ (Sobchak 1988, p.88)

With this in mind, Stanley Kubrick’s film is not only a showcase of his artistic and technical genius,
but may also be seen as a rather conventional way of viewing science fiction (I say this in a purely
visual sense; as regards to the subject of essence and metaphysical exploration, the perception of
Kubrick’s film is extraordinarily inspired).
What makes ‘Blade Runner’ stand out so distinctly is its refusal to follow the traditional sci-fi film.
From the outset, you are propelled into a world of atrophy, where the city is plagued by pollution &
smog, giving a sense of darkness and decay. The audience is met by a huge LCD billboard
advertisement, the hustle and bustle of overcrowded markets, and the circus-like popularity of the
seedy nightclub, giving the indication of a future where society and it’s ideals are being rotted away
by capitalism. The fashion of the 1940’s is prominent within the film, with Deckard even wearing the
symbolic trench coat, popular among the detectives of that era. Apart from the Tyrell building (and
only in a certain degree), the architecture illustrated in ‘Blade Runner’ is of a very low-key and
traditional nature; looking more Victorian in style, opposed to the contemporary/minimalist style
common in many other science fiction films. Technology is still prominent, but used in such a way that
that it doesn’t represent itself as being particularly glamorous – which is a contradiction to that used
by ‘2001: a Space Odyssey’. The use of dark, showy effects and the feeling of despair are
reminiscent of the film noir style.
The paranoid view of the dangers of artificial intelligence developing to a degree that it might
escalate to an apocalyptic scale, is significant in ‘Blade Runner’; along side films such as the
‘Terminator’ and the ‘Matrix’ trilogy. These films all share the same despairing vision of the future,
with regards to technology and artificial intelligence.
One of the most significant aspects that separate ‘Blade Runner’ from the conventional science
fiction film is its use of the film noir and detective/suspense thriller genres. The use of elements such
as enigma and investigation are significant in the narrative structure, as is the idea that

‘…we are no longer told about a crime anterior to the moment of the narrative; the narrative coincides
with the action.’ Thus, ‘Instead of curiosity, the effect here is one of suspense…its characteristics
dovetail with the action-adventure tradition…’ (Cook & Bernink 1999, p.173)
Also, taking from Sobchack’s ideas on the connection between science fiction films, ‘Blade Runner’
goes against this normality in the sense that the concepts used are too similar to our own. This
becomes nostalgic in the form of the 1940’s detective movie and coupled with the dystopian world
that is fast becoming a reality, makes ‘Blade Runner’ more familiar in our current times, than it is
‘alien’. Even when compared with the film ‘Chinatown’, similarities in visual and narrative style can
be perceived. What is fascinating is ‘Blade Runner’s’ manipulation of the classical film noir genre

Classical noirs…abound with cases of amnesia in which the hero does not know who he is or what
he did during his blackout. Yet amnesia is here a deficiency measured by the standard of integration
into the field of intersubjectivity, of symbolic community: a successful recollection means that, by way
of organizing his life-experience into a consistent narrative, the hero exorcises the dark demons of
the past. But what in the universe of ‘Blade Runner’…recollection designates something
incomparably more radical: the total loss of the hero’s symbolic identity. He is forced to assume that
he is not what he thought himself to be, but somebody – something else. (Zizek 1993, p.11-12)

This play on film noir conventions of amnesia is taken to a greater depth, as there is the underlying
question of whether Deckard is himself a Replicant. He does not or cannot suspect that he himself
may be functioning on artificial memories, unable to ‘remember‘ or discover his true identity. Thus,

‘…Deckard – who cannot finally be sure of himself – interrogates the film for signs of authentic
subjectivity.’ (Cook & Bernink 1999, p.346)

Similarities may also be drawn between Fritz Lang’s ‘Metropolis’ and ‘Blade Runner’ with
regards to the bleak political visions of both films. ‘Metropolis’ was influenced by Marxist ideology and
the political revolution spreading across a number of countries at that time, especially Russia, where
the conditions for workers were diabolical, resulting with the workers revolting. ‘Blade Runner’, on the
other hand, seems to be motivated by the current human issues of difference – sexuality, ethnicity
and gender. When Kris recites Rene Decartes famous quote “I think, therefore I am”, it raises the
question, where do we differentiate between a human and a ‘thinking thing’, no matter what that thing
may be. Difference in ethnicity, intelligence (artificial or otherwise), even species, with regards to
animals and wildlife – how and to what quality do you measure the value of these various ‘entities’?
Another important issue that ‘Blade Runner’ cunningly poses to the audience is that of gender. The
use of the ‘full’ range of stereo-types depicted in the film is evident – Pris the sex object, Zhora the
strong & independent woman and Rachel, the vulnerable, docile, prim & proper lady. This can be
seen as how men generally view women. What is interesting is the relationship between the male
lead, Deckard, and the female characters. There is a certain amount of anxiety and dilemma involved
in his relationship with both Pris and Zhora, perhaps unsurprisingly, because they are depicted as
androids, with the gift of super-human strength, dangerous and intent on survival - no matter the cost.
This coincides with the sense of paranoia and

‘…a stress on suspicion, distrust and deceit in the depiction of relations between male and female
protagonists…’ (Cook & Bernink, 1999)

This is evident in the relationship between Rachel and Deckard, due to her being a Replicant, which
ultimately parallels the use of the femme fatale, common in the film noir genre.
Both ‘Metropolis’ and ‘Blade Runner’ can be viewed as products of they’re time. Though it must be
acknowledged that they focus on different political and moral questions, they both share a certain
pessimism of the future, though perhaps, this is a reflection of the political and moral dilemma of the
period they were made in.
To be fair, ‘Blade Runner’ should be categorized in the science fiction genre. But ultimately, it
establishes itself as much, much more; revising and incorporating within itself the traditional film noir
and detective/thriller genre, which is constantly felt throughout the film. But perhaps more importantly,
the intelligent way it raises certain moral questions, with regards to the Replicants search for their
‘souls’ and consequently, their ‘humanity’ and at the same time questioning our own morals and
beliefs – all of which marks ‘Blade Runner’ (even after repeated viewing) as a timeless masterpiece.

References
Cook, Pam and Bernink, Mieke (1999) The Cinema Book. London: BFI Publishing
Sobchack, Vivian (1988) Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film. New York: Ungar
Zizek, Slvoj (1993) Tarrying with the Negative. NC: Duke University Press