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Juan A Valdez
October 24th, 2011
Media Studies
Dr. Justin Blessinger
Blade Runner: Man Makes His Match
Richard Pope wrote, “Contrary to common understanding, fantasy and reality are not
opposed.” (Pope). The conflict between the hyper-real and reality itself is one of the main
thematic elements of the film Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott and released in 1982
(Blade). The film draws heavy influence from Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation, and
wrestles with the concept of hyperrealism. Since man was first cursed
with philosophers, one of the riddles
that have plagued those brave few
was the nature of human mortality;
humanity will always seek to validate
its own existence. This essay will
wrestle with the concept of human
existence presented in Blade Runner,
and answer the question that has
Pedestrians walk as a huddled mass in 2019 Los Angeles. Note the
dark garb and heavy rain, accented by the glowing umbrella. Blade
Runner combines a realistic, gritty feel with an oozing sense of
inescapable progress. (Blade)
plagued the movie’s viewers since the
film was initially released: Was Deckard a replicant, and why does it not matter?
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On the surface, Blade Runner presents a simple detective story with a neo-dystopian
twist. However, under careful examination, the film questions several notions that at first
glance sink beneath the surface; primarily, the existence of machines that are identical to
humans. One replicant in the film, Rachael, was not even aware that she was an android.
Implanted memories and corroborating witnesses allowed her creator, Dr. Eldon Tyrell, to keep
Rachael as a secretary, under the premise that she is an ordinary human serving a pedestrian
role in society. The character obviously feels the pain and other emotions felt by other humans
and replicants in the film. Rachael might even be regarded as the second lead of the
production, in no small part to the touching and evocative performance displayed by actress
Sean Young (Blade). Rachael’s presence as a character is destabilizing to the viewer. In the
presence of such a compelling character that is, without a doubt, a machine created in a
factory, the question of, “Who in the film is human?” springs forward. The protagonist,
Deckard, is the obvious choice of character to apply this question.
Both Rachael and Deckard display the “Eye Glow” phenomenon used by Ridley Scott to indicate that the being
in question is artificial. Some critics argue that Deckard’s Glow is merely accidentally defused light. (Blade)
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Many viewers of the movie fall into one of two camps: The first believing that Deckard is
a replicant; the second insisting that Deckard is human. Jenna Tiitsman writes in her essay on
Destabilized Humanity in Blade Runner, “Not only are we unable to locate a clear hero with
whom to identify, we can barely determine whether these hero-villians are human or replicant
to begin with.” (Tiitsman). Following Deckard through the film, there is evidence that both
parties are correct in varying degrees. Deckard’s character is constantly being shadowed and
supervised by a mysterious character named Goff. Goff is endlessly fiddling with origami craft,
and cryptically presents a number of these figurines to Deckard. At the end of the film, Deckard
is fleeing his life with Rachael and as he exits his apartment, finds a small origami unicorn;
exactly what Deckard had dreamed of earlier in the film during a surreal dream sequence. This
would be an impossible coincidence if he were human, but not so unlikely if his consciousness
was artificial and Goff was afforded a glimpse into his facsimile of a mind. One of the effects
that director Ridley Scott uses as an indicator of being artificial is a particularly noticeable glare
in the eye. This is demonstrated to the audience using an artificial owl, whose eyes gleam with
the replicant sheen. A number of characters possess this side-effect of artificiality and reveal
their true nature to the audience at choice moments, typically whilst a very emotional scene is
taking place. At one point in the film, even Deckard displays the glow. It could be argued that it
was just an accidental light reflection, but Ridley Scott is not known for his sloppiness. Vangelis,
who composed and played the haunting soundtrack for Blade Runner, described Scott in an
interview with Nemo Studios, "Ridley (Scott) is passionate, a perfectionist, and his films have a
striking visual input, so our collaborations were bound to be strong." In addition to the dream
sharing and eye glare, Deckard displays emotional responses similar to the replicants. "The
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replicants non-humanity is further emphasized by the fact that they have no memory, past
identity, and by extension, no soul." (Doll). Immature is an apt description of the replicants.
They kill, but they have no concept of death; they petulantly manipulate others, but they have
no grasp on why cruelty is considered wrong. As the film progresses, the surviving replicants
begin to grow emotionally, which comes to climax when the antagonist, Batty, goes through the
stages of guilt, comes to terms with his own death, and then acts upon feelings of mercy and as
the last act of his own stunted life, saves Deckard from certain death. Deckard also seems to
struggle with unfamiliar feelings that one
would assume he has encountered previously.
He acts upon emotions as they arise, and
wrestles with his murder of the human
simulacrums, eventually even having a tryst
The infantile replicants taunt one of their creators as they
threaten him for information. Note the eyes that are a large
thematic element in Blade Runner. (Blade)
with Rachael. One particular scene depicts
Deckard forcing Rachael to kiss him, like an
emotionally stunted child. All of these things are not typical of emotionally secure adults, and
indicate that Deckard is beginning to experience feelings of guilt and attraction for the first
time. One of the replicants, Zhora, is murdered as she fled Deckard. He narrates, "The report
read 'Routine retirement of a replicant.' That didn't make me feel any better about shooting a
woman in the back." (Blade). Susan Doll and Greg Faller describe the scene: "Visibly shaken,
Deckard for the first time discovers "feelings" for the replicants." (Doll). The red eye glare,
shared dreams, and emotional deficiency lend strong credence to the argument of Deckard
being a synthetic creature. In contrast, his relative fragility and copious injuries are the primary
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evidence that Deckard is a natural-born human. All of the other replicants in the film receive
immense bodily trauma and horrific wounds, but manage to function as if nothing has changed.
Deckard, in contrast is weak, and easily defeated in physical combat. In addition, if the audience
takes the script at face value, characters speak to Deckard with a definite sense of history,
spanning decades. The most advanced form of replicant life can only survive four years, and
their accelerated deterioration is a
major plot point of the film. Deckard
has seemingly existed for many
more than four years. These
conflicting clues have confused
viewers as to the nature of Deckard's
humanity.
When all of the evidence is
presented, a conclusion on Deckard's
The image is of a reflection of the Los Angeles mega-sprawl
in an eye. Blade Runner consistently uses imagery of eyes as
a thematic element. (Blade)
humanity is difficult to reach. He has qualities that firmly belong in the replicant camp, and
qualities that firmly belong in humanities'. However, this discrepancy only serves to distract the
audience from the true question that the film posits: Does Deckard being human even matter?"
In the context of the film, humanity and replicants are for all purposes identical. The replicants
may have enhanced strength and a high capacity for damage, but Deckard manages to
challenge these post-human figures with a simple hand gun and achieve victory. The humans in
the film have little compassion or even the capacity to realize that the replicants are not simply
malfunctioning equipment. Every human character in the film condones the cold-blooded
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murder of a race of android slaves, even faced with the realization that they can reach humanlevel consciousness. Though some of the humans do not speak about the topic of replicant
genocide on Earth, all of them who do not discuss the topic continue to work with, or for, the
mega-corporation that is assisting the police in systematically murdering the human
doppelgangers. Worse, the humans seem to be automatons themselves; they are constantly
dreary and coldly calculate the best course of action without regard for the consequences to
others. The setting and mood reflect this fact as well. The cityscapes and dark alleys, all human
creations, are much like their character counterparts: dark, wet, and cold. Tiitsman writes,
“The film goes to great lengths in humanizing the replicants (their emotionality is almost
overwhelming, verging on the comedic in its intensity and in the sheer volume of tears shed)
and to dehumanize its human characters, who barely exhibit emotion outside of smug or
indecipherable expressions.” (Tiitsman) The infant-minded replicants are in a constant state of
fear for their lives as they flee the authorities and attempt to reach their goals. All of replicants'
emotions are in a constant state of flux and broadly on display. Like children, they are
presented with horrific situations for the first time and react with all the vigor a child would in a
post-human body. Refusing to accept their terminal life-span of four years, the group depicted
in the film attempt to search for a cure to the inevitability of death, all while being tracked and
murdered by Deckard. Even in their brief, fear-filled lives, the replicants show more of an
interest in humanity than the actual humans do. In one of the final scenes of the movie,
Deckard is saved from a plummet to certain death by Batty, right as Batty's life ends due to the
built-in four year kill switch. This is the climax of the film, and the most significant indicator of
the replicant's humanity: Roy Batty saves the life of the man who has killed all of his family, and
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just attempted to murder him. He surpasses the baser instincts of revenge, anger, hate, fear,
and instead chooses mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. This exchange is the central to the
theme of the film. Replicants were designed to be better than human, and their creators
succeeded; not only physically, but on a moral level that reserved only for humanity. While the
question of Deckard's humanity is interesting to pursue, Blade Runner quite clearly states that
the line between human and replicant is uncharitable at best and non-existent at worst. Jean
Baudrillard writes in his infamous essay tackling hyperrealism, Simulacra and Simulation, “The
simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth--it is the truth which conceals that there is
none. The simulacrum is true.” (Baudrillard). Deckard being either human or replicant is
irrelevant.
"The endeavor of being human is a
task that can fail and go wrong, but it is
also a task one can embrace, and thereby
leads one to live ethically; that is, living in
accordance to one’s existence." writes
Dorte Odde on the nature of humanity
(Odde). Blade Runner asks the viewer to
consider the very nature of what it means
to be human, whilst using the example of
functionally identical non-humans to
Roy Batty catches Deckard, saving him from death. Note the
nail through Batty’s hand. Much like Jesus Christ, who died
attempting to save man, Batty dies saving Deckard. (Blade)
explore the concept. David Cadwell writes on the philosophical question asked by Blade Runner,
“What is Human? What makes us Human? What does it mean to be Human? As time goes by,
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these questions, the influence of Blade Runner and the future it presents, all become more
relevant to us.” (Brooker). It certainly is not whether one is made of flesh or machine, as the
replicants casually blur that line by being composed of synthetic organs and flesh. It is not a
matter of life span, or memories, as these things are present in Rachael, who had an artificial
consciousness placed into her at inception. Emotion is certainly not the sole domain of
humanity, as the replicants consistently demonstrate more emotion that the humans in the
film. Humans and replicants are, to all appearances, one in the same. Plato's Allegory of the
Cave is comparable to the presented quandary, “To them, I said, the truth would be literally
nothing but the shadows of the images.” (Plato). The men in the cave have no concept of
anything beyond the scope presented to them via the shadows. In the same way as the men
cannot know why they were held in place and forced to watch shadows dance, humanity
cannot know for what, if any, purpose or design they were created; humans are only able to
view what is presented to them, and they have no cosmic view on their existence. Using the
analogy of the "Shadows on the Wall," if a man was presented an image identical to humans,
like the replicants, without any evidence to the contrary, he would assume they are humans.
Jean Baudrillard attempts to define the separation between the real object and the simulacrum,
“Whereas representation attempts to absorb simulation by interpreting it as a false
representation, simulation envelops the whole edifice of representation itself as a simulacrum.”
(Baudrillard). So the viewers of Blade Runner must view the replicants as human, as they are
identical in almost every way. Humanity then, does not reside in the presence of emotion,
flesh, or memory; humanity is in the realm of the metaphysical, a human concept, and
therefore only recognizable by humans. Throughout the majority of the film, Batty is a force of
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violence and murder. This pattern is foiled by the ending, in which Batty rescues his greatest
foe, Deckard. Roy Batty demonstrates the capacity for a concept he had no comprehension of
at the beginning of the film: the value of human life. Batty is able to see value in the immaterial
concept that once belonged only to humanity, he has transcended from mere simulacrum to
the real thing. Roy Batty died a human
being not due to appearances, but because
he saved another man’s life. Jenna Tiitsman
describes the scene, “When Roy
contemplates his own approaching death,
kneeling on the roof in a downpour, he
remarks to Deckard that his memories will
be ‘lost in time like tears in the rain.’
Batty murders his creator Dr. Tyrell. The prodigal son
returns, and the father who welcomes with open arms has
his eyes plucked. Tyrell’s glasses shielded his eyes from
the world, but not against his own creation. (Blade)
Deckard finally offers an emotional response as his own tears join the falling water.” (Tiitsman).
The last spoken line in the film is a shouted echo by Goff speaking of Rachael, "It's too bad she
won't live. But then again, who does?” Goff’s quote cements the film’s stance on the nature of
man. Rachael is just as much as alive as Deckard, Goff, or any other character in the film. Goff is
aware that Rachael is a replicant and familiar with her limited life-span, but to interpret his
statement at face value would be negligent. He is speaking directly of humanities’ fragile
nature, and the fact that even though she is a replicant and will die in time, humans all
eventually decease, so her relative fragility only makes her that much more identical to a
human. Micah Sadig writes of human self-recognition, “Although we live and satisfy our needs
as one of the creatures of this planet, somehow we are, at least, dimly aware that we are not in
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concert with nature; a sense of ‘not belonging’ often permeates our thoughts.”(Sadig). It seems
that by creating inherently flawed beings, humanity successfully replicated themselves in body
and soul.
It is clear that Ridley Scott can be forgiven for crafting a narrative with such contrary
details. The question of Rick Deckard’s humanity is one that need not ever be solved in light of
the films’ true message. Instead, using themes of hyper-reality and self-examination, Blade
Runner neatly skirts the conflict altogether and instead raises a more interesting question
regarding humanities’ own existential attitude. Man created its match, and completely
destroyed the concept of man. Never before has a film so ironically subscribed to the
Baudrillardian definition of simulacrum.
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Work Cited
Baudrillard , Jean. Simulacra and Simulation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1994.
Blade Runner. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Harrison Ford. Warner Bros. Pictures, 1982. Film.
Brooker, Will. The Blade Runner Experience. New York: Wallflower Press, 2005
Doll, Susan, and Greg Faller. "Blade Runner and Genre: Film Noir and Science Fiction."
Literature Film Quarterly 14.2 (1986): 89. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 19
Oct. 2011.
Nemo Studios. "Working With Scott" Nemo Studios. Web. 2011.
Plato. Republic. Books I, II, IV and "The Myth of the Cave: From Book VII." Morality and the
Good Life: An Introduction to Ethics through the Classical Sources. 5th ed. Eds. Robert C.
Solomon, Clancy W. Martin, and Wayne Vaught. Trans. G.M.A. Grube. Boston: McGrawHill, 2009. 81-104
Pope, Richard. "Affects of the Gaze: Post-Oedipal Desire and the Traversal of Fantasy in Blade
Runner." Camera Obs Baudrillard cura 25.73 (2010): 69-95. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. Web. 18 Oct. 2011.
Odde, Dorte. "Motivation and Existence." Existential Analysis: Journal of the Society for
Existential Analysis 22.1 (2011): 56-69. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 19 Oct.
2011..
Sadigh, Micah. "The Foundation of Existentialism in the Oldest Story Ever Told." Existential
Analysis: Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis 21.1 (2010): 76-88. Academic
Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 23 Oct. 2011.
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Tiitsman, Jenna. "If Only You Could See What I've Seen with Your Eyes: Destabilized
Spectatorship and Creation's Chaos in "Blade Runner.." Cross Currents 54.1 (2004): 3247. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 22 Oct. 2011.