The World of Blade Runner Explained

Something else worth mentioning: the original novel, the videogame, and the RPG all suggest that Earth experienced a nuclear World War III around the late 20th century. This is given as, for instance, one of the major reasons for the abundance of artificial animals (though artificial pets may become more common IRL as "regular" climate change continues to kill our ecosystem)

I was 16 when I saw Blade Runner in 1982. I am 57 now and still find the film, and the questions it raised, very compelling.

I was working on the set of "Bladerunner" in the street scene where Rachel first appeared in that long gray coat. Everyone just stared at her silently standing there and quietly asked, "Who is THAT???" She was absolutely stunning, so perfect for the role.

There was one line that always struck me, and made my mind wander to all the distinct possibilities that this movie opened up. When Rutger Hauer's character, Roy was describing his experiences to Deckard, one of them was seeing "attack ships on fire, off the shoulder of Orion." That conjured a visual in my mind that was for me, not cinematically realized until Star Trek Deep Space Nines fleet battles with the Dominion. I look back now in awe, and think how thought provoking Roys soliloquy really was.

I used to teach Ethics in university. One of my impressions of Blade Runner, Alien, and a few other dystopian universes is the theme of technology without ethics.

I love that Blade Runner, Alien, Predator, Total Recall and Soldier all happened in the same Universe.

Cyberpunk is my favourite genre. I will never get enough of it.

What I like about 2049 is it takes the question of the original and expands upon it rather than trying to recreate it. The original deals with the question of "What is a Human?" while 2049 tackles the question "What is Real?", especially in light of a digital age (think Joi, not real, but you feel as if the relationship is and has a real impact, only for you to completely rethink the reality of it near the end when the pink Joi we see all over the advertising asks "are you a good Joe?" and we all realize it's just programming, not actual affection)

Many men are living like K is living in 2049. Loneliness, artificial gf, alcohol, repressed emotions ... If you want, make video on that part of movie. Maybe it will be helpful.

Hi Tyler, As I recall in "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", there is a couple of sentences about a failed attempt to colonise Proxima Centauri and the colonists had to return to earth. It is further stated that there are children born on the return journey and the androids tend to pass themselves as some of those children. Thx

I fell in love with the actress who plays Joi.

I think the primary message is what it means to be human. Not just sentient, but actually human. Empathy plays a huge role in that message and even 3% of humans lack empathy. When Rachel asked Deckard if he’d ever taken that test himself it was to spark the terror of someone suddenly finding out they are not human and trigger the empathy that should be born of that.

I love the art style of this genre. Great video.

What I love the most about Blade Runner is the subtle world building it does - for example the Voight-Kampff test outside control questions is almost entirely to do with animal suffering, and we're also told in the first film that most of Earth's fauna has mostly died out to be replaced with Replicant animals. This makes actual, biologically natural animals even more precious, and cruelty towards them being cast further into moral abhorrence than what it is now. Blade Runner is still my favorite film I've ever seen, I couldn't recommend it higher to people who are curious about it

Ridley Scott has said that he considers Blade Runner and Alien to be in the same universe. I personally put Predator and Soldier in there as well, and also the 1981 Sean Connery sci-fi action film Outland all in the same universe.

The original film bewildered me when it came out. 2049 I absolutely loved. Thanks for clarifying things 👍

Ridley Scott has said that Alien and Blade Runner are in the same universe as well 🤷‍♂️

Joi may have been one of the most tragic and haunting instances of intelligence in the entire movie. Partially due to her existence’s commentary of consciousness, but even simpler than that… The core struggle of the protagonist was to establish himself as a person, central to which was the idea he could love and be loved. Joi was at the center of that, his personal proof it was possible. Until that was brought into question if she was even capable of that. The sight of a Joi (not his, but one much like her) parroting her words of adoration shattered his senses of meaning. It robbed her affection and sacrifice of any of the real depth that, for all we know, she actually COULD have genuinely felt.

2049 hit me hard when I saw it in the theater. When the credits rolled, I did not move. I couldn't. I was never a BR fanboy although I thought it was a great film. But I felt like I really experienced 2049 as it was playing out. What a triumph of filmmaking.

Your explaination and overview is much better than some who just ramble on