‘Blade Runner’ Is No Longer in the Future
Sad nerd news to report today. "Blade Runner," staring Harrison Ford, is NO LONGER SET IN THE FUTURE! I know, I'm sad, too. I was really expecting sexy androids and flying cars by now. The amazing 1982 film, which was based off the book "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" written by Phillip K. Dick, and brought to the big screen by Ridley Scott was set in the future -- November of 2019.
I used to laugh at the opening movie of "Demolition Man" with Sylvester Stallone & Sandra Bullock. The opening showed L.A. on fire, and the date popped up: 1996! Yeah, California has had its rough spots, but I don't remember the Hollywood sign burning to the ground due to Wesley Snipes riot-led anarchy.
While the movie got a lot of things wrong (sexy robots, flying cars & phone booths aplenty), it did get some stuff right. Like digital billboards, personal smart assistants (Siri/Alexa), video calls. Looks like, if we want to look to the past entertainment for correct predictions of the future, we'll have to keep enjoying The Simpsons.
Interesting tidbit, the term "Blade Runner," which is the job title for the android hunters, never appeared in the original book. It was a name created for the film. At least the movie stayed true to the noodle-eating scenes!