Frankenstein and Bladerunner Essay

How do Frankenstein and Bladerunner reflect their Composers context? Mary Shelley’s Gothic Romantic novel Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Science Fictions Noir film Blade Runner both explore similar ideas however relative to the context in which they were both made. Both Scott and Shelley use their texts as a cautionary tale, warning humanity of their inevitable downfall through greed and the exploitation of nature, and the influence science is slowly obtaining over the role of religion. Through the use of visual and auditory techniques, Scott demonstrates how nature and religion are absent in a world overrun by consumerism and technology while Shelley similarly uses imagery and allusions to hint at the consequences humanity will suffer if they try to better God through the misuse of science and the exploitation and nature. Humanity’s rejection of the natural world in favour of the unnatural pursuit of technology to prolong life is a major concern in both Shelley’s Frankenstein and Scott’s Blade Runner. In the world of Frankenstein, nature is an important aspect of a person’s life and beliefs. Shelley conveys Victor’s desire to conquer nature through the use of his narration such as â€Å"new species would bless me as its creator†¦many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. † The monster is then used as a metaphor for the inevitable consequences of the exploitations of nature. She therefore uses Frankenstein as a warning against the rising industrial revolution. Similarly Scott uses Blade Runner to warn society against the exploitation or nature through the rise of consumerism in the 1980s. The long shot of a dark dystopian Los Angeles after the opening credits juxtaposed with jets of fire from oil refinery towers warns the viewer of the consequences of consumerism through the exploitation of nature. There is also a lack of natural imagery such as plants and animals seen in Blade Runner and the use of chiaroscuro lighting gives the world a very artificial tone indicating to the audience that nature has been destroyed.