“We can storm Eden!” Wallace crows as he examines a new replicant model, which he promptly discards for sterility, implying that a woman’s only value lies in a functional uterus. Lines about souls, angels, and miracles induce groans. Replicant procreation is a major theme, and inventor Wallace spews claptrap about “barren” models that would not sound out of place in the most stuffy scripture. Ham-fisted biblical motifs (and at least one straight quotation) weigh down the cliché-riddled dialogue. None display complexity or agency, making them little more than humanoid props rather than fully realized female characters. The only woman in a seeming position of power, K’s police chief, drinks on the job and doesn’t question her subordinate’s obvious omissions. Luv serves Wallace Joi serves K replicant prostitutes and holographic dancing girls abound to titillate male viewers on both sides of the screen. In this sexist sci-fi, women can’t be real for themselves: their sole function is as objects for male use, and as such they serve only two purposes.įirst, catering to men. “I want to be real for you,” Joi coos to K before syncing her image on a prostitute she hired as her proxy. Ego-boosting algorithms! (“I always told you you were special!”) Grateful for your attention, but never needy, Joi even pauses automatically for incoming messages! No pesky autonomy in this little lady, just shove her in your emitter and take her out when you’re ready to play.
BLADE RUNNER 2049 SEXIST PORTABLE
Joi the holographic housewife can’t exceed the radius of her projector until K buys her a special emitter device that makes her portable later, she begs him to transfer her into that device so she can accompany him, even though it risks her existence.Įnterprising women’s studies majors could probably write entire theses just on the topic of Joi. An immunocompromised woman who specialized in fabricating memories for replicants lives in a glass enclosure. The mystery kicks off with the discovery of a female skeleton, found in a box, buried in the earth. (Image from )Īll the film’s women are caged. Blade Runner 2049 is basically this for three hours: shiny, shallow sexism.
His quest for the truth wends through almost three hours of increasingly disturbing misogyny played out on a shiny-but-shallow noir stage. K, a replicant “blade runner” hunting rogue machines for the LAPD, discovers evidence of something believed impossible: a replicant child who was born, not made. The garishly sexist 2049 comes across, at best, as a culturally tone-deaf spinoff, and at worst as reactionary conservative propaganda disguised as science fiction.
BLADE RUNNER 2049 SEXIST MOVIE
It would, but this movie caters exclusively to the male gaze. Thus the early trailers for Blade Runner 2049 caught my interest: wouldn’t it be fascinating to explore the replicant future through more egalitarian, modern eyes? Although I enjoyed some of the concepts, the dated portrayals of women in both versions rankled me. Dick’s story “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, inspiration for the iconic movie “Blade Runner”. I recently undertook a campaign to study more canon science fiction classics, such as Philip K.