Predicting the future isn't easy, but "Blade Runner 2049" seems to get most of its predictions right. That's why we were so surprised to see holograms instead of companion robots in Blade Runner 2049.
Blade Runner 2049
Blade Runner 2049 is set in an environment where sea levels are rising, air quality continues to deteriorate, and runaway waste is turning Los Angeles into an endless garbage dump. 2049 focuses on a younger, more explicitly roboticized replicant, K (Ryan Gosling), whose job is to hunt down older models of replicants, and is tasked by the LAPD's hardened Army Lieutenant Josie (Robin Wright ). On a routine mission to hunt down an early-model Chain 8 replicant, Saper (Dave Bautista), K makes a surprising discovery, one that is enough to threaten the order between humans and the millions of android slaves that now exist. The replicants' obedience to humans depends on their built-in expiration date and the idea that they were created to serve their masters, something that many things can turn the system into chaos. Josh has reason to believe that this discovery by K will cause a replicant uprising, so orders K to destroy the evidence. k disobeys the order and returns to a distant farm to look for clues, however the clues are still vague because years ago, a powerful electromagnetic pulse caused the extinction of almost all data records. So K has to use old-school investigation to find Rick Decker (Harrison Ford), the previous generation of Blade Runner, and together they can crack the shocking conspiracy that is about to overthrow human society.
Serious Questions
Some serious questions have been raised recently about the future of emotions, sex dolls, the companion robot revolution, and what's next. They also raised another important question about sex dolls: "Will we make people apathetic?" Mr. Vogue's Matt Miller writes, "The highly anticipated Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to Ridley Scott's classic, does a great job of expanding on the themes and ideas of the original - a look at the changing science fiction future of near-future anti-utopia with a new, visually stunning exploration."
"In the same style as the 1982 film, Blade Runner 2049 offers a bizarre and captivating erotic picture, a scene that will be discussed by fans and critics alike for years to come." The relationship between Ryan Gosling's clone Blade Runner K and Armas' holographic companion Joey makes us think of sex dolls and companion robots, and the future of gender relations.
In the world of Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri, as well as Google's artificial intelligence assistant day and night, the relationship between human and robot or artificial intelligence suddenly becomes very real and traceable. The problem with Joey's character clearly has to do with her form; she doesn't exist in a physical sense, which prevents her from expressing her feelings - whether real or not - in the same way as a human or a replicant. This is interesting, because humans seem to be physical and emotional creatures. We must be able to see, to feel, but is it enough just to see? Do we really want to be talking to holographic portraits in 2049? I don't think so.
The sex doll revolution has already begun. Exquisite sex dolls have somehow surpassed holograms, so what about the next 10 or 20 years? Mariette, a replicator of the "basic model", is another level. A "replicant", a synthetic human, is more important than a companion robot, a sex doll, which is a more mysterious, more ambiguous future by any measure. Ethically speaking, how far are we willing to explore technology and biology? How far are we willing to push the limits of what is acceptable? Like the emotional scenes in the movie Blade Runner, and between Jaquan Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson (or at least her voice) in the 2013 film Her, sex dolls remain controversial and easily misunderstood. Interestingly, "Her" is also a film that focuses on analyzing the emotions of artificial beings - especially in a relationship.
Much has been said about sex dolls being a danger to human emotions, interpersonal, etc. Moreover, as Matt Miller points out: the film spends little time really exploring Mariette's character, and the ethics behind creating an essentially sentient sex doll. We don't know how she feels about this three-way deal, only that it's a plot device - an elaborate excuse to put a tracking device in K's jacket.
Companion Robots Aka Replicants
In the original movie, Daryl Hannah played Prius as a "basic model" replicant - a companion robot. Sex dolls are becoming increasingly popular, and the latest robot, Samantha, was even featured on This Morning. Domestic sex doll companies are also developing our own versions of intelligent sex dolls. However, it may take longer to develop a truly intelligent companion robot. Still, who can say?
