7 hidden inspirations behind Blade Runner that shaped its haunting world

Every era has imagined the future world with flying cars and robots to do all the chores, and one of the movies to show this concept was Blade Runner. Just like right now, everyone imagines what the world would be in 2050; in 1982, people had a completely different view of 2019.

They thought 2019 would have androids and space colonies, but little did they know that the only things 2019 would be known for are the Jonas Brothers reunion, Brexit, and the famous Instagram egg. Ridley Scott's sci-fi thriller Blade Runner was based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and makes you wonder whether to be scared of the future or look forward to it.

Blade Runner follows a weary ex-cop, Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, who is tasked with exterminating a group of rogue androids. But as he investigates further, he discovers that the conspiracy goes deeper than it appears. Sounds eerie, right? That's because behind all the synth and robot rebellion are multiple inspirations that made it into the memorable saga fans know today.

---

7 hidden inspirations behind Blade Runner that shaped its haunting world

Blade Runner is a sci-fi thriller, and watching it feels like a time traveller's fever dream—and that’s no coincidence. The film is a mix of many literary, philosophical, and architectural references that shaped its bizarre world. Here are 7 such inspirations that you might not know about.

1) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

In 1968, Philip K. Dick published a novel called Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and it became the base plot for Blade Runner. In Dick's novel, real animals are almost extinct, and the few remaining are owned by the rich; poor people can only afford an electric version of them.

Also, people are assisted by androids called Andys, and Rick Deckard is given the task of retiring the ones that have gone rogue. Although the film doesn't have the same plot as the book, the idea of real vs. illusion and humanity vs. AI remains central.

Dick was a government conspiracy theorist and had a keen interest in AI and fake realities. Sadly, he passed away before the film's release, but he was able to see some of the footage.

---

2) Noir Films of the 1940s

The visual aesthetics of the film are inspired by the noir film genre from the ’40s. It is a detective genre known for shadowy visuals, a scornful protagonist, and a beautiful seductress. Blade Runner blends this genre with a futuristic backdrop and creates a visually striking story.

Deckard is the cynical antihero who is sad and possibly drunk. The city has turned dark and is drowning in moral ambiguity, and Rachel, the android, is the femme fatale with a fur coat and lots of mystery. It is one of the best representations of a disgruntled hero trying to do good in a crumbling society; this time, he does it with lasers.

---

3) Metropolis (1927)

Before Blade Runner and I, Robot showed people a glimpse of what a futuristic world could look like, in 1927, Fritz Lang practically invented the dystopian genre with his masterpiece, Metropolis. The film was way ahead of its time with towering skyscrapers, a stark class divide, and robot rebellion.

It became the blueprint for Blade Runner. It is said that Ridley Scott watched the film on loop during production to take in every aspect of the classic masterpiece.

---

4) Cyberpunk and Japanese culture

Many of Blade Runner's aspects draw influence from various cultures and architectures around the world, particularly from Japan. Although the film is set in Los Angeles, the streets are based on Tokyo's Shinjuku district. It looks like a futuristic version of the famous district.

Besides that, many tidbits of Asian culture can be seen throughout Blade Runner, like the neon kanji signs, street food markets, and the mixed dialects. This was a reflection of Japan's growing economy and rising global influence in the ’80s.

Also, the film paid homage to cyberpunk culture and blended it with uber-cool tech, urban decay, and a globalized future.

---

5) Pinocchio meets Frankenstein

The film has taken inspiration not just from pop culture but also from classic literature. The replicants, the resident poet Roy Batty, and the highly ignorant Rachael are all ultimate Frankenstein creatures. They are artificial, want love, and fear being destroyed—just like Frankenstein's monster.

Besides that, the delusional Rachael, aka Pinocchio girl, doesn't know the reality that she is a robot and not a real girl. She is flabbergasted when she gets to know the truth; her whole reality breaks, and she goes through an existential crisis.

---

6) Nietzsche, Freud, and Buddha

Besides being a full package of sci-fi action thriller, Blade Runner is also a philosophical box of chocolates—you won't know whether you'll get Nietzsche, Freud, or Buddha. The film asks a fundamental question: When A.I. tries to take over, what does it mean to be human?

Do artificial intelligences have souls? And most importantly, why weren’t the replicants made waterproof? There are hints of Nietzsche, Freud, and Buddha throughout the film, especially in the scenes with Batty.

His final monologue, when he accepts death, is the best example of it. The film shows that even with their immense emotional intelligence and short lifespan, the replicants were more "human" than real humans.

---

7) Climatic and tech crisis

Besides art and pop culture, the film takes inspiration from the real happenings of the world. The scary setting of the world with smog-filled skies, dead animals, overpopulation, and environmental decay wasn’t imagined as a part of a dystopian future. These were the realities of the U.S. in the 1970s and the 1980s.

The oil crisis and the tech anxieties of the Reagan administration were all real concerns that the U.S. faced. The film is set in 2019, and while there were no flying cars and replicants in 2019, what was real was the surveillance capitalism, artificial meat, and AI.

---

When Blade Runner was released, it faced some level of criticism and confused looks from critics and audiences alike. But over time, the film became a cult classic and one of Harrison Ford's most loved performances. The inspirations didn't just shape the story but also became part of the blueprint of how the future is imagined.