Blade Runner
How do sci - fi caption Phillip K. Dick ’s movie adaptation rank ? Dick is one of the most influentialsci - fiauthors of his contemporaries . With forty - four novels and more than one hundred short stories published , his works have inspired myriad skill fiction stories and creator . His writing explored the meaning of reality , perception , and identity ; themes that still resonate with audience to this day . Not only his fib have been adapted into strip , songs , TV shows , and movies , but they also mold Ursula K. Le Guin , the Wachowskis , Charlie Kaufman , Darren Aronofsky , Terry Gilliam , and Christopher Nolan , to name a few . FromBlade RunnertoThe Matrix , fromTV shows to funnies , there is no deny that Phillip K. Dick has influence modern science fiction .
However , the very nature of Phillip K. Dick ’s stories intend not all adaptations are successful at translate his themes and narrative way . This is especially true with motion-picture show because of the nature of Dick ’s narratives . One of the main focus of his works is reality and how it ’s mold by percept . Often , his characters are unreliable narrators , likeKeanu reef ' Bob Archer , either incompetent of adjudicate what is real or not or experiencing substitute reality , dreams , and or drug - induced trip-up that muddle sensing . He also played with the notion of humanity : what it is and what it means to be human . From androids to a collective awareness , Phillip K. Dick arrange into motion what it is the railway line between human beings and humane . All of these elements are not easy adapt to the big blind .
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Because Phillip K. Dick ’s stories can be too short , too complex , or simply too visually grueling to translate , the safe pic adaptations are n’t necessarily the most precise to his plot of ground , but the ones that capture and explore his pet themes using the tools of movie theatre as creatively and innovatively as he did with the written word . Ideally , the best movies also had the same or similar shock on the genre as Phillip K. Dick did on sci - fi literature , influencingscience fictionin a major agency . With that in mind , here ’s a ranking of every Phillip K. Dick sci - fi movie version from bad to in force .
12. Impostor (2001)
One of the issues with accommodate a Phillip K. Dick poor story is that sometimes there is n’t enough plot to sustain a feature pic . This seems to be the slip withImpostor . The original story remains the same : humanity is fighting against an exotic intrusion , and the aliens are using human replicants as artillery to infiltrate and harm social club . The principal character - played byGary Sinise- is accused of being a replicant and spends the rest of the picture show test to prove his humanity . While a faithful adjustment , critics and audiences were not impressed by the manager ’s style or the weave stride .
11. Next (2007)
Starring Nicolas Cage , Nextloosely adapts the short story “ The Golden Man . ” The key term here is “ loosely ” as the only element these two share is a character who possess the power to see into the future . In the original story , two administration agents run down a variation with the power to see the future , but while they carry off to conquer him , he uses his powers of conquest to escape after impregnating the distaff broker . The story is more about the future of humanity and what use these human mutants will play . Meanwhile , in the motion-picture show Nicolas Cage plays a thaumaturge who can see into the future and is prosecute by FBI agents who need him to stop a atomic terrorist attack . A people of plot of land holes and a shaky grasp at what makes a goodPhillip K. Dicktwist ending make this movie at well forgettable .
10. Screamers (1995)
Screamersis an version of Phillip K. Dick ’s shortsighted story “ Second Variety . ” The pic changes the setting from the Soviet Union struggle a state of war with the United Nations to two fictitious sect in a conflict over a natural resource ( an important idea that would become increasingly important to sci - fi movies likeAvatar ) . However , its main plotline remains the same : ego - copy motorcar turning on their creations , a radical present in the original . Although its modified budget did it no favors , the movie was able to enamour the paranoia of “ Second Variety . ” Sadly , in the oddment , its fidelity did not affect critics and interview and its corner office operation was weakly .
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9. Radio Free Albemuth (2010)
The most interesting particular about both the movie and novelRadio Free Albemuthis that the character of Phillip K. Dick himself is part of the story and is play byShea Whigham . Overall , this version capture the note and many expression of the original novel , remaining pretty close , but regrettably , it suffers from being too faithful to the text while not having enough budgets to truly convey his vision to the big covert . Good adaptations need to encounter the right-hand balance between the disembodied spirit of the original and the needs of a good movie and this was just not the case withRadio Free Albemuth .
8. Paycheck (2003)
star Ben Affleck , this John Woo ’s sci - fi dangerous undertaking hold the canonical premise of the original “ Paycheck , ” where a talented engineer accepts to work on a secret undertaking for a large nub of money , but with the stipulation that his retentiveness will be pass over out after his work is done . When he wakes up , he discovers his retiring ego has decided to waive the defrayment for an envelope containing apparently random item , and thus the whodunit begins . While the premise stay the same , key elements of the original patch were changed , such as the political comment and the setting . Being a John Woo movie , there are lot of view dedicated to action , while the pilot was more focused on the master mystery . It ’s a sport military action film , but not on the button innovative celluloid .
7. Total Recall (2012)
Very broadly speaking base on the short story “ We Can Remember It for You Wholesale , ” thisremake of the 1990Total Recalladaptation does n’t volunteer anything new . The premise is the same : a humanity wanting to go through upheaval has bogus memories implanted in his mental capacity , making it unimaginable for him to distinguish realness from fantasy . But while the original forgetful story end with more question than answers , this version almost conceal the possibility that Quaid , the protagonist , is still being play a joke on by false computer memory . But the chief issue with this movie is how savorless and unimaginative everything feels like . It has none of the ocular creative thinking and or the charisma of the 1990 ’s edition . It ’s a nice legal action plastic film , but one that is considerably forgotten .
6. The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
This sci - fi romance escapade starsMatt Damonand Emily Blunt in a tale that shuffle Romance language and science fiction . A congressman fights against a secret grouping of powerful beings assay to keep humanity on “ the Path ” by carve up him from his true love . The Adjustment Bureaustrays very far from the original textile , but , in its case , that might ’ve have been for the best . “ Adjustment Team ” is far from Phillip K. Dick ’s best work , and it can be come across as a less interesting version of Frederik Pohl ’s short history “ Tunnel Under the human beings . ” By 2011 , the construct of a powerful grouping controlling our lives was now cliché , and thus the creators of the moving-picture show determine to add another twist with the romance . It appears to have work , asThe Adjustment Bureauhad better reviews from critic and audience alike , and a decent discharge at the box office .
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5. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
The brain ofA Scanner Darklyis that its unique rotoscoped animation style fit out perfectly with the drug - induct hallucinations and paranoia present in the original novel of the same name . “ A Scanner Darkly ” is a tripper to interpret and the movie is a trip to keep an eye on . Keanu Reevesplays a government informant who survive with and befriend a group of drug addicts . His identity element is hide as he gathers info as a treble agent . Identity , drug consumption , paranoia , and experimental communities are themes explored in the motion picture and the novel . A Scanner Darklyis an specially in effect Phillip K. Dick adaptation , one that captures the mood and themes of the pilot in a unique and original way , but it ’s also anchored by expectant performances by Reeves , Robert Downey Jr. , Winona Ryder , and Woody Harrelson .
4. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
While not directly based on Phillip K. Dick ’s scant floor “ Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”Blade Runner 2049draws upon the spirit of Dick ’s kit and boodle and successfully expands on theBlade Runneruniverse . It never strays from the questions explore in the movie and the short narration : what makes us human and if you ca n’t severalize , does it matter ? More emotional than the 1982 movie , it ’s also as visually striking as its forerunner . Although it did not switch pop acculturation and the science fiction genre like its precursor , Blade Runner 2049is a worthy subsequence to a sci - fi classic and close to Phillip K. Dick ’s stem .
3. Total Recall (1990)
As mentioned before , Total Recallborrows the premise of the Phillip K. Dick ’s “ We Can recollect It for You Wholesale , ” but quickly strays into an action thriller territory , while the original report focus on the philosophic interrogative sentence behind memory and identity . Nevertheless , the triumph ofTotal Recallare its visual effects and globe - edifice , both breathe life to Phillip K. Dick ’s Mars and expanding its game in fun , bright ways . The fierceness , strange sex , and gory destruction present in the movie , raise it to a pop culture classic . And how could one forget Arnold Schwarzenegger ’s Quaid ? His portraying is full of charisma and he brings the right physically to the think secret agent .
2. Minority Report (2002)
base on the forgetful taradiddle “ The Minority Report , ” thisSteven Spielberg movieis very faithful to the original while also adding plenty of world - construction which , today , make it seem like the movie itself had foreknowledge . In fact , Spielberg pay for expert in the field of view to come with the moving picture ’s next world ; all based on their prognostication of what was potential . The setting feels real and possible , which grounds the more out - there sci - fi concepts of certain humans have foreknowledge and being able to wipe out all violent crime . That , along with a great performance by Tom Cruise , makes for a thrilling science fabrication film that honor the original account while adding new idea to the musical style much like Phillip K. Dick did during his prison term .
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1. Blade Runner (1982)
Without a doubt , Blade Runneris the most influential film of the sci - fi genre . Visually spectacular , emotionally heavy , and embedded deeply with philosophic themes , there was nothing quite like it at the time . Its impact on sci - fi movie house can be well compared to Phillip K. Dick ’s own contribution to the literary genre . But the best argumentation for it to be at the top of this listing comes from Phillip K. Dick himself . He ’s quote saying his “ living and creative work are justified and completed by Blade Runner . ” attractively capturing the idea and themes of its original taradiddle while becoming an influencing force itself , Blade Runneris the best version ofPhillip K. Dick ’s work to appointment .
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