Week 8

Research the films that have been adapted from Philip K. Dick novels or short
stories. Which have generally been acclaimed as the most successful? Why?



Blade Runner  (1982)
Based on "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

Although Blade Runner did poorly at the box office at the time of its release, it has grown increasingly popular with age and not only enjoys the prestige of being a cult classic, it is now regarded by most critical and popular sources to be one of the greatest movies of all time.
Set in a dank dystopian future city, this dark and evenly paced  cyber-noir thriller; sees cyborgs-indistinguishable from humans- banned from earth, hunted by law enforcers known as "Blade Runners". The result is a dramatic storyline and some of the most stunning cinematography and atmosphere ever created on film. Without a doubt the most successful and best of all Philip K. Dick Adaptations. 

Screamers  (1995)
Based on "Second Variety"

Screamers was a box office failure in its day, but has since been recognised as being an intelligent and well made movie.
In the future, Self replicating killer machines have all but destroyed the population of a distant mining world. Created as a desperate reatialation in an ongoing war; the screamers eventually evolve to assume Human forms. Im not sure why screamers did so poorly, but according to sources it may have been something as trivial as its lack of star power.

Total Recall  (1990)
Based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale"

The 2nd most successful dick adaptation, Total recall is a light and watchable action scifi movie, received well by most critics, some however criticised it for its extreme violence and gore. I would love to see the movie released in this day and age; I’d count on noone batting an eyelid.

Total Recall owes its phenomenal success to its expansive storyline, camp surreal atmosphere, and of course the inlcusion of Arnold Schwarzenegger as leading man.

Confessions d'un Barjo  (French, 1992)
Based on "Confessions of a Crap Artist"

The only one of Dick’s adaptations I havent seen, based on Dick’s one and only non-science fiction novel;  Confessions d'un Barjo was met with poor reviews and criticism for having characters  that were not only different from Dick’s original, but somewhat inferior.

Impostor  (2001)
Based on "Impostor."

A failure at the box office, Impostor is a movie with a good premise, that fails to deliver all it should. Slow, to the point of boredom; it was criticised for being an hour too long, in a story that was originally intended to be a 40 min short film. One of the least successful of Dicks adaptations and in my opinion the worst of the list.

Minority Report  (2002)
Based on "The Minority Report."

One of  most successful of Dick adaptations- a forgone conclusion with spielberg at the helm- minority report delivers a future where all murders and violence is predicted by a method called “Precrime”. Psychics called “precogs” have visions of the future, which law enforcement uses to track down future murderers; putting them into indefinite stasis.  The result; murders are a distant memory.

Minority report touches on ideas that have been prevalent throughout philosophy. Is fate fixed? Or can freewill have an effect on the future? Minority report was near perfectly executed, though Spielberg did cop criticism for his sugary sweet happy ending; a move that I myself thought was totally wrong in a movie filled with heavy ideas and questions of morality. At the end of Dick’s book, we get a report of a returning and increasing murder rate after the freeing of the precogs; a tiny glint of negativity  (or even neutrality) that Spielberg denies us, exchanged for the typical and cliched mainstay of all spielberg films- the happy ending. True Hollywood style.

Paycheck  (2003)
Based on "Paycheck."

The 2nd of the Dick adaptations that plays around with time; Paycheck offers a unique premise, but fails to deliver on a multitude of levels. Weak acting, poor execution and ill conceived action sequences are all cited as reasons for its failure. An “ok” movie in my books, most others find Paycheck laughable, the movie even contributed to Ben Afflecks nomination and eventual victory in the worst actor category.


A Scanner Darkly  (July 2006)
Based on "A Scanner Darkly"

The most recent of all the Philip K Dick adaptations; it met  mixed revues, perhaps due the the unique animation style and psychotic surreal storyline. In mine and many peoples eyes it was a total success; I fail to see how they could have made this movie any differently, it is in essence cursed by a storyline that may forever push it to the fringe of cinema. Perhaps eventually A Scanner Darkly will become a cult classic,we shall see.

Next (2007)
Based on "The Golden Man"

Next recieved average reviews from critics met moderate success at the box office. Another Dick Adaptation playing with the idea of precognition or time; Next's plot progression was sloppy at best and some hated the ending for essentially cheating the audience out of half of the film.  The original story also concentrated on an authoritarian theme, Next portrayed the authorities as sympathetic and helpful;  it paints the antagonists as the usual terrorist group, intent on detonating a nuclear bomb in a US city.A common element seen throughout American movies (agenda?).
Next has middle of the road success of  the adaptations, besting Impostor, Screamers and A Scanner Darkly in box office takings.

Future Adaptations

The Adjustment Bureau  (coming 2010)
Based on "The Adjustment Team"

King of the Elves  (coming 2012)
Based on "King of the Elves"



How would you assess Dick’s status as an author today in terms of (a) popular culture (b) critical reception?

In my mind, Philip K. Dick has forever enshrined a place for himself as an elite contributor to popular culture; espiescially in the science fiction genre. Many contemparay artists cite the adaptations of Dicks work, or the work itself as a great influence for their own personal endeavors.  Even the gaming world contains many a nod to classics such as Blade Runner. In this way, Dick was ahead of his time; embraced by accident, by the current genration of Science Fiction fans, and imbued into every genre and sub genre of entertainment. I presonally didnt even realise movies such as Total Recall, or Screamers were based on Dick's work; movies i loved in my younger days, which shows the strength of his stories speak without the need for an audience realisation of the prestige of the writer. They stand on their own.

Philip K. Dick recieved moderate praise in his time, but his popularity has slowly swelled, perhaps due to the many adaptations of his work and the recognisation of his truly standout Novels and short stories. Critics today regard some of Dicks work to be the best science fiction literature to ever come out of North America. Some have criticised him for having a sometimes clunky and difficult style, but from what ive read, this seems to come in waves, more being utilised to accentuate a strange erratic, or elitist character. 

Regardless of any criticisms, Philip K. Dick is firmly placed in the centre of popular and critical culture, as one of the best science fiction writers of all time.