This is obvious. One of our songs is called Tech Noir for Petes sake. But clearly the whole robot thing is there, along with all the synthy brass score. Moreso referring to the 1984 original than any of the stuff that followed.
Obviously, pure Giger is edging more towards super disturbing and probably a bit beyond where we want to go with all this, but the bio-mechanical (non-sexualised?) side of things is clearly an influence in a tale of androids wanting to become human.
The design aesthetic of what is, essentially, an almost 100 year old film is still fantastic today. And the plot again (amongst other things to do with class uprising and such) deals with a robot becoming 'human' (and it not ending well for them).
Hopefully, some of the interstitial pieces between the songs will have a similar feel to stuff by Brian Eno (including stuff done with David Bowie on Low); haunting and imposing, yet in places hopeful and such... (obviously, differing dependant upon where we are in the story).
The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which genetically engineered organic robots called replicants—visually indistinguishable from adult humans—are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation as well as by other "mega–manufacturers" around the world. Their use on Earth is banned and replicants are exclusively used for dangerous, menial or leisure work on off-world colonies. Replicants who defy the ban and return to Earth are hunted down and "retired" by police special operatives known as "Blade Runners". The plot focuses on a brutal and cunning group of recently escaped replicants hiding in Los Angeles and the burnt out expert Blade Runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment to hunt them down.
Again, the quandry of what makes a 'human', and whether it really matters, so long as you 'live'. Also, BRILLIANT Vangelis soundtrack, and an awesome (grimy) representation of future Earth.
Ghost in the Shell is a futuristic police thriller dealing with the exploits of the cyborg Motoko Kusanagi, a member of a covert operations division of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission known as Section 9. The unit specializes in fighting technology-related crimes. Although supposedly equal to all other members, Kusanagi fills the leadership role in the team, and is usually referred to as "the Major" due to her past rank in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. She is capable of superhuman feats, and bionically specialized for her job — her body is almost completely mechanized; only her brain and a segment of her spinal cord remain organic.
One of the main facets of the film deals with the nature of humanity: if a machine has a soul, can it be truly 'alive'? Is sentience enough to create 'life'?
'2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick Thematically, the film deals with elements of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life. It is notable for its scientific accuracy, pioneering special effects, ambiguous imagery that is open-ended, sound in place of traditional narrative techniques, and minimal use of dialogue.' [Wikipedia] Outstanding cinematically, the dialogue also is interesting in terms of dialogue between man and machine towards the end.
