ALBUQUERQUE NETO, I.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/0869772146425119; ALBUQUERQUE NETO, Itagiba de.
Resumo:
This study addresses the relationship between cinema, capitalist realism, and the
anthropological machine in the context of semiotic capitalism, focusing on the
different ontological approaches present in science fiction films produced in the
post-1980 United States. This analysis was developed based on the franchises Blade
Runner (1982 - 2017), The Terminator (1984 - 2019), Robocop (1987 - 2014), and
The Matrix (1999 - 2021), as they are films that have influenced the social imaginary
in a way that they are products-producers of capitalist realism. They also address
issues related to humanity, identity, memory, freedom, and reality within a context of
power relations between humans and their technical-cultural productions, through
aesthetics and narratives strongly influenced by the cyberpunk subgenre, where
megacorporations and/or machines control people's lives, and technology is
omnipresent. The data collection regarding film synopses, box office, and production
was carried out through the IMDB database. It was initially observed that the 1990s
had the highest number of films addressing the themes discussed here, which may
be related to the historical-social context of new interactions resulting from the
popularization of digital technologies. Furthermore, it can be concluded that all the
analyzed franchises bring differentiated and complex reflections on the relationship
between humans and machines, sometimes strengthening this boundary, sometimes
questioning it, thus offering both criticism and defense of a certain
capitalist-humanistic realism.