Movies based on the writings of Philip K Dick (10 titles)

• Rate this
• 60
• from 6 members

Blade Runner

Based on the novel 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'. This is probably my all-time favourite movie and arguably a true sci-fi classic; the rich and detailed vision of the cyberpunk near-future dystopian setting hasn't been bettered in the thirty years since the film's production. This was the first movie adaptation of one of PKD's stories so it's particularly tragic that he died before it was completed. Obviously the Director's Cut (and subsequent "Final Cut") come closer to Ridley Scott's intentions but I'm just as happy watching the original as I like the authentic film-noir feel of the voiceover, although I agree that Kubrick's leftover aerial footage makes the ending inappropriately optimistic. In comparison to the original book, several major elements are (necessarily) omitted and some details are changed, not least of which being the addition of the term "blade runner" (borrowed from the title of a novella by William S. Burroughs).

• 
• Blade Runner on DVD (1982)
  Starring: Harrison Ford,  Rutger Hauer,  Rutger Hauer
  Director: Ridley Scott
  Certificate:
  Four illegal humanoids, led by Rutger Hauer, have infiltrated 21st Century Los Angeles. Blade Runner hitman Harrison Ford, is recruited to eliminate the convincing android beings before they cause any damage or create unrest in the paranoid hi-tech urban society.
  
  • Rate this
  • 80
  • from 52,120 members

Total Recall

Based on the short story 'We Can Remember It For You Wholesale', although only the basic premise survived intact. The producers even changed the main character's name to Quaid - they obviously thought that the original "Quail" wasn't butch enough for Arnie!

• 
• Total Recall on DVD (1990)
  Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger,  Rachel Ticotin,  Sharon Stone
  Director: Paul Verhoeven
  Certificate:
  Doug Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a happily married construction worker living in the year 2084, is haunted by a recurrent dream in which he is living with a woman on Mars. Rekall Incorporated offer him the chance to live out his dream through a microchip which implants any memories their client ..read more »
  
  • Rate this
  • 70
  • from 31,115 members

Screamers

Based on the short story 'Second Variety'. Peter "Murphy!" Weller leads a small cast in a screenplay co-written by Dan O'Bannon (creator of the Alien series and co-writer on Total Recall and Dark Star). This is one of the more accurate adaptations of a PKD story - the biggest differences are the relocation from Earth to a colony planet and the addition of an extra character but the basic plot is the same. The cinema trailer on the DVD contains spoilers so be sure to watch the feature first!

• 
• Screamers on DVD (1996)
  Starring: Roy Dupuis,  Peter Weller,  Andrew Lauer
  Director: Christian Duguay
  Certificate:
  In the year 2078, Commander Joseph Hendricksson (Peter Weller) uses newly created killing machines known as 'Screamers' to defend planet Sirius 6B from the hostile New Economic Bloc. But when the Screamers replicate themselves and turn on the humans whom they can now clone, the only way to tell ..read more »
  
  • Rate this
  • 60
  • from 1808 members

Impostor

Based on the short story of the same name (the first to tackle Dick's recurring theme of "what is human?" that would later be so significant in Blade Runner). The screenplay retains the simple plot but pads out the fifteen pages into what is essentially a ninety-minute chase movie, although there is an extra twist added at the end.

• 
• Impostor (2001)
  Starring: Vincent D'Onofrio,  Tony Shalhoub,  Mekhi Phifer
  Director: Gary Fleder
  Certificate:
  Watch now: Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant
  Earth, 2079. Years of protracted war with an alien planet have left the remaining human population tired, scared and paranoid. Engineer Spencer Olham (Gary Sinise) thinks he can bring an end to the conflict with a new weapon he has designed, but investigator D.H. Hathaway (Vincent D'Onofrio) ..read more »
  
  • Rate this
  • 60
  • from 2925 members
  Currently unavailable

Minority Report

Based on the short story of the same name. The movie has the same starting point - police using psychic "precogs" (a very Dickian word!) to predict murders - then takes the plot in different but inventive directions. The main character retains his name but I doubt that Tom Cruise's Anderton would describe himself as "bald and fat and old"! With help from ILM the film gives a generally convincing vision of near-future technologies although the rocket-packs are a little cheesy.

• 
• Minority Report on DVD (2002)
  Starring: Jessica Capshaw,  Kathryn Morris,  Mike Binder
  Director: Steven Spielberg
  Certificate:
  Tom Cruise stars as a cop pursued by his own colleagues in this Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation of the short story by sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick ('Blade Runner', 'Total Recall'). John Anderton (Cruise) works for the Pre-Crime Division of the Washington DC police force, a special unit which ..read more »
  
  • Rate this
  • 70
  • from 52,629 members

Paycheck

Based on the short story of the same name. John Woo retains the core of Dick's ingenious concept but changes the specifics (the list of items is quite different and significantly longer in the movie) and obviously ups the action somewhat.

• 
• Paycheck (2003)
  Starring: Uma Thurman,  Joe Morton,  Aaron Eckhart
  Director: John Woo
  Certificate:
  Brilliant computer engineer Michael Jennings routinely has his short term memory erased, so he can't divulge any information about the top secret projects he works on throughout the year. For his most recent gig, he expects to receive over four billion dollars. Upon completion of the job, however, ..read more »
  
  • Rate this
  • 60
  • from 29,490 members
  Currently unavailable

A Scanner Darkly

Based on the novel of the same name. The producers and actors did a great job of staying true to PKD's original work (which was actually quite autobiographical - the main character's home life and paranoia are based on Dick's own). The rotoscoped artwork adds an extra trippy layer to an already mind-blowing plot. There are two specific tributes to PKD at the start and end of the movie - the first time you see the "scramble suit" you get a split-second glimpse of Dick's bearded features and the list of names preceding the end credits is lifted verbatim from the book and includes the author himself. Also I wonder if Downey's classic "mur-dered" line is a reference to the start of Minority Report? If you enjoy the animation style here be sure to check out Linklater's earlier and deeply philosophical film Waking Life which uses the same technique (and also happens to feature the director discussing one of PKD's novels).

• 
• A Scanner Darkly on DVD (2006)
  Starring: Keanu Reeves,  Winona Ryder,  Woody Harrelson
  Director: Richard Linklater
  Certificate:
  Watch now: Unavailable
  Thriller based on the novel by Philip K. Dick. The war on drugs has been lost, and when a reluctant undercover cop is ordered to spy on those he is closest to, the toll that the mission takes on his sanity is too great to comprehend. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is a narcotics officer who is issued an ..read more »
  
  • Rate this
  • 60
  • from 25,286 members

Next

Based on the short story 'The Golden Man'. I skipped this one at the cinema as I got the impression from the trail that it was only very loosely based on the original work - and I was right! Aside from a few recycled names, the only connection is that the main character has a precog(nitive) ability and at one point uses this to evade capture; the bulk of the movie's plot is totally new. Perhaps a case of jumping on the "based on Philip K Dick" bandwagon...? Oh and the "plot involving terrorist threat" bandwagon as well!

• 
• Next on DVD (2007)
  Starring: Nicolas Cage,  Julianne Moore,  Jessica Biel
  Director: Lee Tamahori
  Certificate:
  Cris Johnson (Nicholas Cage) has a gift - the ability to see a few minutes into the future, an extra sensory talent that comes in handy for his job as a magician in a seedy Vegas Club. It also has it's uses at the blackjack tables when Cris needs a little extra cash. But his talent is no mere ..read more »
  
  • Rate this
  • 70
  • from 79,792 members

The Adjustment Bureau

Based on the short story 'Adjustment Team'. This is another that redevelops Dick's premise - in this case a mysterious agency that engineers subtle changes in the world to steer people's lives according to their grand plan. Originally a married estate-agent, the movie's (renamed) male protagonist is now unmarried and a congressman and the plot centres on a romance and his political career. They also cut the "Summoner" which is a shame as Hollywood needs more talking dogs!

• 
• The Adjustment Bureau on DVD (2011)
  Starring: Emily Blunt,  Matt Damon,  Anthony Mackie
  Director: George Nolfi
  Certificate:
  Watch now: Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant
  Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he's ever loved across, under and through the ..read more »
  
  • Rate this
  • 70
  • from 8631 members

Total Recall

Based on the short story 'We Can Remember It For You Wholesale' but really it's a Total Overhaul (heh) of Verhoeven's 1990 movie (with a couple of cute comedic references to the original). The two near-future cities are both nicely realised; there's an obvious debt to Blade Runner's visuals but the addition of waterways is a nice touch. There are several silly ideas that require suspension of disbelief (that's one heck of a commute!) and an excess of generic action sequences.

• 
• Total Recall on DVD (2012)
  Starring: Colin Farrell,  Kate Beckinsale,  Bill Nighy
  Director: Len Wiseman
  Certificate:
  As the nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai vie for supremacy, a factory worker (Farrell) begins to suspect that he's a spy, though he is unaware which side of the fight he's on.
  
  • Rate this
  • 60
  • from 10,572 members

Report offending content.