The common contemporary condition of the natural world
within urban centres is presented in the portrayal of Chicago in I-Robot.
The natural environment is a minor element, not integrated into the urban
form but rather is a series isolated instances. Thus, the natural environment
cannot be experienced within the urban form. The closest encounter with
nature presented in I-Robot is in the final scene, where Sonny
stands on a sandy ridge in front of the shipping yard with a sky above
illuminated by a setting sun, since it is reminiscent of a classical landscape
painting. However, this scene does not contain the primary element of
inspiration, the thriving organic life.
In Renaissance 2054, the natural world is even
more excluded from the urban environment, presented in only two scenes
very briefly. It is shown once in the vestibule to Jonas Muller’s
apartment as a thriving forest. The organic environment creates a striking
contrast to the urban environment presented in the rest of the movie.
It is contained within a box so rather then being part of a thriving organic
system contributing to the city, it is a commodity of a privileged citizen.
Nature is presented the second time as a virtual simulation. The audience
is encouraged to speculate whether the natural environment even exists
physically or is it merely an extinct thing of the past which can only
be experienced virtually.
The extinction of the organic within the urban environment
is presented explicitly in Blade Runner. This condition is presented
in the beginning of the movie through the aerial views of an endless urban
environment. The extinction of the natural world is reinforced later in
the film through the depiction of a replicant owl. The 2001 version of
Metropolis speculates a similar urban future since it presents
an environment entirely fabricated from manufactured materials.