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By Don Kaye
Special to MSN Movies
Novelist Philip K. Dick (1928 - 1982) remains a legendary figure in science fiction literature. The enigmatic writer published 44 novels and 120 short stories before his death at 53, almost all of them in the realm of science fiction, and many of his novels dealt with metaphysical, existential and sociological concerns that stretched the very edges of the genre to the breaking point. His narrators are often unreliable, his realities frequently skewed or outright alternates to ours, and his characters are often caught on the losing side against faceless bureaucracies, nameless totalitarian governments or theological entities that defy understanding.
Despite the complex and surreal nature of his work -- not your typical cinematic sci-fi fodder -- Dick has been a reliable source of material for Hollywood for nearly three decades. Eight films have been made from either novels or short stories of his since 1982; a ninth one, "The Adjustment Bureau," arrives in theaters on March 4th, starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. Three of those previous eight films have been hits, while one is now considered a masterpiece of science fiction cinema. We hope "The Adjustment Bureau" joins the roster of hits: it's an intelligent, humane film -- about fate and the forces that may control it -- that's built on ideas and fueled by a winning chemistry between Damon and Blunt.
Nevertheless, "The Adjustment Bureau," like most films based on Dick's work, is a very loose adaptation of the original short story. Filmmakers are often inspired by the writer but can't solve him for the big screen, so they take the seed of a story's idea and expand it into something else -- often with mixed results. Still, with more adaptations on the way (including "Radio Free Albemuth" and "Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said"), we would almost rather see filmmakers keep swinging and perhaps missing with Dick's works that serving up movies based on toys and video games. In the meantime, let's take a look back at the movies of Philip K. Dick on the screen -- where his unsteady protagonists and shifting realities have found a home for 29 years.
(SNAP/Rex Features/Universal/Warner Bros.)
