Impostor story
Impostor is a 2002 American science fiction psychological thriller film based upon the 1953 short story "Impostor" by Philip K. Dick. Synopsis: A famous weapons designer is accused of being an alien designed "replicant" and goes on the run from the authorities.
23 total · 8 major · 15 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| attack from outer space by a genocidal enemy | major | The story takes place in 2079, forty-five years after Earth was attacked by a hostile and implacable alien civilization from Alpha Centauri, and follows humanity's desperate struggle to survive continuing attacks. |
| duplicate of a person | major | Central to the plot was the Alpha Centauri aliens infiltrating Earth with human replicants. In particular, Spencer was suspected of being a Centauri planted replicant by the government, and so he was. |
| extraterrestrial being | major | Central to the plot was a hostile alien race from Alpha Centauri who were nevertheless not depicted directly in the film. |
| facing organized pursuit | major | Spencer was trying his best to evade a manhunt that was on for him. |
| husband and wife | major | The story follows Spencer and Maya Olham as their lives are turned upside down after Spencer is for treason and accused of being a replicant of the real Spencer. |
| romantic love | major | Not only were Spencer and Maya in love with each other, but a revelation of the story is that their replicats were in love with one another too. |
| trust in a potential foe | major | Should Maya believe in Spencer when he told her that he was the real Spencer and not a replicant? This matter she grappled with over a significant portion of the film. |
| what if I discovered that I was a facsimile of someone else | major | The grand revelation of the story is that Spencer was not Spencer so to speak, but rather a replicant of the real Spencer. |
| creeping authoritarianism | minor | It was explained that democracy had given way to a global military government in the wake of Earth being attacked by aliens from Alpha Centauri. |
| domed city | minor | Force field domes were in place of Earth's cities to protect them from alien attacks. |