Blade Runner

Release Year: 1982

Director: Ridley Scott

Review: Considered one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time, 'Blade Runner' had a lot of hype to live up to going in.  Right off the bat I found myself in a quandary. There are several, apparently very different, cuts of the film.  This is a frustration because I don't want to have to do research to find the best version to watch.  I decided to just go with the theatrical release and not worry about it.  My biggest gripes with the film were elements which were not supposed to be in the film and were cut from later releases.  The terrible, and hotly contested, voice over and comfortable ending were ugly holes in an otherwise smooth landscape.  It's too bad they were included in the theatrical release since they didn't go with the rest of the film and felt very out of place.
 
The basic plot of the film is that, in the not so distant future, humanoid robots called "replicants" are created and are nearly indistinguishable from human beings.  After a revolt, replicants are declared illegal on Earth and a special unit of the police called Blade Runners track down any illegal replicants and dispose of them.  Harrison Ford plays a retired Blade Runner who is called out of retirement to track down a few replicants who recently escaped and who are considered highly dangerous.  The gritty noir dystopia that director Ridley Scott creates is the most striking element to the film.  As soon as I hear the title "Blade Runner" I'm instantly transported into the miserable, bleak and dark world in which the scum run the show.  The brilliance of the creation of this environment is that its rooted in reality.  There isn't anything too out of the realm of everyday modern life.  It looks like a place that could exist in the near future, not some idealized, polished, technology driven dreamland. 

While I feel the film is incredibly imaginative in the set design, the plot and some visuals felt too cliche sci-fi.  Rather than transcending the genre it stayed right in the sci-fi stereotype wheelhouse.  If it had a stronger plot these conventional aspects would have been overlooked, but instead it was a bit of a conventional, straight-ahead plot.  At least as far as the general story of the film goes.  What saves it from being a completely forgettable sci-fi thriller are the deep themes in which it explores.  The existential examination is profound, begging the question what it means to be human.  The so called inhuman replicants are just like anyone else, and yet there life is disregarded.  When they die, its just a machine being shut down, but they have the same emotions and memories as anyone.  There are many layers to be peeled off and each one should be examined.  For having such a mundane synopsis, the film utilizes every frame to explore complex themes.  I think at times it stumbles over itself as a sci-fi thriller, but the meaning and symbolism is what makes this a great film.
Rating: 4/5