Blade Runner is A Masterpiece 39 Years Later
When it comes to Blade Runner, what can I say about the movie that hasn’t already been said? It’s one of the most influential sci-fi movies of all time, and has inspired countless media since its release.
This movie is incredibly special to me and I wanted to take a minute to talk about exactly why that is. The first time I saw Blade Runner, I didn’t “get” it. I felt the plot was straightforward and there was a distinct lack of action for my taste at the time. However, there was one thing I liked about it back then that has remained true to this day; the movie had atmosphere for days.
In its presentation, Blade Runner feels more than just a movie. It feels like a trance. A glorious hallucination that captures your attention and attacks the senses upon viewing. With the ambient, almost dreamlike jazz-filled score by the ICONIC Vangelis accompanying Scott’s visionary direction, this movie felt more like an experience. Scott invited us all into this unique world of technological wonder and isolation, so we may get but a glimpse of author Philip K. Dick’s genius.
In its makings, Blade Runner has all the ingredients to make up for an all too relatable (sometimes dreadfully so) world. A world that tends to be a reflection of our own in many ways. Er…minus the flying cars or the awesome neon themed signposts and architecture, of course. But, when it comes to treating segregation in some way, shape or form, tyrannical overlords towering over the common masses and a sense of isolation so large you question your own sanity, I think we got it covered.
In its discussion and exploration of humanity and a soul, Blade Runner asks a philosophical question that it doesn’t really answer but rather implies while trusting the audience to understand. “What is it to be HUMAN?”
Of course, a question all but dissected and talked about to death, but a very smart and touching one, indeed.
Harrison Ford turns in a nuanced performance as the weary and retired Blade Runner of this piece; Rick Deckard. Through Deckard’s eyes we explore the dingy hallways and rain soaked streets of L.A. in 2019, looking at the remnants of humanity and their chase for innovative perfection at the cost of what made them human to begin with. Much of what we know of him — and all characters featured in the film — is implied by dialogue or impeccable performances, very subtle indeed.
Over the course of the movie Deckard undergoes an educational transformation as he starts to question whether he’s really ‘retiring’ malfunctioning machinery, or if he really is just a glorified executioner.
Perhaps the real star of the show though, is Rutger Hauer. Playing Roy Batty, the leader of the rogue Nexus-6 replicants that return to earth in a last ditch effort to claim more of which humans are already blessed with. Life. He’s radical in his approach, but is also quite clearly the smartest of his crew. His showdown with Deckard at the end of the film has him challenge Deckard not just physically, but also philosophically. That alone makes him one of the most interesting villains ever portrayed on screen. The fact that you have to ask yourself if he really even is a villain speaks for itself.
Hauer easily steals the show by delivering one of the most poignant quotes in the entire movie.
Blade Runner was a movie that used the clichés of noir and detective stories and turned other movie tropes on their head and left an unbelievable impression on me since I first watched it. A bad guy that’s arguably more sympathetic than the protagonist, and also the most relatable character in the process, A femme fatale with a humane and emotional twist, and the tired, grizzled detective that overcomes great challenges to learn a rather important lesson all make up for a fantastic piece of cinematic art.
But alas, I fear that some day, all these reviews and dissections of the film might be lost in time, like….well, you know the rest.