Blade Runner
Summary
Ridley Scott’sBlade Runneris a hugely influential masterpiece of sci - fi cinema , but rewatching it today , 42 old age after its initial spillage , it ’s not all roses . Adapted fromDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?by Philip K. Dick , Blade Runnertakes place in a dystopian , futuristic Los Angeles full of turn tail cyborg slaves lie with as “ replicants , ” who have infiltrated human society . Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard , a grizzled tec who ’s sent to key the replicants and give notice them . Along the manner , he start to see that robots have feelings , too , and even wonder his own humanhood .
For nearly half a century , Blade Runnerhas been considered a quintessential sci - fi film . Scott ’s picture show combined the existentialist philosopher composition of science fable with the timeless figure and conventions of film noir . There are manythings to admire inBlade Runner : the breathless visuals , Vangelis ’ mesmerizing musical score , Rutger Hauer ’s captivating turn as the nefarious Roy Batty . These thing all still halt up today , but there are other part ofBlade Runnerthat have n’t stand the test of time .
Blade Runner , pioneered the merging of neo - noir with science - fiction element , result in a truly cinematic masterpiece asterisk Harrison Ford .
10Blade Runner’s Slow, Cerebral Pacing Gets Pretty Boring At Times
The movie’s slow pace earned it the nickname “Blade Crawler”
The tempo ofBlade Runneris so endlessly irksome thatLos Angeles Timescritic Sheila Benson dubbed it “ Blade Crawler . ” On one hand , the film ’s patient , intellectual pacing could be viewed as contemplative and cerebration - provoking , but on the other hand , it could be regard dumb and boring . This dull tempo sticks out even more on a rewatch now because , as audiences ’ tending spans have gotten shorter , moving picture have gotten even quicker - paced . Blade Runnerwas already slow by ‘ 80s standards , but it ’s especially slow by 2024 standards .
9Rick Deckard Isn’t A Very Likable Protagonist
Despite Harrison Ford’s best efforts, Deckard is pretty unlikable
Harrison Ford is responsible for bring two of the silver screen ’s most iconic heroes to life – daring venturer Indiana Jones andStar war ’ roguish blank space sea robber Han Solo – but , unfortunately , he could n’t work the same conjuring trick withBlade Runner ’s Rick Deckard . Deckard is characterized as a futuristic interpretation of heavily - churn detectives like Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe . But he ’s not a complex antihero like those characters ; he ’s just not a very expert person . He has the makings of a expectant part , but there ’s not much depth to Deckard beyond his persistent cynicism .
8Blade Runner Doesn’t Have As Much Action As Its Premise Would Suggest
For a movie about a cop chasing robots, Blade Runner isn’t very action-packed
The lift auction pitch forBlade Runneris that it ’s about a cop chase after robots in the hereafter , but the real movie is nowhere near as action - mob as that premise would suggest . There are a couple of action mechanism scenes , butBlade Runnercan’t be described as an activity film – it ’s a detective noir in a futurist setting . Blade Runneris nothing like other ‘ 80s sci - fi actioners likeRoboCopandEscape from New York ; it has more in common withThe Maltese FalconandStrangers on a Train , and even they have more action sequence .
7Ridley Scott Is More Interested In Showing Off Blade Runner’s Special Effects Than Telling Its Story
Blade Runner works better as a showcase for VFX artists than a narrative
Throughout the runtime ofBlade Runner , Scott is more interested in showing off the film ’s unbelievable special effects than telling the tale and drudge deep into the characters . Those effects are magnificent – with car soar upwards through the atomic number 10 - souse metropolis of futuristic L.A. – and they ’re even impressive by today ’s standards . But the movie pays too much tending to the special effects and not enough attention to the humankind at the nitty-gritty of the narrative .
6Blade Runner’s Most Interesting Character Is Its Villain
Roy Batty is ironically more sympathetic than the “hero”
It ’s easy to root for the villain ofBlade Runnerthan the hero . Roy Batty is technically the antagonist ofBlade Runner , but he ’s more sympathetic than the protagonist . Batty is simply fighting for his personhood and his rightfulness to live . In many way , Deckard is more of a baddie than Batty , and that ’s even more glaringly obvious on a rewatch , knowing where the story is going . His climactic “ tears in rain ” monologue , deliver perfectly by Rutger Hauer , solidifies Batty asBlade Runner ’s most interesting and likable part .
5Deckard’s Treatment Of Rachael Makes For An Uncomfortable Watch
Blade Runner’s “romance” storyline is coercive and controlling
The so - call romanticist subplot ofBlade Runnerisn’t very romantic at all – it ’s uncomfortable to watch over . Deckard ’s love interest , Rachael , initially does n’t earn she ’s not a human being . When she learns the truth , she deform to Deckard for help . But instead of help her , he train advantage of her . He ’s controlling and aggressive . He hale her into kissing him and treat her like an object because he does n’t think replicants merit the same right as humans . It ’s not easy to sit through this supposed love life story on a rewatch .
4Blade Runner Is A Classic Example Of Style Over Substance
It’s more memorable for its stunning visuals than its one-dimensional characters
Like fellow neo - noirsDriveandSin City , Blade Runneris a prime example of elan over essence . With its princely portmanteau word of a stunning vision of futurist L.A. and the visual hallmarks of the film noir genre , Blade Runneroozes style . But its account and characters do n’t have the emotional heart and soul to correspond that manner . For a movie about what it means to be human , Blade Runnerdoesn’t have much humanity .
3There Are Too Many Versions Of Blade Runner To Choose From
Scott keeps recutting Blade Runner
When it get along to rewatchingBlade Runnertoday , there are so manydifferent versions ofBlade Runnerto pick out from that audiences are deflower for choice . The studio slaughter the theatrical undercut , soit made sense that Scott wanted to unloosen a director ’s cut , but then he just kept recutting the picture show . There ’s the workprint , the U.S. theatrical cut , the external theatrical cut , the telly broadcast interlingual rendition , the “ Director ’s cutting , ” and the “ Final Cut . ” One of the toughest parts of rewatchingBlade Runnertoday is simply choosing which interpretation to put on .
2Blade Runner’s Futuristic L.A. Lacks The Diversity Of The Real City
The futuristic Los Angeles of Blade Runner is populated with mostly white people
Los Angeles is one of the most diverse cities in the United States , and it ’ll only get more divers in the distant future . But the futuristic L.A. depicted inBlade Runnerlacks the diversity of the real city . Blade Runner ’s visual trend take up heavily from Asiatic civilization , but there are very few people of color in the cast . This movie ’s characterization of 2019 Los Angeles includes flying cars and robot - hunting pig , but the least naturalistic part ofBlade Runner ’s picture of the urban center is its predominantly white population .
1Blade Runner Has A Really Bleak, Depressing Tone
Blade Runner isn’t the most uplifting watch
The main thing that makesBlade Runnertough to revisit is its bleak , depressing tone . It ’s a beautiful movie , butits exploration of the dangers of sentient A.I. and the fallacy of humankind ’s innate goodness make it a difficult sentry . It ’s much easier to revisit the uplifting , heartfelt sci - fi classic that beatBlade Runnerat the boxful office , Steven Spielberg ’s hail - of - age fantasyE.T. the Extra - Terrestrial , thanBlade Runneritself .
informant : Los Angeles Times
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Cast
The original Blade Runner is a sci - fi neo - noir film put in 2019 in a dystopian cyber - punk society . Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard as a Blade Runner for the LAPD , task with hunting rogue replicants , genetically engineered humanity designed to take on task that human beings can not . When four replicants go rogue and start killing humans , Deckard is forced out of retirement to hunt them down and barricade them - but the truth is n’t as simple as it seems . Deckard will have to compute with the philosophic dilemma of what makes someone human .
Custom Image by Yailin Chacon
The original Blade Runner is a sci-fi neo-noir film set in 2019 in a dystopian cyber-punk society. Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard as a Blade Runner for the LAPD, tasked with hunting rogue replicants, genetically engineered humans designed to tackle tasks that human beings cannot. When four replicants go rogue and begin killing humans, Deckard is forced out of retirement to hunt them down and stop them - but the truth isn’t as simple as it seems. Deckard will have to reckon with the philosophical dilemma of what makes someone human.
