Blade Runner Movie Review

Released: June 25th 1982

Length: 117 Minutes

Certificate: 18

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson and Joe Turkel

Science fiction is territory ripe for exploring vibrant, thought-provoking stories; some take us off-world while others take a more grounded approach, homing in more on the human species and where we may be heading. Coming off the 1979 classic Alien, Ridley Scott would continue his ground-breaking work in science fiction with Blade Runner, a masterful showcase of how imaginative and absorbing the genre can be.

Drawing its inspiration from the Phillip K. Dick story: “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” Blade Runner takes place in a futuristic Los Angeles consumed by industrialisation and ruled by corporations. The advent of biological android invention (known in this universe as replicants) led by the Tyrell Corporation has threatened to shift the balance of human life and the Blade Runners are police officers who specialise in locating and “retiring” said subjects. Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard is drafted back into the force to hunt down a series of androids who have escaped from off-world colonies. His investigation takes place in multiple locations around the city with some rather monotone narrations from Ford layered across the runtime. It’s incredibly slow and methodical, with only a few moments of action sprinkled here and there; a deliberate decision. In terms of thematic resonance, Blade Runner is in a league of its own; the entrance of replicants brings to light several questions about human nature, how we change and often damage the environment around us as well as our ability to create only producing more problems. The future city has an air of intolerance to it, with people bombarded with the dangling carrot of starting life anew on another planet; there’s no doubt that society is on the ropes and this collection of themes works to enhance the somewhat straightforward plot.

While Blade Runner offers an engaging set of themes, the main characters don’t fare quite as well. Harrison Ford portrays Deckard with a solemn mood to create the image of common man just trying to get by. But his narrations just aren’t engaging and the film falls into the trap of telling the audience, rather than showing them the mystery unravelling. Sean Young’s Racheal, an attendant at the Tyrell Corporation, is also well defined in the way she commits to her work but the character isn’t without problems; the bond between Deckard and Rachel feels particularly weightless without much chemistry between the two actors. On the other hand, many of the side characters and the way they fit into the world bring a great amount of intrigue; the replicants, led by Rutger Hauer’s phenomenal performance as Roy Batty are downtrodden, seeking an understanding and meaning to their existence; when they can only rely on each-other rather than the humans that created them, it creates a kind of pathos for their struggles that blurs the line between protagonist and antagonist. While the interactions could be better, the characters for the most part do succeed at deepening the already rich themes of the narrative.

The slow pacing of Blade Runner will be a point of contention for some; dropping the action to instead focus on building one of the most immersive and engrossing worlds ever put to film. The dingy, low-lit cityscapes of 2019 Los Angeles are absolutely stunning from the establishing shots with miniatures right down to the real sets inhabited by the actors. The shots that pan over the towering skyscrapers and the endless rainfall; it all epitomises dystopia with the characters often feeling downcast, wearing very rough clothing and getting their fix of food in tacky looking corner shops. The heavy use of synths hangs over every shot, transplanting the film’s noir style perfectly and there’s always something going on in the background to sell the world. It’s simply the most detailed science fiction landscape ever put to film; even with some inconsistencies in the theatrical cut, Blade Runner’s intoxicating illusion of a future world never falters; it’s guaranteed to stun anyone who watches it, even more than three decades later.

Having gained such a gargantuan cult following, Scott’s 1982 sci-fi flick is not without its flaws, which is mostly due to the main performances. The original theatrical cut does magnify the film’s problems somewhat; with plot elements such as the dream sequence missing and some aesthetical hiccups, the film feels incomplete. With that said, Blade Runner is still a must-see film, a legend of the science fiction genre whose incredible special effects and atmosphere have inspired countless contemporaries and filmmakers.

Theatrical Cut Rating: 4/5 Stars (Great)

Final Cut Rating: 4.5/5 Stars (Brilliant)