Today marks the 38 year anniversary of perhaps one of the most iconic and influential sci-fi films of all time, Blade Runner. Directed by Ridley Scott, the story follows Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) a former police officer who had the job of being a “Blade Runner”, which involves hunting down and “retiring” bioengineered humanoids known as Replicants.
He is forced into taking on a new assignment to hunt four of these replicants that have arrived on Earth and are considered highly dangerous. His assignment eventually leads him to the mysterious Tyrell Corporation that is responsible for making the replicants, and meeting a woman named Rachel who also happens to be a replicant but is different from the others.
When this movie first came out critics and audiences did not know what to really make of it. It underperformed at the box office (like Birds of Prey, Doctor Sleep, Shazam and Blade Runner 2049) and while being praised for its thematic complexity and visuals, others were displeased with its slow pacing and lack of action. Even today, I see first time watchers give severely low ratings for the movie upon first watch. But like everyone back in 1982 it took a while for people to really understand just truly how masterful this film is. Even I can admit that when I first watched this film long ago I didn’t know what to make of it either, but upon multiple rewatches and the release of the fully completed final cut I understood the importance of it.
This is truly a visually stunning neo-noir film, with a complex yet engaging story that was responsible for influencing the sci-fi genre in many ways over the years. Without this film we wouldn’t have had many other iconic sci-fi films, tv shows, video games or even anime. So many have drawn great amounts of influence from this movie, and who can blame them, because it’s fucking awesome.
We all now know Harrison Ford is an excellent actor, but for me this is probably one of the best roles of his entire career. While most people associate him with Han Solo or other heroic figures, here he plays a more grounded and serious individual who has done horrible things and is willing to do whatever it takes to complete his mission. However that does change when he begins falling in love with the replicant Rachel, and he starts getting a new perspective on things.
He is a cold individual that slowly begins to open up throughout the film, with a pacing that might be slow for many who watch at first but I find to be constantly interesting all the way through. There are also multiple theories and clues to support theories surrounding his character that make him all that more interesting to follow. And of course Harrison Ford’s performance in this role is absolutely pitch perfect, and so different compared to some of his more recognized heroic roles.
There are a lot of great performances in this film all around, fitting in with the gritty but visually epic setting of this highly advanced future. But perhaps the most recognized performance from this film is the late Rutger Hauer who plays the replicant Roy Batty. He serves as the primary antagonist of the story and is very dangerous, however his motivations are understandable and you do actually sympathize with what he is enduring. And Rutger brings such a powerful performance that he also happens to provide the most emotional elements of the film, which is something you don’t see often from most bad guys in films nowadays, except for maybe Thanos in Infinity War. And, of course, the “tears in rain” speech he gives is perhaps one of the most moving scenes in sci-fi film history and has cemented Rutger in the hearts and minds of viewers forever.
The film operates on multiple narrative levels and incorporates a lot of themes. It is set as mostly a film noir style film but it includes themes on the philosophy of religion, the moral barriers of bioengineering and the collision of time. All of these are not just told to us but they are shown through the incredible visuals of this unique world. There are places that are high-tech and gleaming and then places that are decayed and outdated. It’s a world you dive in feet first with these characters, and because of the longer pacing we get to absorb more of the surroundings and still remain engaged with what happens in the story.
There isn’t too much action in the film but when there is it is done effectively and brutally, keeping the gritty tone of this world. There are many more themes people can take from this movie and it can be different for everyone who watches it. If you’re looking for concrete answers for certain aspects of this film, I’m telling you now you will not get them here. There is a lot of subtle ambiguity within the story that constantly makes you think and keeps you engaged, and while you will get some answers to things there are others that are up to the viewer to imagine for themselves. Some people might like that and others won’t, which is completely understandable.
However, I find that rewatching this film many times over you do get to learn a lot and appreciate it more upon every rewatch. But even if not everyone appreciates the story and themes as much, I think they can appreciate the technical achievements of this film. The cinematography, the editing, the effects, the lighting and the score are all incredible, and even after 38 years a lot of it still holds up so well. Ridley Scott remains one of the most incredible visionary directors out there today, having made several impactful films over the years, and next to Alien this film is perhaps his greatest work.
And of course, it is worth mentioning that this film not only spawned many incredible sci-fi films, it also spawned perhaps one of the best sequels ever made, Blade Runner 2049.
Blade Runner is a must-watch film, but it’s also one that understandably takes more than one viewing to appreciate. And if you do plan to see this be sure to watch the Final Cut to see Ridley Scott’s true vision, and not the one that the studio executives messed around with. I’m going to give Blade Runner an A+.
Find more of Hugh Verheylewegen’s work on instagram and youtube!