Review of Blade Runner

Irreplicable

A fantastic film based on one of Philip K. Dick's finest novels. The Earth is a dying planet, and what remains of the global populace pool together in expansive, yet largely dilapidated cities which pollute the planet on a devastating scale. In recent history, humanity colonised Mars, allowing millions of people to abandon the abused bosom of mother nature and flee for the foreboding red planet. In the ensuing galactic expansion, the need for cheap labour was quenched by androids - mass produced on a large scale. Eventually, the androids became so sophisticated and self-aware that determining man from 'replicant' became an almost impossible task. A task that fell to Blade Runners like Rick Deckard.

Many people think that this film looks dated by today's standard (it's fair to say that almost every 80's Sci-fi film suffers in the same manner), but I think that the age just adds to the gritty dystopian, abandoned feel of the city. Countless ideas for the entire notion of cyberpunk were surely borne from this film, including the massive corporate slogans which emblazon most of the emtpy spaces in the city. The setting for the film is nailed to perfection, creating intense moments and inflicting a sense of genuine hopelessness for humanity.

As for the story, it starts off with instant action and then takes you on a cold, no-frills journey through a day in the life of a reluctant hero and an even more reluctant villain. With Deckard increasingly called upon to abandon his own human traits in order to expunge those deemed not-human-enough to live alongside their flesh-and-blood brothers, the eternal questions of whether Deckard himself is a replicant is raised. The final showdown, set in a beautiful abandoned Gothic apartment block, is one that I will remember just as profoundly as some of the dialogue on the rooftop.

This film is fantastic.

10/10

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Added by Grand Assault 2 years ago on 20 June 2007 02:10