my Movie

Movie Details

Title:   Blade Runner
Director:   Ridley Scott
Year:   1982
Genre:   Science Fiction
Times Seen:   1
Last Seen:   11.22.07

Other Movies Seen By This Director (10)
- Alien: Covenant
- American Gangster
- Black Hawk Down
- Body of Lies
- The Counselor
- Kingdom of Heaven
- Legend
- The Martian
- Prometheus
- Robin Hood

Notes History
Date Viewed Venue Note
11.22.07Paramount Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. I saw two movies today.

soooo... ok let me just get this out in the open. I like Blade Runner and see how others could love it but do not love it myself and feel Ridley Scott has traded too much on this and Alien over the years to become a really overrated director, which takes the film down a few notches in my mind. That said, it's been a while since I've seen it (I believe I've only seen the theatrical cut once and the director's cut once and that's it) so I figured I owe it another viewing and a chance to see it theatrically shouldn't be passed up.

My feelings on the movie are largely unchanged. I mean yes the visual design is striking, the ideas are interesting, Rutger Hauer is badass (except for when he howls) and the music's great. I just don't feel the actual story. Looking at the scenery is fine but there's something about the pacing and the actual plot that rubs me the wrong way. Plus, why are there 6 rotating spotlights right outside of every window on the Bradbury building? is that some future-thing we can all look forward to? But anyway... I want to really like Deckard but he doesn't really do much. Other than killing Joanna Cassidy, he's awfully reactive. The same could be said for The Dude and lots of other noir leading men so I shouldn't complain but... he's kind of a wuss.

Plus I really don't like how Scott went on record with Deckard being a replicant. If he is a replicant... why is he a replicant? Was all the "i walked in here quit, I'm walking out twice as quit" just implanted memories and the cops were going along with the little charade because this replicant can hunt other replicants better than any human? Do they program replicants to be alcoholic? If he's designed to hunt other replicants, shouldn't he be a bit stronger and less wussy? It seems like that would be a more usefull skill when hunting replicants that believing you're human. What, do they have to make him believe he's a human to avoid hurting his feelings? he's a robot! You can tell him what to think! I don't get it (because it doesn't make sense). The same thing with the spotlights through the windows... just doesn't make sense to me. I like my science fiction to make sense.

Still, the movie looks beautiful and a few shots (like the last handheld shot with the door closing and Deckard going with Sean Young) are really iconic and classic and such. I dislike the term "neo-noir" but do appreciate how they use the archetypes like the private detective and Sean Young's look (which is also why I liked the narration).

Overall, I still like it but not love it, and that's probably the way it'll stay.