BLADE RUNNER

(June 1982, U.S.)

I am writing this post on Ridley Scott's 1982 original release of the film...

Do you know what a "Blade Runner Minority" is? No, of course you don't. You've never heard it before because it's a term that I invented. It's how I've referred to myself in relation to Ridley Scott's science fiction masterpiece, BLADE RUNNER, for over twenty-five years. I was one of the few who saw the film when it was orginally released in the Summer of 1982; that makes me a "Blade Runner Minority". I was one of the few who loved the film from the time of its original release; that makes me a "Blade Runner Minority". Finally, I'm one of the few who actually prefers the original 1982 version with the Harrison Ford voice-over narration and so-called happy Hollywood ending over the re-worked 1992 "Director's Cut" and the 2007 re-worked "Final Cut" versions; THAT, my friends, makes me a "Blade Runner Minority".

The first time I ever saw it in a small movie theater in Westhampton Beach, Long Island, when the opening credits began to the intense themes of Vangelis and the film opened with the awesome visual effects of a complex, dystopian Los Angeles in the year 2019, I knew I was in for something special and something significantly different from the years of special effects I had seen in STAR WARS films, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and the like. In this bleak and grim version of the future, engineered organic robots called replicants—visually indistinguishable from adult humans—are manufactured by the all-powerful Tyrell Corporation. Their use on Earth is declared illegal. Replicants who defy the ban and return to Earth are hunted down and "retired" by police special operatives known as "blade runners". Enter Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford). Through his eyes and ivestigation, we not only see the future for what it is, but we're also taken to the edge of human distinction. What makes us human? What makes us artificial? Can we tell the difference? Can we control our emotional responses and actions even when we discover the difference? Can we prevent falling in love against our better judgement? These are question only the appreciative viewer can answer for themselves.

Although BLADE RUNNER is a futuristic film thriller, it operates on multiple dramatic and narrative levels; it's greatly indebted to classic film noir conventions: the femme fatale, protagonist-narration, dark and shadowy cinematography, and the questionable moral outlook of the hero. BLADE RUNNER is also a prime example where time has miraculously improved a film. Primarily disregarded and pull quickly from theaters in 1982, it's gained a worldwide cult popularity ever since. Today, many consider it a spectacular and intelligent film achievement. They're not wrong.

BLADE RUNNER - in my opinion, is the best film of Ridley Scott's career, one of the best science fiction films ever made and also one of the top ten films of the 1980's.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Roy Batty: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain...time to die."
Rick Deckard (voice-over narration): "I don't know why he saved my life. Maybe in those last moments he loved life more than he ever had before. Not just his life - anybody's life; my life. All he'd wanted were the same answers the rest of us want. Where did I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got? All I could do was sit there and watch him die."