Review of Blade Runner (1982) by Robert Z — 21 Jan 2019

More like Bladewalker, this movie's pace made it unfit for viewing by my impatient teenage self when it first made it to HBO in the early days of cable TV and that opinion holds. The theatrical release was infamous for its dumbed down mansplaining voiceover and tacked on happy ending, so we gave this supposedly definitive 2007 re-edit a go.

The voiceover is gone but this movie is still a bore. It reminds me of the terrible '70s show Bigfoot & Wildboy. In that low-budget travesty, much time is devoted to moving the characters from one location to another.

Likewise this film asks viewer repeatedly to sit back and enjoy the scenery like a jetlagged tourist in a sky gondola as our jaded hero gets from here to there. Perhaps cutting edge at the time, the set design is less rich than that found in average video games today.

Harrison Ford is a lifeless cipher whose idea of acting is looking confused by letting his mouth hang open. The film scores points for atmosphere and the testing scenes are gripping but the action and violence is typical Hollywood.

Loses a star due to hackneyed and intrusive Vangelis soundtrack--which in one scene inexplicably drowns out an on-screen piano. Overrated waste of time though Daryl Hannah shines as a wiley fleshbot femme fatale.