Review of Blade Runner (1982) by Eero V — 06 Feb 2014

Like Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey 14 years before it, Blade Runner is the crowning achievement of sci-fi, and a film that was way ahead of its time at the time of its release. Both films are so full of complex ideas and multiple interpretations that they deserve and require repeated viewings.

However, Blade Runner differs from its counterpart in the sense that it is darker, more cynical and less hopeful, where 2001 gave some sort of glimpse of human's developmental continuation in the form of the Star-Child.

Blade Runner instead shows us that future is far bleaker than we could have imagined, and asks us difficult questions about humanity, what it means to be human and how can we define what is human and what isn't.

The film remains visually stunning, and includes an unforgettable score by Vangelis and superb performances by Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer. All these factors - a complex and fascinating story, technical virtuosity and great performances - culminate into what is simply one of the greatest films of all time, and an achievement that Ridley Scott will never surpass again.

The only worrying thing is that he has been planning a sequel for years now. Blade Runner, like any other classic film, is an experience whose power lies in its uniqueness.