Review of Blade Runner (1982) by Cinemassacre — 13 Mar 2016

In the nearly 25 years since its original release, Blade Runner has become one of the most discussed, debated, and influential science fiction movies. These days, it's almost impossible to find a gritty science fiction motion picture that doesn't owe at least a small debt to Blade Runner's visual style. The movie is also one of the first major motion pictures to have been given a red carpet "Director's Edition." In cooperation with Warner Brothers, Ridley Scott re-tooled the movie, making minor changes and eliminating the much-maligned voiceover. In late 1992, the new version was released in a limited number of theaters and was universally acclaimed as the "definitive version" by fans worldwide.

Considering how respected Blade Runner is in the 2000s, it's difficult to remember that it was widely viewed as a failure during its initial release. Reviews, for the most part, were negative. (This isn't surprising. Cutting-edge science fiction is often viewed negatively at first then re-evaluated later. 2001 is a classic example.) The box office was tepid, and the film failed to make back its production costs. Viewers, expecting something more popcorn-oriented from a Harrison Ford science fiction movie, were disappointed by the dark, serious nature of the project. The cast and crew, who had nearly rebelled against the director during production, were in some cases unenthusiastic in their support of the finished product.

The central ethical question posed by Blade Runner has been popular in science fiction since it’s the inception of the genre: what is life? It's the same issue pondered by Mary Shelly in Frankenstein, translated into the far future. Man is no longer building misshapen creatures out of disused body parts. Now the creatures are nearly perfect replicas of human beings. They live, eat, drink, make love, think, feel, and perish. But do they have souls? Is Deckard merely consigning scrap to the slag heap or is he killing? That question has worn on him. According to Bryant, he's the best there ever was, but that was in the past. Now, he's burned out.

Blade Runner is as much of a morality play as it is an action/adventure story. The question of whether or not the replicants are "alive" echoes themes from countless novels, movies, and television series. It lies at the heart of Issac Asimov's I, Robot (both the book and the movie). It's central to the premise of the current TV series Battlestar Galactica (which borrows Blade Runner's "skinjob" slang to describe human-looking androids). Blade Runner didn't invent the issue but it arguably did more to popularize it than any other post-Asimov source.

Those expecting to see Harrison Ford in full Han Solo/Indiana Jones action hero mode are primed for disappointment. Deckard is still capable of getting the job done, but he's not gung-ho about it. He's a reluctant cop, and his reluctance becomes more apparent as the movie unfolds. He's also not the blade runner he used to be. He does the job, but gets the hell kicked out of him on several occasions and, without Rachael's timely intervention when he confronts Leon, he wouldn't be around to chase Pris and Roy.

The final confrontation between Deckard and Roy is atypical of an action movie. The formula requires that these two engage in a long, hard one-on-one struggle before Deckard vanquishes Roy. That's not what happens. The fight occurs, but Deckard is the loser. Roy saves him, even though he has every reason to let Deckard die. The two end up spending Roy's last hours together, waiting for his four-year life to end. Why does Roy save Deckard? Perhaps, recognizing that the end is at hand, Roy doesn't want to die alone. His companions are no more; Deckard is the only one who will stay with him. This action, more than any other, argues for the "humanity" of the replicants. What could be more human than to not want to die alone?

Blade Runner is not flawless. There is an irritating continuity error pertaining to the number of replicants who made it to Earth. (The original number is six, with one killed. However, Deckard is given only four profiles to track down.) The love story with Rachael doesn't work, in large part because both Ford and Sean Young underplay their roles to such extremes that its impossible to believe either could feel anything for the other. The romance is necessary to the story and it emphasizes the blurred line between men and replicants but it fails on an emotional level.

Blade Runner is a rare science fiction movie so full of material that pages can be written about it without scratching the surface. A review like this can provide little more than an overview. A detailed exploration of the movie, its style, and its mysteries requires dedication that only someone immersed in Blade Runner lore can provide.