BLADE RUNNER (1982) THE QUINTESSENTIAL CYBERPUNK FILM. RETROMOVIE REVIEW

Establishing Cyberpunk.

Blade Runner is a cult classic. It set the visual standards to follow when it comes to dystopias in science fiction, and most particularly in cyberpunk. A desolate future, with technological advances, social inequality and greedy corporations.

But why is it considered a cult film? This is because when the movie was released, it did so on the same weekend as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (Spielberg 1982) which severely affected his income at the box office and was considered a failure. Also, the unconventional story and its slow development were not to the liking of the common viewer. It was later when Science-Fiction recommended the film from voice to voice, that received the proper attention.

From a classic Phillip K. Dick book.

Based on the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheeps? by Phillip K Dick, we find ourselves in a futuristic world in distant (then) 2019, where the earth is devastated, the marginalized have to survive on the scarce resources that remain. the rich have fled to space colonies. And to perform the toughest jobs in space, improved, artificially created human beings are made, called Replicants. Some of these Replicants went rogue and fled back to earth, that’s when Blade Runner Deckard (Ford) is tasked with hunting them down.

A film that could be considered Sci-Fi for grown-ups, where the plot unfolds slowly and the special effects were not the main aspect of the film, initially alienated fans who were expecting something more juvenile entertainment like Star Wars.

All the right pieces put together for a classic.

Ridley Scott achieved one of the films that have most influenced other filmmakers in history. He knew how to assemble an excellent team of collaborators, who despite the multiple problems recorded on set, knew how to deliver a classic. The production design is superb, still looking utterly spectacular 40 years later. Drawing inspiration from the futuristic cities of Metropolis by Fritz Lang, they managed to create this worn, polluted and corroded city using miniatures, decorations from other movies, and simple everyday tools. The slow methodical camerawok let us calmly see this modern but decrepit city. The special effects have also stood the test of time. Let’s not forget that only practical effects were used. Not a single SFX was done by a computer.

Film Noir inspiration and tiny details.

The fact that almost the entire film takes place at night, makes good use of light essential. Strongly influenced by the Film Noir genre, the whimsical angles of shadows and lights.  Sometimes these lights are shy, wanting to make their way into the dark, and others dominate everything with vivacious neon colors This clever use of lighting makes it a dark and atmospheric film but always lets us see what is happening. It is worth mentioning that the level of detail that Scott is tremendously meticulous. Every graffiti sign, every product label, every headline in every magazine, was carefully created by Scott and his team.

Music and silence counterpoint.

Greek musician Vangelis composed the musical score. His music appears most prominently in wide-open scenes in which the city is shown in all its decadent magnificence, while in the interior scenes usually there is no music, emphasizing the drama and interaction of the characters.

Great cast all around

All of the actor focused on the subtleness required from their parts to fit the narrative of the story. Harrison Ford as the unflappable Deckard is a good lead. When required he achieves believable expressions of fear, despair, and empathy; Sean Young is deliberately aloof with his ladylike gait and mannerism straight out of an old detective film; Daryl Hanna looks maniacally cool and dangerous with his post-punk era hair and makeup; even the small role of Edward James Olmos and its origami figures adds to the cast. But the one who stands out is Rutger Hauer delivering his most memorable role as the leader of the Replicants Roy. His last scene in the film has one of the most remembered lines in the cinema, lines which were mostly improvised by Hauer.

Many versions.

There are several versions of the film, but three of them are the most important. The original version, with a voice-over explaining the story and with a happy ending. The director’s cut, an alternate version found in the Warner Bros archives in 1989 without the voice-over and with the ending Scott originally wanted. Although Scott himself said that this was not in itself a version of the director since the film needed several changes for him to give his seal of approval. It is until 2007 that Scott released The Final Cut, where even scenes were filmed again and a deep digitization process was applied to the film.

Different endings (spoilers)

In the original version, made by the producers who wanted a more «friendly» film for general audiences, the voice-over plainly explains what is happening, and takes away all that atmosphere and air of mystery from the narrative, turning it into a mere detective story. Besides, the happy ending with Deckard and Rachael driving on beautiful roads detracts from the entire intention of the film. On the other hand, in The Final cut, the Deckard origin is determined as also a Replicant, with the sequence of the unicorn. Scott intended to establish that Roy was a messiah and Deckard without knowing it, a traitor to his race. This version skips the end of the road, ending with the elevator closing after Deckard lifted the origami unicorn figure from the floor.

Delirium Score