They discussed how beautifully-directed Ridley Scott films were. I agreed, and started talking about how he was a great eye, and that with the exception of a few movies (Hannibal, for example), all his movies were great. Including, of course, the best movie ever made. Bladerunner.
They ignored me. Didn't even acknowledge it. Later, while they were still talking about Ridley Scott and how amazingly great he was, I mentioned it again. This time, a bit more timidly, suggesting that Ridley's Magnum Opus was, of course, Bladerunner. Again, no reply.
It was then that I realized that neither of these two had ever actually seen Bladerunner.
This bothered me. Quite a bit, actually. For, here they were, discussing one of the best directors of the last two decades, and they hadn't even seen his greatest movie.
See, Ridley Scott has made some great movies. But if we were to make a top five of his best movies, it would look something like this:
#1. Bladerunner, the Director's Cut.
#2. Bladerunner, the Final Cut.
#3. Bladerunner, the Theatrical Release.
#4. Gladiator.
#5. Alien.
I realize a lot of you haven't seen Bladerunner. Which is a shame, because it is an amazing movie. Imagine a very dark, dreary story that doesn't try to lead you by the nose in the plot - it just presents images, and dialogue, and lets you figure out what's going on by yourself. No long expositions (except in the Theatrical Release, with the much-despised voiceover work). No artificial dialogue to explain to you what's going on. Just an amazing film.
The movie was made in 1981 or 1982, and it still looks crisp and new. In fact, I point at movies like Bladerunner (and, to a lesser extent, Alien) as a good reason why CGI was a bad development in cinema. The fact is, when you're limited by technology, you strive to make it look as real as possible. When a computer can make the image in your head appear, it often doesn't look as realistic - you haven't had to work to get that image down. The difficulties of putting an effect on the camera helped invest the director into making that image just right; these days, CGI divorces the director from that responsibility.
But I digress.
The plot of Bladerunner is deceptively simple. In the year 2019 (or thereabouts), the Tyrell coroporation has perfected the creation of androids known as Replicants. They look like humans, they bleed like humans, and they have thoughts and emotions just like humans. Some would even argue they have a soul (certainly an element of the movie). The only catch? They must contend with a four year lifespan.
The presence of replicants on earth is illegal, as they are created for off-world slave labour. But four replicants steal their way back to Los Angeles, in the hopes of trying to find a way to extend their lifespan. Enter Rich Deckard (Harrison Ford), a retired Bladerunner - a member of the police department assigned to the destruction of renegade replicants.
So begins the story - Deckard must follow in the path of Replicants that seek only to extend their lifespan, and experience the wide range of emotions and experiences that humanity seems to take for granted. Throughout the film, we watch as the replicants (essentially, the "villains" of the story) are seemingly more human than the humanity around them. In fact, it is one of those rare movies where the viewer seems to identify more with the villain than the protagonist.
That's the simple overview of the movie. But there's so much more. A replicant introduced to Deckard who doesn't know she's a replicant (she's been implanted with false memories). The world of biological engineering. And the city itself - Bladerunner is one of those rare movies where the setting itself is a primary character.
Essentially, it's an old 1940's film noir detective story, set in a desolate, decaying city of the future. And it is, in my humble opinion, the best movie ever made. Every time you watch it, you walk away with some new detail, some new perspective. So much thought went into the making of this movie, that it is incredible. And none of it is made obvious to the viewer; the movie will never tell you about the role of eyes in the film, for example, but if you pay attention, you'll notice something (I won't say what). Everything, from the writing on the back of the cars to the covers of magazines in the news stand, contributes to this fictional world of a dystopian tomorrow.
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And perhaps the best part about Bladerunner is the question of Deckard's Identity. Without going into it in depth and giving away much of the movie's wonder, allow me to just say that there are a lot of unresolved questions throughout the film. And the great thing is, they are truly unresolved - it is left to you, the viewer, to piece together clues throughout the film to decide what is the so-called "truth" of the matter.
It's a cliche to say, but they really don't make movies like this anymore. Which is just too bad. But understandable, I suppose. Bladerunner bombed in the box office, and would have lingered away in obscurity were it not for the dedication of its director to release a "cleaned up" version of the film (that got rid of a "happy" ending and a terrible voiceover that tried to explain the events in the film). While it has influenced many of today's science fiction films, directors, and cinematographers, it is still an often ignored and misunderstood film among the general public.
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