BOT: Blade Runner (1982)

BOT stands for Back on Track and this is the feature’s second post.

I listed Blade Runner as a classic since it first came out 30 years ago (after that there has been two director cuts, one in 1992 and the other in 2007) but I assume it is thought of more as a cult film rather than a classic. But I would think it is a classic, since it has quite the age and because I like the word “classic” – it makes the movie more valuable and profound in some ways. Blade Runner would therefore be a very highly placed movie since it does require two words emphasizing its part in the movie world: this is definitely a cult classic by the one and only Ridley Scott.

Blade Runner was nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Best Art and the other for Best Effects. It is listed #125 in IMDb’s 250 Best Movies.

This movie just fell into my lap when I was thinking about Back on Track. I didn’t plan to watch it as one of the movies in this list but I considered it important and now after I’ve seen it, I see it as even more necessary since it is in the sci-fi genre and I call it one of my favorites. In addition, Blade Runner is the third full-length movie by Ridley Scott – it came 3 years after the well known and admired Alien. What made the movie more interesting for me in the first place was Harrison Ford’s thoughts about Blade Runner which made it sound like he didn’t enjoy it at all and was very disappointed in the final result. Therefore the director cuts and final cuts from 1992 and 2007 make a lot of sense, I even read that Ford’s son played his father to re-shoot the scene with the snake-woman because they changed the script. Since I watched the 1992 version I’m not sure what the first cut even looked like so I’m not able to comment on the differences but I’m sure some of the other fans are able to do so – feel free to educate me in the comments down below.

Leaving that discussion to those who have more knowledge on the matter, I’m still considering the version I watched as the movie Blade Runner from 1982. That’s the point I don’t really know how to approach, the movie itself is from 82 but the version is 92 – I guess in most parts it is still the original but maybe not completely, at this point I find this topic to be too complicated. I shall continue with the actual post – I liked Blade Runner but there was something missing from the feeling of love. Don’t get me wrong, there was a certain quality to it that made me think that I could really really love this movie but then again, I’m not the kind of person who can look away from the flaws that arise from the screenplay.

Writing behind Blade Runner lacked a little bit, which I found surprising since one of the authors, Davis Webb Peoples penned down 12 Monkeys. Most of my problems were due to logic or leaving things unsaid and that left me confused way too many times. Funny enough I can’t really pin point the areas of confusion except maybe the final fight scene but maybe it is something I can credit to as a problem of the new version – at this point, I’m not sure of anything. Okay, getting my focus back and… Overall there were weird parts that I didn’t like but then again there were elements that were weird but amazing at the same time. So I’m conflicted but at the same time I find it ironic that this would be the second Ridley Scott movie this year that appealed to me visually but didn’t reach me with the plot. Though, Blade Runner’s hidden message (I assume it was hidden but maybe it wasn’t actually present at all and I read too much into it…. ) got me thinking and made me like the movie a bit more than I originally thought. I’ll get to it in a second, first stop – Blade Runner’s visual effects, art and the amazing cinematography!

Keep in mind, this is 1982 we’re talking about and this is what it had! I’m no expert but I think it looks freaking awesome is what it does! The matter of fact is that the way things look in today’s sci-fi movies is something similar that Blade Runner has put on the map. It has big visual scenes (fire effects too come off as old but still, 1982!) and small detailed bits and pieces in the less emphasized scenes. While some things were a bit odd and felt out of place, I still see why it is considered a cult classic – at its time, Blade Runner was ahead of time and although it looked rough and not as polished (I’m reminding you that I saw the already altered version) the idea behind it is still pretty amazing. My favorite visual moment was still the scene with the snake woman, I thought her make up was so glamorous and fitting up until she threw on a transparent raincoat (what is the actual point of it except we can see a half naked woman running for her life) which I’m willing to look past.

Despite the urge, I’m not going to discuss the actors and actresses in Blade Runner and actually, it is something I’m quite certain I will do in all of my BOT posts. It is not so much about the acting that makes these movies into classics in my eyes anyways, it is more the story, the directing and the innovation in that period of time with few exceptions of course. Since Ford himself didn’t enjoy the movie and thought the shooting process was demanding and hard, I don’t want to point out that he felt out of place (which I just did unfortunately) or better yet, I don’t want to get into more detail with that. The only name I do want to mention aside Ford is Daryl Hannah who looked creepy yet sweet at the same time. Her character did have a lot of attention when she was on screen because Hannah has that glow about her.

Anyway, this is it for my second BOT, it has been a rather long post but I’ve enjoyed writing every sentence of it and I wish to continue as eagerly as you are hopefully waiting for me to write BOT posts. Next up, an animated surprise, stay tuned!