An Excellent Film

Rating: 7/10 (15 July 2012)

'Blade Runner' is often said to be one of the best sci-fi films ever and I can understand why.
The story is excellent; based on Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" it talks about these artificial humans known as 'replicants' who have been deemed illegal on planet Earth punishable by death. Harrison Ford plays a blade runner whose job it is to hunt down and kill a group of rogue replicants. In the director's cut version the story is explained very well but it does drag out the story a bit too much.
Acting in this production is mixed. You have some really good performances; like those of Daryl Hannah and Rutger Hauer who play replicants. You also get fairly basic and wooden performances from Sean Young and surprisingly from Harrison Ford who fails to evoke any emotion whatsoever in this. In the last ten minutes of the film where the pace really picks up with the chase scene between Ford and Hauer there is no emphasis in Ford's character which really let scenes down. Hauer gives an excellent performance, particularly with his final short monologue.
Of course the special effects and music are now out-dated but they give the film a certain charm that means it still works today. The settings were excellent; Ridley Scott likes to do what he calls 'layering' in sets where he fills them with so much detail that they look real, this works great in this film. The dystopian setting where both night and day seem to look like the same thing and it constantly rains gives the film a great atmosphere and show just how great Scott is at his job.
Overall, I would thoroughly recommend 'Blade Runner'; it's an excellent film with a few aspects that let it down. The story is really interesting, the acting is mostly great with some exceptions and the settings are amazing.