What makes a human human?

Rating: 10/10 (14 September 2013)

On the sparingly, almost esoteric introduction sounds of Vangelis, we discover that we find ourselves in Los Angeles, 2019. Humanity has produced a race of robots (replicants) who are, apart from emotions, identical to humans. They serve to perform slave labor in the so called "off-world colonies". But the robots seemed a little too human and turned against their makers, by which they became a threat. The "Blade Runners", a special unit of the government, were assigned to identify these replicants and eliminate them.
This is the synopsis of Blade Runner, a masterpiece by Ridley Scott from 1982. It's superior cast of people who are determined to transcend themselves is key to make an instant classic. The blue eyes, blonde hair and grimace from ear to ear of Rutger Hauer made him the ultimate ice-cold replicant, while Harrison Ford, after Star Wars and Raiders Of The Lost Ark, proved his ability to present a complex and morally charged character. The role of composer Vangelis was also of great importance. He created a delicious and almost Spartan sober sound-scape, which echoed the perfect cries of an unhinged future. And what would the movie have been without the miraculous special effects of wizard Douglas Trumbull, the man who had polished 2001: A Space Odyssey for all eternity.
Upon release, the movie turned out to be a flop, but not for long. When the picture first appeared on video, it rapidly gained a cult-status held to date. We are fortunate to behold Ridley's "Final Cut" version where, for the very first time, the dream of the unicorn can be seen the way it was meant to be. The sparingly but intense violence is no longer trimmed and the digital polishing makes the picture shine more beautifully and confident than ever before.
It is hard not to be intrigued by the surprisingly philosophical overtone "what makes a human human?" Let yourself be dragged in by this classic science-fiction masterpiece.