Brilliant, visionary, and outstanding

Rating: 10/10 (9 April 2007)

I can't believe I've never seen this until now; it fits right into my favourites mould of dark, near-future setting with noir-ish stories and lots of eye candy. I guess I just never got around to it; now that I've seen it, I'm sorta glad I waited, as I would have found it boring when I was younger. As I remember, I started watching it once but could never finish it. Now that I've seen it for the first time as a (at least partially) mature film lover, I can fully appreciate its brilliance. And it is brilliant.
Definitely one of the most visionary films I've ever seen; it's right up there with 2001 in being incredibly ahead of its time, both visually and thematically. As a result, both films are able to transcend their release year, and both feel as though they could have been made today. The two films are kinda counterpoints to each other; while 2001 presents a relatively light future, this film is dark, dark, dark. The wide shots of futuristic Los Angeles are both stunning in their visual presentation and terrifying in their historical implications. The numerous and at time enormous advertisements show a world with capitalism run amok - not something terribly surprisingly given our world today. This film is 25 years old, but somehow it manages to be relevant even today.
The story is a combination of two of my favourite genres: film-noir and science fiction. I'm not sure, but I think this is the first cinematic combination of these two, something that has be re-done many times since. Some may think that the film moves too slow, but I was captivated by the story almost instantly. I would have liked to see more of Deckard's detective work, but there's ample amounts to satisfy my taste for mystery. The issues of humanity that it raises are intriguing and quite revolutionary, and the director's cut - which I saw - leaves the ending ambiguous as to Deckard's true identity. In fact, it leaves the entire film ambiguous - does Roy know Deckard? Is Deckard the 'missing' replicant? Utterly brilliant.
I don't think I can really do the visuals justice in words. Suffice to say, this is one of the most stunning films I've seen - ever. The effects would be amazing today, and the fact that it's from 1982 makes it even more incredible. The dark view of the future is achieved mostly by the terrific production design - something like 1940s Los Angeles with a digital edge. Not only does it look great, but the design is smart as well; it makes sense that immigration would get even worse in the future, so the city and its design is multicultural and multi ethnic. And the music, while obviously from the '80s, fits perfectly. Technically superb.
Though I've only just seen it for the first time, I feel confident that this will wind up in my all-time top ten after watching it again. I don't remember ever being this blown away by a film upon first viewing: it usually takes multiple viewings for me to really love a film. As it stands, this is one of the best films I've ever seen.