A Provocative and Disturbing Vision of the Future

Rating: 10/10 (26 May 2001)

When I first viewed this film in a theater I was overwhelmed by the visual mastery. The opening tracking shot of Los Angeles in the future establishes the mood of the film, but what happens to the main character Deckard is revelatory. In one of Harrison Ford's best portrayals, Deckard is caught up in an intriguing pursuit and a bizarre romance that can only come from the pen of Philip K. Dick. The author has explored the prospects of artificial humans to the depth that Isaac Azimov has explored the world of robots. There is a philosophical overtone about the transitory nature of life that never becomes maudlin and is essential to the theme and the climax of the story.

The use of the Bradbury Building, an existing famous building in Los Angeles, with the forbidding edifice of the Tyrell Corporation creates a feeling of the timelessness of a city. There is enough atmosphere for three films and it permeates the action with purpose.
Is this a warning about the future absorbing of our souls into technology to the point of even making life seem arbitrary? I comprehend that and only science fiction has been able expose that so well, before in "2001: A Space Odyssey."
The artistic merits of the film are peerless with an inventive and haunting score by Vangelis and the exploration of cinematic effects that are crucial to the story. It is one of my favorite films and always will be. Nothing is handed to you verbatim in this film. I requires one to think and interpret and that is entertaining in itself.