A poor backdrop, a revealing eyesore to an otherwise brilliant undertaking!

Rating: 5/10 (22 June 2013)

I'll just tell you the truth..this is a movie that I had heard and has been in the back of my mind for many many years..never got around to watching it. I was too young when it came out but I do catch up with some that have outlived their welcome. This one definitely did. Being a fan of Vangelis, I came across the soundtrack and my heart started pounding...I had to watch this!! My excitement mounted and my heart is beating fast as starting credits rolled..Vangelis is cluing me in to the Los Angles of 2019...But then, Harrison Ford stepped in, too wooden to move and too stoic to act, utterly bored to the core. I am wondering at this time if this movie is what it says it is..But then something else happened - the visuals! During the initial sequences, the city is presented at the very zenith of technological innovation and I was expecting that this would ensue.The breathtaking opening scene is a mood setter, is it not? But this was not to be, and therein lies a serious flaw in this movie...which had the immense potential to be a classic, but denigrated itself to be a cult. There is a difference...a classic has passed all accounts of cinematic standards..its beat them all. A cult on the other hand is one that is well liked by many...no reasons given. Most times, the reasons are flawed and this one belongs in that category. Not to digress, but the visuals that I aforementioned - relegates itself to old age cyberpunk,gets well-ingrained into a marginal subculture and becomes the centerpiece of the movie. The character is sidelined, the story goes awry, and the dreary shots of everyday urban Los Angeles, in not-too-distant future gets in your face and repeats itself with staggering consistently. The movie makes a point that despite the technology and the development, there is generally no hope for humanity. The future, my dear friends, has to be depressing and morose, especially for the poor. There is hope, but not for everyone, definitely not for the working class, not for the good only for the technically adept, the rulers of the future. This echoes consistently and is driven home at every turn that Deckard takes..it's always staring in your face like deformed face, wanting you to notice the ugliness, to accept that there is nothing pretty here and you better accept it.
When Daryl Hannah,a street whore stepped in and covered herself with papers on the street side...I gave up. Blade Runner,inspite of all the expectations and heart pounding excitement that it garnered within me..had let itself down. And I so..oh so desperately wanted it to shock me with sheer brilliance. But this is another attempt at science fiction, when Ridley Scott was learning his trade. At this juncture, a cinematic genius would have concluded that there is nothing that this young lad can look forward to. But alas, Scott has proved everyone wrong..but not with this one. This one needs to be forgotten!
A special mention of course - VANGELIS!! How could a score go so under-utilized? The genius that this score was, should have more than carried the movie...given the right back drop. But Vangelis is no match for the depression-era Los Angeles, cleverly disguised with neon boards and poorly masquerading itself to be 2019. What an eye sore!!
While it may be be unwarranted to do so, I take the liberty to contrast this to the science fiction movie of my time - The Matrix. It asks the same questions - What is humanity, can we beat the forces that control us, can we survive this onslaught, is there love, is this life worth it? It answers it too. The difference is - it sets a backdrop where your mind takes hold of it,takes a stand, and root for the good guys. It allows you to recognize yourself- that you are as vulnerable as Neo and yet can do something to change the world. It buys you in. Blade Runner on the other hand, keeps you aloof and at arms length, never opening the door for you to enter the LA of 2019. If does not allow you to emote,to participate, to root for, to empathize. The back drop does not allow this. It says "stay away"...every which way it can. While there might be a cult following - multiple viewings, and reading into the flick for more that what it's worth, or going away with questions that even Deckard does not ask..is not being faithful to the spirit of a movie. If it takes multiple viewings to 'get it', it should be a sitcom and a 2 hr flick!!