Epitome

Rating: 10/10 (25 March 2012)

Having been a long term fan and follower of all things Science Fiction, this film drew me in as a moth to a flame. From the lighting, use of weather, dialogue, casting, visual effects and simply stunning performances from Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer and Sean Young, this film ranks at the top of a rather short list of the most important science fiction films ever made. Gritty and visionary - with the haunting Vangelis soundtrack, and the grim vision of Ridley Scott at the helm, far moreso than Alien, this is his masterpiece.
Based on the Philip K. Dick story, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" this story, and subsequent motion picture paved the way for other noted artificial humans, culminating with Brent Spiner's Lieutenant Commander Data in the 1989 Star Trek: TNG Episode "The Measure of a Man", where Data is legally declared a self aware sentient being with the subsequent right to not be a Federation guinea pig.
If you haven't yet watched either - watch both. Bladerunner tells a tough story of use, enslavement and ultimately a basic tenet of humanity, that which we cannot control we destroy. In Spiner's Data, we find the android at the cusp of being dismantled for scientific study.