A Sci-Fi Masterpiece!

Rating: 10/10 (9 September 2011)

As a heads up, this review is based on the Director's cut of this film and will contain spoilers.
I just recently re-watched Blade Runner (for the second time only), and found it much better than the first time around. On my first viewing, I did think that it was a good movie, but not great. Years later, I have a much greater appreciation for the film.
The story focuses on Deckard, who is a retired Blade Runner asked to "retire" a series of humanoids called replicants. Deckard will go through an emotional journey throughout the film, and will question himself at several occasions.
The movie opens with flames shooting up in the sky from tall buildings, giving us our first glimpse at this bleak vision of the future. The intro music that accompanies these visuals is very fitting and really sets the tone for a cold, atmospheric experience. I always feel that the first five minutes of every film is extremely important and needs to set the tone for what's to come. A prime example of this is the intro for Vertigo; it is an extremely mesmerising intro, and gives a great taste of what the film has to offer.
This great intro is followed by Leon's test. I feel that this scene has great dialog worthy of a Tarantino film (and I'm not implying that Tarantino is a better director; I think they are both amazing). The smoke and the alarm going off, as well as the fan overhead give great imagery and sound to fit the feel of the movie with still a cold atmosphere.
Scott creates a highly stylized, convincing world of lies and deceit, and sucks us right in to the story and world which Deckard inhabits. It is dark, bleak and cruel. Most humans are living in the "colonies," and the poor and "different" are left in this underworld that is now Earth. In a scene where Deckard chases the replicant Salome, the busy sounds of the city are replaced by soft mood music, gunfire and a beating heart; this works very well in film's context of what is real and what is not. This combination of sounds creates the soundtrack to Salome's death.
The movie climaxes with a confrontation scene between Deckard and Roy. Scott plays very well with the lighting during this scene; it adds an eerie feeling to the movie. Every shot is thoughtfully set up with light outside of the building creeping in, removing the need from internal lighting to follow the characters. Roy's insanity is brought to the edge in this scene, and mixes very well with the lighting.
All in all, this film is beautifully shot, and brings back, some ways, the film noir genre. It is a very enjoyable sci-fi that goes beyond the spaceship and aliens we normally see. It questions what it means to be human and brings to mind a lot of questions, more than it gives answers.
"It's too bad she won't live, but then again who does?" This combined with the unicorn, suggesting Deckard is a replicant, gives the argument that we are given a happy ending and that he will lives the rest of his short life with Rachael.
10/10