Tremendously Impressing, Mesmerizing Sci-Fi Noir

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2013)

I just watched Blade Runner for the first time. Considering that I am nearly 30 years old and a lifelong science fiction fan, it seems odd that I waited this long. Anyway, the version that I watched is the Director's Cut, so I cannot speak to the differences present in the Original Version, the Final Cut, etc. But I came away quite impressed with this film, for its restraint and strange otherness as much as for any of the more obvious, overt virtues that most sci-fi films possess.
The visual look of the film is very dark and ultimately bleak in concept, but the images of a future Los Angeles are incredibly executed and often beautiful in a strange, unsettling way. I am not sure how many films I have ever seen that have managed to capture a comparable sort of frightening futuristic realism. It still looks incredible in 2013. There is such a transportative depth to it. What an achievement for a filmmaker in the early 80s.
I think that the cast is great, especially Rutger Hauer and Sean Young, but really everyone. (Edward James Olmos, yes.) The musical score by Vangelis is a very effective fit. It reminds me, in a way, of the music from Twin Peaks in the way that it is very slowly, hypnotically emotional. Dialogue is fairly minimal relative to most films; this one uses images, physical emotionality and a haunting, aching used of dark and selective light to tell the story.
And it definitely requires the viewer to pay close attention and do a lot of thinking. Even at that, some things are left to question. I love a film that does that. This is the antithesis of a film that spoon-feeds every idea and point. I know that the Original Version had voice-over narration that explained things more clearly, but I enjoyed the subtlety of the Director's Cut. From the haunting first aerial view of Los Angeles to the wonderfully artistic, perfectly played final scene, this was an incredible experience for me as a viewer. How could I give it anything but a 10? There really should be more films like this.