A Movie Ahead of Its Time

Rating: 9/10 (2 March 2017)

I was pushed back into my seat, my eyes glazed and wide open. I was fixated on the beauty that was in front of me. It felt as if I was transported into the film itself; transported to the concrete jungle of 2019 Los Angeles. Hover cars flew past me, and I realized that I was crying a little bit. How could this movie bring tears to my eyes in the first 5 minutes? The movie Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, is a piece of art. The film made me rethink what a movie experience should be. A good science fiction film should transport you into the world of the film. It should make you feel like you are a part of the action. What makes Blade Runner so special is that not only does it transport you to the urban sprawl of a future world, but it makes you forget about your real life on earth. At the end of the movie, I felt a bit out of place. I longed for the vast city and hauntingly beautiful world of the movie. I was a different person walking out of the theatre, my mind racing and my heart throbbing from the achingly beautiful soundtrack and stellar performances. This is what a movie should be. Action packed, a meaningful story, and a soundtrack that complements the film in a unique and magnificent way. A film that makes you question what it means to be human, Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, is one of the best movies of all time due to the dazzling visuals and soundtrack, a meaningful and deep storyline, and superb acting throughout. A few words come to my mind when I think of the Blade Runner soundtrack. Mysterious beauty would perfectly describe it. The soundtrack is something I have never experienced before. A mix of space adventure, and romantic mysticism, the soundtrack gave me goosebumps all over my body and emotions flooded over me like a tidal wave. Composed by Grammy Award Winning musician, Vangelis, the soundtrack complements the film in a powerful way. During each scene, the music works with the cinematography, feeling almost like a trippy music video. In many films, the soundtrack overpowers the movie, or vice versa. In Blade Runner, there is a perfect balance between the two. Blade Runner's soundtrack is superb, but doesn't even compare to the brilliant visual effects that were ahead of its time. The incredible thing about Blade Runner is that no cgi was used throughout the whole film, it wasn't invented yet. The special effects team used matte paintings, different lighting techniques, and miniature models to depict the dark future world of dystopian Los Angeles. When I heard this myself I was baffled. The amount of time and work put into this film is truly amazing and unbelievable. Many shots include fly-overs of the whole city, every detail in the buildings and even on the street hundreds of feet below are emphasized and included. The artists department was not lacking in detail here. With architectural interior designs by the iconic, Frank Lloyd Wright, the world in Blade Runner is symmetrical and beautiful. Combining classic 80s technology and ideas into a dystopian, futuristic style, works very well and is captivating when on the big screen. I found myself generating an obsession with the architecture and design in the movie, it changed the way I see the world around me. As a photographer, it has influenced my style and I see through the camera lens in a kind of "Blade Runner filter". Another fascinating thing about the visuals was the cinematography and set design. Each shot in Blade Runner could be its own work of art. The film moves at a slow pace, without boring you out. Each shot is carefully framed and there is a huge focus on portrait shots and facial features. There is a particular moment in the movie that I think is the most beautiful thing I have seen in a film. Deckard is standing inside of his apartment, while the lights from the many drone blimps in the bustling city shine through the closed blinds. The shot is powerful and really gives the audience the feeling of actually living in such a world. On top of the groundbreaking visuals and untraditional storyline, performances by Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer really make the film believable and noteworthy. A quality that makes someone a great actor, is if they can truly transform themselves, believably, into that character. Amazingly, in Blade Runner, every actor and actress successfully achieves this feat. When an actor has to pretend like he or she is a man made robot, it is far from easy. Rutger Hauer, who plays an escaped replicant, Roy Batty, has many excellent and timeless monologues in the film. His famous "tears in rain" monologue can be considered one of the best acting performances of all time. Harrison Ford, playing Rick Deckard, has to play a cop trained to kill, or retire, escaped robot replicants. Throughout the movie, he had to act in such a way where the audience couldn't tell if he was a robot or a human. This is what makes great acting. The performances done by these actors are unforgettable and make the film much stronger. In conclusion, Blade Runner is a must see film for people that love movies with deeper meanings, and for the beauty and cinematography. I would not recommend this movie, however, for the average movie goer. This film is not just a futuristic action movie, it is an artistic experience that leaves you on a higher level of human thought after seeing it. Blade Runner is one of the best movies of all time because of its dazzling visuals and soundtrack, a unique and intriguing storyline, and superb acting. This movie will forever have a solid place in film history and will continue to inspire directors and artists for generations