Greatest sci-fi movie of all time

Rating: 10/10 (18 May 2007)

Considered by many to be the greatest sci-fi movie of all time, the truths it teaches about our own kind are just as convincing today as they were 40 years ago. In the next 1000 years, only half the time since Jesus, humans are most certainly going to stop dying from natural causes, humans are going to hit the limit of Earth's resources and expand to other planets, and humans are going to achieve robots almost indistinguishable from themselves.
Sci-fi movies are more fascinating for their vision of the future world that surrounds the plot than the plot itself. Bladerunner is no different. If the future world vision falls over, the movie falls over regardless of the plot.
Philip K. Dick nailed one possible outcome of our inevitable future 40 years ago, and Bladerunner succeeded in bringing that truly unique vision into a convincing visual format, even by today's special effects standards.
In the movie, humans run out of space, build ever taller buildings, run out of natural resources, and leave Earth. What remains after humans leave is an enormous amount of affordable housing, days blocked out by eternal clouds of pollution, and nights of eternal rain as the pollution cools and condenses.
Then of course, is the usual plot about androids turned bad and the crazy cop waging a one man war against them.
For the most part, the depiction of the future world is more convincing than any modern computer animation. Closeups of cars lifting off aren't as convincing. Wide shots of the cities and cars floating in the distance are perfect.
The blind ornateness and overwhelming magnitude of the future buildings, the result of having an unlimited supply of free android labor, is truly unique in sci-fi depictions. The dots of super bright light in the distance growing into floating cars bring a Spielberg feeling to this story.
If you're into unique visions of future worlds, this movie is for you. If you want an original plot, it probably won't do it.