A rare gem in the sci-fi movie genre.

Rating: 10/10 (10 October 2017)

When I was growing up, Blade Runner was never a sci-fi movie that really interested me as it just bored me to tears but as I got older and watched it more, I began to see it for what it is and it's become one of my favorite movies ever. From it's themes and visuals to it's acting and stellar musical score, Blade Runner is a true gem of a sci-fi movie.
Set in the future of 2019 Los Angeles, the story follows a retried cop or "blade runner" named Rick Deckard who is apprehended by a fellow police officer and brought before his former supervisor and is briefed that four androids have appeared on Earth illegally in order to enhance their lives. Following this, Rick goes to the Tyrell Corporation and meets its founder, Eldon Tyrell and his associate Rachael and performs a test on her to see if she is a replicant or not. Events then continue to pan out as Deckard continues to pursue the replicants while the replicants continue to seek out Tyrell to get him to give them more life.
While many critics and film-goers have considered Blade Runner to be one of the best sci-fi films ever put to screen, the movie isn't your typical sci-fi romp and it does call for the viewer to pay close attention to what's going on and to use their brain and have appreciation for what is happening in order to understand what the film is conveying. As Blade Runner is a film that focuses on ideas rather than the familiar sci-fi spacecraft fights, high-tech devices, bizarre aliens or witty dialog, some people will have an issue with those not being in the movie, but it still certifies itself as a science fiction movie in its observation of technology's effects on our civilization, our journey as a species, and the very spirit of mankind itself. These subjects are arranged against an underlying investigation plot that advances nonchalantly but gently builds to a fitting conclusion as the observer is engrossed in the visuals and look of the movie. One complaint I've heard about the movie is that Deckard and the replicants are incredibly weak in terms of character evolution, but as this is a more confined and deep-thinking film, the main individuals are used as tools to reflect the motifs in the movie. Every main lead in the film mirrors a characteristic of humankind and yet they miss other characteristics for each one is shattered in ways that echo the fractured world in which they dwell in and were built. As for the movie's themes, they're some of the best in any sci-fi film like de-humanizing of the population though a culture fashioned by technology and capitalist overkill, the parts of the maker and his design, the shared slavery and character switching, emotion, thought, ambition, passion, malice, prowess over nature and the cosmos, death, demise, individuality, self-realization and the meaning of life itself.
Ridley Scott is a master filmmaker and Blade Runner is the film that shows his directing talents in the best way and like Stanley Kubrick before him, Scott understands just how to illuminate a scene and the usage of fog machines and fans along with anything that alters light is what gives Blade Runner it's noir look and feel while leaving hints throughout the film to the most important question concerning Deckard and wither or not he is a replicant. The visual effects are absolutely outstanding with the incredibly detailed miniatures and matte paintings along with the plumes of fire and the flying cars make the world of Los Angeles come to life and it's clear that the effects people put their time and money into making the visuals and effects look as top-notch as possible and it works a treat. Easily one of the most gorgeous sci-fi movies ever put to screen. Apart from the visual effects, the other outstanding element that makes Blade Runner stand on it's own is the fantastic musical score by Vangelis. The approach he uses when composing is incredibly distinctive and the music is moving is every scene that it's used in. The movie's soundtrack flawlessly adds to the futuristic setting ad even aids in building the vibe of it's world. Some films like Star Wars or Jaws owe some of their achievements to their composers, but with Blade Runner being such a unique movie in terms of visuals and story, it still would have still been an awesome movie even with a contrasting musical score, but all the same, it's certainly one of the finest movie soundtracks ever composed.
When it comes to the acting, it's absolutely flawless and some of the best of any sci-fi movie. Sean Young is wonderful as the experiment replicant Rachel, giving us a conventional yet compelling performance and it's a treat to watch. Daryl Hannah is great as Pris as is Joanna Cassidy as Zhora. Edward James Olmos is fantastic as Officer Gaff as is M. Emmett Walsh as Bryant, but it's Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer who are the stars of the film. Harrison is excellent in Blade Runner, playing a much more somber character than what he played in Star Wars or Indiana Jones, but it still makes for one hell of a performance. Ford speaks every word with a aura of coolness and effectiveness as well as maintaining a hard-edged yet sensitive appearance as Deckard. Rutger Hauer is on top form as the villainous Roy Batty and completely steals all the scenes he's in, especially with his speech at the end which is truly moving.
Now I do have an issue with the movie and it's the romance between Deckard and Rachel, it just comes across as tracked on and weak, but aside form that, Blade Runner is a true sci-fi classic that changed the way we saw sci-fi and what the future could be. Definitely a movie worth watching.