If you get it, you love it.

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2002)

It is easy to see why this film goes over the heads of so many. It is, at its core, about humanity, with our empathy for a being that is not human becoming part of the story's power. It follows the classic noir form but is amazingly set in the future, blending the two genres so seamlessly and poetically it sometimes scares me to look upon its perfection. Yes, it's pacing is slightly more conservative than most sci-fi movies, which are all explosions and space-chases, but if you understand its underlying themes and you consider yourself an existentialist in even the smallest sense, you will fall in love with the story and its characters and the movie will become one of your favorites too--instantly.
It is not easy to tell at first that Deckard (in Scott's intended version, the director's cut) is a replicant. When the movie tested in the U.S., test audiences were upset by this. They wanted him to be human because they felt for him. What these American audiences (just like us Americans to miss the crux of the issue, isn't it?) failed to understand was this: the whole point of Philip K. Dick's novel (DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP, on which BLADE RUNNER is based) is that Deckard is NOT human- but we feel for him anyway. This raises the questions: what does it mean to be "real?" to be "human?' and to "feel?"
For those who still want to cling to Deckard's humanity, consider this: why would the government send a human to hunt down hyper-intelligent replicants with the strength of ten men, and if he was human, wouldn't Zhora or Pris's strikes to his head crushed it if his skull was made of real bone?
The thing that gets to me the most is Rachel. She is different--as is Deckard-- from all the other replicants. But does she have the 4-year lifespan, or will they live happily ever after? You've gotta give it up for robot love.
The simple fact that Ridley Scott can make you feel so deeply for a couple of machines and plant a seed of hope into a dismal, dark future is amazing. Any self-respecting film lover whose DVD collection does not include the director's cut of BLADE RUNNER is not to be trusted.