Who am I ? Where do I come from ? Where I'm going to ?

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2013)

This review is based on Directors Cut version – the version with no voice-over and no "Hollywood-ending".
The film is loosely based on "Do androids dream of electric sheep" (1969) by Philip K. Dick. There are several changes to the original book which itself was very surrealistic. The spirit however of Dick's book is still here. The film brings in some ideas that improve on the book and writers Hampton Fincher and David Webb Peoples deserve some praise. Philip K Dick himself approved of the film , although he saw only the opening 20 minutes of footage prior to his death on 2 March 1982. It's interesting that Ridley Scott and one of the writers David Webb Peoples never read Dick's novel. "Blade runner" was the first time that Dick had been adapted to film.
"Blade runner" asks the same question as the book – What it means to be a human ? Philip K Dick read diaries written by S.S. men and was shocked by the sheer cruelty and lack of empathy he found in them . He thought that those Germans didn't deserve to be called humans , despite the look like ones. That's where the idea for book came from.
"Blade runner " requires patience and full attention from the audience. There is little action here and the movie is very slow paced. The story seems very simple , almost thin on the surface , but underneath it there's a depth really seen. "BR" is so full of themes and symbols that it's impossible to catch them all on first viewing . I've seen this movie five times and I'm still discovering new things on repeated viewings. It's just as deep as "2001 : Space odyssey", but far more entertaining and involving emotionally thank Kubrick's movie. Who could forget the unicorn at the end ? "Blade runner" is a visionary movie. It pretty much pioneers much of the vision that became a Cyberpunk genre in publishing. William Gibson , considered a pioneer of that genre with his "Neuromancer" (1984) almost gave up writing , because "BR" had so much of his vision in it. "BR" is a rare case of movie prefiguring a trend in literature. "BR" also inspired many movies with it's vision of killer robots ("Terminator" is the most known and the best of them all).
It's one of the most visually beautiful movies I have ever seen. The level of detail on is amazing, even though much of it is often seen on screen. It gives you the impression that what you see is only the tip of an iceberg. The future we see is an abstraction of the present. Los Angeles in 2019 is an overpopulated city, with flying cars , non-stop rain , extremely diverse culturally (punks , Chinese , Jews and Hare Krishna living together in one metropolis) and full of commercials (Atari , Coca cola). Designer Syd Mead and FX wizard Douglas Trumbull deserve every penny the studio paid them for this piece of art. The special effects are genuinely AMAZING after all those years and the movie has dated incredibly well .
The music by Vangelis fits the movie perfectly . It's so mythical and dream-like , with a touch of 80's feel as well. It's one of the greatest soundtracks ever . The movie gives the viewer a haunting melancholic feel and largely thanks to the superb music.
"Blade runner" wants the audience to think about the impact of technology and capitalism on human society , dehumanization in world ruled by corporations and media , meaning of life , personal identity , destructive nature of humanity , lack of freedom and polluted environment.
Harrison Ford ("Raiders of lost ark") is great as a burned out detective with a weakness for drinking Frank Deckard (reference to Descartes). His lifeless performance fits the movie perfectly . His dull , bored , cold character that slowly during the movie will rediscover (or discover ?) his humanity thanks to the replicants. The real star is however Rutger Hauer ("The Hitcher") as Roy Batty. His fantastic performance is perfect – he managed to capture all of human emotions : child-like sense of wonder , fear of death , raw brutality , deep love , need for beauty. His not a simple villain , more like anti-hero who is in a way a portrait of whole humanity. The third main character is Rachel played by Sean Young ("No way out"). While very sexy and a obvious nod to femme fatales from noir movies , Young also makes her character a very delicate and likable.
The supporting performances are great too . Edward James Olmos ("Stand and deliver") is really creepy, mysterious and memorable as Gaff (who could forget his little paper figures) . M. Emmett Walsh ("Few good men") makes a nice cynical police chief. Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill") has some Harley Quinn personality in her Pris. Joanna Cassidy ("Who framed Roger Rabbit") is strong as Zhora , while Brion James ("48 hours") is menacing as Leon. Joe Turkel ("The Shinning") is a true gentleman as the intelligent Eldon Tyrell.
This is the best science fiction movie ever made. It might be the best movie of the 80's and it's a strong contender for the title of the best movie ever made. Ridley Scott is talking now about making a sequel . Considering how awful "Prometheus" was ( a semi-prequel to "Alien") I hope this will never happen. I give "Blade runner" 10/10.