Cyberpunk before the fact

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2000)

I rated this a nine, which some will think a bit much; devotees of this film will find it heresy. Still, the film isn't perfect. Neither Harrison Ford nor Sean Young particularly enjoyed the film, a few holes in the plot are easily evident, and some of it looks, well...dated (especially all of the Atari signs).
Nevertheless, the movie achieves a haunting, film-noir synthesis of lighting, F/X, Vangelis' soundtrack, and all of those wonderful cityscapes. Back when Laser Discs were all the rage, this movie sold more copies in that format than any other. The reason is simple: it's easy to lose yourself in this film. Perhaps too easy, given the wild cult status of this film
I don't know how this film has been selling in DVD format, but I give it a nine for the same reason it enjoys cult status: unlike most science fiction, this film poses some uncomfortable questions that don't resolve into easy answers. Fun to watch, and impressive to look at.