A Case of Style Over Substance

Rating: 9/10 (13 February 2008)

The production design is, from the very first shot to the very last, mesmerizing. It's not so much that you want to be in this beautifully mechanized, steely, Gothic future, but that when a shot changes, you are like a dope fiend whose fix has been snatched away from him right when the last hit was wearing off in that you couldn't take your eyes off of the buildings, vehicles, architectural approach, clothes, and arrangement of everything in the last shot.
The unusually effective 1980s synthesizer score has an irresistible hypnotic effect over you, just as Ridley Scott's ominous, foreign atmosphere does. Say you were flipping through channels and came across this movie during one of Vangelis's big moments, one being the final credits, it would be very difficult to go away before he's done.
I won't deny it any kudos for its exceptional technical achievement, but I also can't deny my lack of satisfaction with the story itself. A movie can't be driven by its production design. The focus of any film has to be its story.
The main premise is very interesting, but never given depth. It seems lathered on top. Blade Runner, despite its status, is a case of style over substance.