Those Who Enjoy Deep Story/Character Flicks Need Not Apply

Rating: 4/10 (3 August 2017)

A number of years ago (when I was probably too young to be watching it in the first place), I watched "Blade Runner" and was utterly confused and disappointed by the whole thing. Cut to the present and now perhaps my favorite film director, Denis Villeneuve, is making "Blade Runner 2049" for release this fall. As such, I gave the original "Blade Runner" another chance to see if I was perhaps "missing something" (it seems to be widely considered one of the best sci-fi flicks ever). While I now understand what the movie is "supposed to be", so to speak, I can also better articulate why it won't appeal to a certain viewing audience.
For a basic plot summary, "Blade Runner" is set in 2019 Los Angeles, where the Tyrell (Joe Turkel) Corporation has begun making human replicant (or "skin jobs") cybernetic beings for slave labor in the "Off-World" colonies. Predictably, a group of these beings, led by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), rebel and commandeer a vessel back to Earth, where they will wreak havoc if not dealt with. This is where Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) comes in, as he is the best in the business at dealing with these replicants. Along the way, Deckard comes across a new type of replicant, Rachael (Sean Young), that challenges him in ways not previously seen.
There is no doubt that "Blade Runner" is based on a very interesting, pure science fiction concept: human consciousness in a machine body. There are thousands of stories that could be told on this topic, and many already have been across cinema. The trouble with "Blade Runner", though, is that it doesn't care all that much in digging into the meat-and-potatoes of those stories.
Instead, this is a film primarily concocted out of love of noir and setting. Director Ridley Scott (much like he did in his earlier "Alien" effort) is vastly more interested in exploring the dark underbelly of a future LA than he is in crafting a really tight story. As such, much of "Blade Runner" showcases the aesthetics of the landscape. If you are really into that sort of thing, this movie will rocket up your list.
For those more pulled in by story and character development, however, "Blade Runner" only gives out as many nuggets as it needs to in his department. In fact, most of the context of the entire picture is given in an opening text crawl. There are a few "story moments" scattered throughout the movie, but they are truly few and far between and too short to satisfy those looking for them.
So, I think the litmus test of whether a viewer will enjoy "Blade Runner" comes down to how much you enjoy the noir/aesthetic of a film, as that is the film's primary purpose. Does it touch on some interesting ideas/characters? Yes. Does it explore them in any deeper fashion? Absolutely not.