Excellent Science-Fiction Film

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 1999)

BladeRunner has its flaws, but overall it is one of the best done, and unfortunately least known, science-fiction movies ever made.
The acting is rather flat. Surprisingly, though human emotions are a main theme of this film, very precious few are revealed through the cold, stone faces the characters display throughout the movie, an expression that can be best explained as something between agony and boredom. Harrison Ford only goes as far as to put on the cocky grin that he is famous for, and the occasional voice-overs that drop in every now and then are both unnecessary and uninspiring (director Ridley Scott was wise enough to cut the voice-overs from the recent Director's Cut version).
Poor acting aside, the film drives itself along solely on its basic premise: that being the questioning of reality. The story, adapted from classic sci-fi writer Phillip K. Dick, pulls the viewer in through excellent scenes such as where Deckart goes over some fragments of Rachel's memories, thereby revealing to her that she is an android, and the soliloquy delivered beautifully by Roy Batty as he takes his last breath. One can't help but be moved by the chilling revelation of discovering that a whole lifetime of memories has been a lie, to be aware of your existence as only a machine.
Whereas other science-fiction movies are mostly a combination of action and special effects, BladeRunner goes the extra step to provide the emotional effect which the movie viewer carries with him after the film is over.
I gave it an 8.