Rick Deckard is a "blade runner" assigned to hunt and assassinate automatons known as "replicants".

Rating: 10/10 (30 July 2017)

In 2019, Los Angeles has become a decaying and primarily Asian location. Rick Deckard is a "blade runner". Blade runners are hired to assassinate automatons known as "replicants". Rick Deckard is assigned to hunt and assassinate four replicants for their crimes. While on this hunt, Rick Deckard is confronted by a female replicant that makes him question himself. Nearing the end of Rick Deckard's journey of tracking down replicants, his perception is changing towards the autonomous beings and finds himself questioning humanity.
The main theme of this film is texture/style. The futuristic Los Angeles in 2019 is portrayed as dystopian. There is a dark atmosphere that contrasts with vibrant colors and neon lights. The city is constantly raining and there is filth everywhere. Light is often beaming into darkness to make scenes more dynamic. Actor Harrison Ford is Rick Deckard, a retired cop that gets assigned to be a blade runner. Actor Sean Young is the replicant named Rachael that is a love interest for Rick Deckard and makes him question his views about the replicants. Rick Deckard and Rachael are two main characters that have an interesting relationship that evolves as the film goes on. Concepts about humans and engineered automatons made to resemble humans are expressed in the film. The concept of the autonomous replicants becoming so advanced that they are nearly indistinguishable from actual humans. At what point can the replicants live normal lives among humans and not be made to work for humans with a predetermined life span?
The film is styled as a noir film with science fiction elements. Rick Deckard is doing detective work to find his suspects. In the beginning, there is an establishing shot overlooking the dark futuristic Los Angeles and a transition to an eye to symbolize the ever watch-full eye that gives the viewer a sense of the film. Lighting techniques are used to create the illuminated pupil's motif that is used often on replicants. Rain is another motif that continuously occurs throughout the film. Many medium close-up shots and close-up shots are used to display the actor's emotions or capturing the actor in dense areas of people. Like Star Wars, Blade Runner immerses you into a highly convincing world that brings out our imagination. The world of Blade Runner is created through mostly practical effects with little computer-generated imagery. For anybody looking to watch a film that is retro futuristic and has much depth to explore, this is a highly crafted film that is a technical masterpiece.