Ridley Scott's best

Rating: 10/10 (8 July 2015)

With its bleak tone, omnipresent rain and tough-yet-vulnerable protagonist, Blade Runner is a film only a man raised in Newcastle-upon-Tyne could have made (said as one myself). Ridley Scott's film succeeds on many levels, most notably its beautiful aesthetic; the vivid, metallic cinematography set the visual template that thousands of mostly inferior blockbusters have since adopted. However, the thing that elevates this film above the rest is that its beauty is not exclusive to its visuals - the sound-scape, storyline and symbolism are also outstanding in their execution. One thing that the film does particularly well is to draw you into its world to the point where you almost forget that you're watching it on a screen. This is done partially with the outstanding set design, but also through the background sounds. The noises of rain, traffic and the city imitate perfectly the sounds of a real city - they constantly suggest that the world you are watching does not end just outside the frame, but encompasses an entire metropolis. On top of impressive acting and a strong story, the use of religious imagery often lends extra weight to already powerful scenes. Costume design, such as Batty's oddly white hair (a reflection of his unnaturally rapid ageing), also helps us to understand what the characters are thinking about and struggling with. Overall, Blade Runner is one of those rare films that seems to succeed in every category - few movies will ever match the brilliance of this one.