Blade Runner

### ***"Man Has Made His Match... Now It's His Problem"***

***Blade Runner*** is a 1982 American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos. Written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, the film is a loose adaptation of the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. It depicts a dystopian Los Angeles of 2019 in which genetically engineered replicants, which are visually indistinguishable from adult humans, are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation to work on off-world colonies. Those that escape and return to Earth are hunted down and "retired" by special police operatives known as Blade Runners. The story focuses on burnt-out expert Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment to hunt down a group of recently escaped replicants led by Roy Batty (Hauer). During his investigations, Deckard meets Rachael (Young), an advanced replicant who causes him to question the replicants' humanity.

The movie open in the US on June 25, 1982 and, in UK cinemas on September 9, 1982.

Blade Runner initially polarized critics; some were displeased with the pacing, while others praised its thematic complexity and visuals. It underperformed in North American theaters, but has since become a cult film. The year following its release, the film won the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Hailed for its production design, depicting a "retrofitted" future, it remains a leading example of neo-noir cinema. The film's soundtrack, composed by Vangelis, was critically acclaimed and nominated in 1983 for a BAFTA and Golden Globe as best original score. The film brought the work of Philip K. Dick to the attention of Hollywood, and several later films were based on his work. Ridley Scott regards Blade Runner as "probably" his most complete and personal film. In 1993, the movie was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Blade Runner is now regarded by many critics as one of the all-time best science fiction movies.

Seven versions of the film have been shown for various markets as a result of controversial changes made by studio executives. A director's cut was released in 1992 after a strong response to test screenings of a workprint. This, in conjunction with its popularity as a video rental, made it one of the first movies released on DVD—a basic production with mediocre video and audio quality. In 2007, Warner Bros. released The Final Cut, a 25th anniversary digitally remastered version, the only one on which Scott had complete artistic freedom. This version was shown in selected theaters and subsequently released on DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray. A sequel, Blade Runner 2049, is scheduled for release in October 2017.

Wikipedia See also: bladerunner.wikia.com

**Sequel Novels**

***Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human*** (published October 1, 1995) is a science fiction novel by K. W. Jeter, and a continuation of both the film Blade Runner, and the novel upon which it was based, Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Beginning several months after the events in Blade Runner, Deckard has retired to an isolated shack outside the city, taking the replicant Rachael with him in a Tyrell transport container, which slows down the replicant aging process. He is approached by a woman who explains she is Sarah Tyrell, niece of Eldon Tyrell, heiress to the entire Tyrell Corporation and the human template (templant) for the Rachael replicant. She asks Deckard to hunt down the "missing" sixth replicant. At the same time, the human template for Roy Batty hires Dave Holden, the blade runner attacked by Leon, to help him hunt down the man he believes is the sixth replicant - Deckard. Wikipedia See also: bladerunner.wikia.com

***Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night*** is a science fiction novel by American writer K. W. Jeter, published October 1, 1996, which continues the story of Rick Deckard.

Living on Mars, Deckard is acting as a consultant to a movie crew filming the story of his Blade Runner days. He finds himself drawn into a mission on behalf of the replicants he was once assigned to kill. Meanwhile, the mystery surrounding the beginnings of the Tyrell Corporation is being dragged out into the light. Wikipedia See also: bladerunner.wikia.com

A third sequel, *Blade Runner 4: Eye and Talon*, also by K. W. Jeter, was published in 2000. Wikipedia See also: bladerunner.wikia.com