It's Not an Easy Thing to Meet Your Maker: Blade Runner

Before we begin, I feel as if I need to say that my impressions and writings regarding this next movie were written before Blade Runner 2049 was announced. All notes and references should be read with this in consideration. It was not published due to an error on my part, and a lack of being on here to double check what got published. But never fear, dear reader! I'll be attempting to make up for some of our lost time in the coming weeks, so let's get to it!

Blade Runner is a film that seems as though everyone knows about our of it, but no one discusses the film itself (not until the sequel was announced, at least). Plenty of films make reference to the film, using the same buildings, similar themes, and philosophical quandaries (looking at you, Matrix trilogy).

Needless to say, I was intrigued by the tantalizing mix of sci-fi and ethical dilemmas, not to mention the value that the movie held for pop culture.

The movie begins in a gritty, sprawling version of Los Angeles in 2019 (presumably in an alternate reality). As introduced in the opening sequence, the notion of androids is a solid reality, and are life like, in the most extreme sense. After a group of these "Replicants" goes rogue, a team ("blade runners") is created to hunt and kill the most recent, and potentially dangerous, model. The model is outlawed, but more survive in off-earth colonies.

Four of these survivors come to earth for a shadowy purpose, and a particular blade runner is brought out of retirement. Rick Deckard is the best of the best, and is brought out of retirement when another blade runner is killed on the job by one of the surviving Replicants. In Deckard's search for answers, he meets a new breed of Replicant; one with implanted memories who believes herself to be human. As he hunts the four, his story becomes more entangled with hers, and the plot invariably thickens.

This movie was interesting, to say the least. The nods to other dystopian stories referenced (The Bradbury Apartments, for you lovers of Fahrenheit 451, for example) are done smartly, and otherwise blend in to the scenery.

The pervasive way in which the ethics touch every facet of life in the film is truly incredible, and I am amazed at how well thought out and subtle the writers whisper suggestions and questions through the actions and dialogue. There are many philosophical and moral questions raised, including, 'what is it to be human?', 'at what point is [forced] labor labeled slavery?', 'what is reality?', 'what basis do we have for morality?'... the list goes on and on, and truthfully, these points could be an entire post in and of itself.

Moral questions and musings aside, we're left with a movie that is dark, up front, and gritty (before every movie was gritty). It puts the viewer in a world where some fear technology is headed, and it makes a bleak prediction. The film, writing, and even the acting makes it difficult to separate the ethical dilemmas from being able to take the movie at face value. Cinematically, there is little left to be desired, and even the CGI seems to have held up decently well to the test of time. I daresay it is better than some CGI in more recent films (not mentioning any names, JURASSIC WORLD).

As far as I am concerned, this is a brilliant piece of cinema, and I thoroughly enjoyed viewing it. It will, as far as I am concerned, be one I will be happy to watch again, and one whose sequel I will be posting on in the future.

Until next time, dear readers!