Blade Runner

To add another dimension to my HTML project, I decided to include this critical analysis of Ridley Scott's science fiction masterpiece to backup my argument that films can reflect our dense modern world.

Blade Runner is a science fiction film that was originally made in 1982 but was later released as a director's cut in 1992 buy Ridley Scott. The director's cut was much more successful then the original release and as a result, a cult following soon ensued. In an interview with Wired magazine in 2007, Scott attributed the success of the final cut to the new technology that was used to re-edit it, making it look more spectacular and sound more spectacular. Scott also said that he made the narrative much more "real" saying that the original ending was too "silly" for the story line whereas the new version made the mesage of the whole film that bit more realistic.

The general storyline of Blade Runner runs along these lines. It's L.A, 2019. The world is in dystopia for a reason that is never explained to us. Harrison Ford plays Richard Deckard, a "blade runner", somebody who's job is to exterminate Replicants. Replicants are human-generated robots with a limited life-span who look like humans, act like humans, sound like humans and doing everything that humans can do. Except one thing: emotionalise. All Replicants were given every possible characteristic of a human but the one thing we humans can not mass produce is emotions because, as well all know, we all think and feel differently. To compensate, all the Replicants have "implanted memories", distant histories of a past that does not belong to them. The other evil thing about it all is that some of the Replicants don't even know they aren't human. The ones that do however, know it well and don't like it. The reason? Replicants were given only a 4 year life-span. And for Roy, leader of a rogue Replicant pack that Deckard is trying to destroy, is not happy about this. He then takes his evil clan down to earth (which is referred to in the movie as the "Online World") to find the people who designed them so as to make them alter their artificial D.N.A.

The film uses a great many special effects techniques to emulate this new world but Scott has been quoted a number of times as saying "it's not necessarily futuristic in the sense of the, futuristic science fiction, but actually more as a look into the future, and the future possibility". He goes on to say that the world is depicted in his film is a world in "overload", drastically affected by technology's affect on the environment, an issue which Scott obviously regards highly:

"I was always aware that this whole Earth is on overload. I've been like that for 30 years, and people used to think I was a — not exactly a depressive, but always dark about it. And I'd say, "It's not dark, mate. It's a fact. It's going to come and hit you in the head." It's right where we are right now, where we're still going, arguing in circles. There's some politicians who still seriously believe that we haven't got global warming."

Overall, Blade Runner is definitely a must see film for any film buffs, regardless of what genre you root for as it is not the form of a science fiction film which rules this movie but the issues and themes explored which make it such a good cinematic experience.