“Man Has Made His Match… Now It’s His Problem”

Blade Runner is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. It is based on the classic book “Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep?” (1969) written by Philip K. Dick.

The Story

Set in the dystopian future of the year 2019, in a world where technology and megacorporations reign over humanity. It tells the story of Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) a “Blade Runner”, special police whose job is to hunt down rogue Replicants, a type of synthetic humans created by the Tyrell Corporation to serve as slaves to mankind. However, when a group of rogue Replicants led by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) return to Earth on their quest to kill their maker Dr.Eldon Tyrell and extend their lives, Rick Deckard was called back into duty to deal with these threats. Blade Runner tells it story in the classic detective noir style where we follow Deckard as he investigates and attempts to track down Roy and the other Replicants in order to “retire” them. Just like Deckard, the audience will question what they learn. Who is right? Who is wrong? What does it mean to be human? Everything is grey, there is no black or white here.

 

The Visuals

Blade Runner uses a dark and moody film noir style that heavily emphasized its Cyberpunk Dystopian setting where technology has advanced, while society deteriorates. With the focus on practical effects instead of CGIs, every shots of every scenes not only looks incredible but also believable. The world of Blade Runner’s 2019 Los Angeles is very detailed, every little things tells a story, from something as little as a broken down bus, to the large Atari skyscraper billboard, everything hinting at the dark secrets of the world of Blade Runner.

The Characters

The characters in Blade Runner is to simply put, phenomenal.

Rutger Hauer performance as Roy Batty, the rogue Replicant, was simply amazing. Even though he is the antagonist of the story, Hauer performance will make the audience sympathise with this Replicant, who just wants to live.

Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard is not to be overlook either. This gritty and experience Blade Runner will stop at nothing to find the truth and do his job.

The Themes

Blade Runner‘s themes are as much about technology as it is about humanity, audiences are left to question what does it means to be human and what is the danger of technology left uncontrolled. To explain this further is to spoil the story, so I’ll will leave this with a statement “More Human Than Human.”

This film is a classic for a reason. With its stunning visuals, amazing storytelling, phenomenal characters, it is a must watch for every sci-fi fans.

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Written by Krongfah Mahankalarp, writer at Day X Productions