I need to admit that I cannot recall why I haven't seen this movie yet. Aside from the fact that it played in the future I knew little to nothing about it. It wasn't until last week, when I was reading a chapter on robotics that I came across certain details about the movie and decided that perhaps I should watch it. Needless to say, the good reviews about the sequel
Blade Runner 2049 made me curious as well, but I wouldn't see it before the original!
Blade Runner
Rick Deckard is recruited to find four replicants who have escaped a ship and gone back to Earth. Whilst trying to find them, we discover that they are running out of time as their life-span is set in production,
Deckard encounters someone, a new model, capable of having memories, who struggles with accepting that she too is just a replicant, and of someone who truly existed once.
After a long discussion we had in class about robotics, we have somewhat concluded that most robots either want to become human or, after years of slavery, will wish to overtake us. In the latter case we are always outsmarted because we play Gods.
Now, there are exceptions of course, I just watched a movie called
Robot & Frank, in which the robot is treated very nicely, despite the word 'slave' being thrown around, and of course you have
Futurama, which I believe is the only real exception to this rule.
In it robots have already evolved to be a race of their own, with the same rights and laws as men and they know they are far better and more advanced, so who cares about other species? But this takes us back to
Blade Runner. What can I say that hasn't been said in the span of over 30 years? I personally enjoyed this movie a lot, but had a couple of questions.
Beware! I will probably not say anything you haven't heard a hundred times already, but I like writing down my thoughts, so here goes nothing! Before we begin... the snake... WHY DOES EVERY F*CKING GOOD MOVIE NEED TO HAVE A SNAKE IN IT???!! With that out of my system, let's begin:
First, the noir feeling of it was the best I have seen in years. I love detective stories. This guy was truly a great detective, but when it came to the action I would argue whether he is the 'best'... second, you gotta wonder why we are so scared of replicants running around when they have a limited life-span. Actually, I would assume that they only wished to feel alive and live a little, but mankind has always been jealous, especially of its toys... and we mustn't overlook the undertone of slavery embedded deeply in the movie. After all, don't we all just long to be free? Third, the future has a serious pollution problem. I mean that as a joke, but come on... fog doesn't work like that either.
Fourth, I need to admit, that I loved the scenes between
Deckard and
Rachel. Most people have a reaction and a feeling about replicants that the person who has been hunting them all his life does not share. He feels a sense of responsibility for having revealed to
Rachel that she is also a replicant, but at the same time wishes to show her how much she is human. He cares for her as if she was human, and he loves her as one.
Makes you wonder what is it that really makes us human... if it is the fact that we can love one and would give everything for them, than these replicants were no less human than me or Deckard. Finally, the only thing I didn't understand was
Roy was running around chasing
Deckard if he didn't want to kill him. And well, actually, while typing this review I kinda found an answer. The moment he sees in his eyes the fear of death he realizes that perhaps another person out there won't look at him as a replicant anymore, but a man wishing to be able to do whatever the hell he wants in life. There was no point in taking another body with him,
Roy managed to live to the fullest in his last minutes. And to be honest I did not mind that he killed
Tyrell... playing God is a dangerous game.
"It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does?"
Watch it? I'm sure you've seen it already. I will search for behind the scenes footage and director commentary because I would love to get to know more about the production. This also includes reading
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by
Philip K. Dick, which was loosely the base for this movie. I'm glad I got around to it finally, and I hope to write a review about the new one shortly!
Next week is this year's
Halloween review, so don't miss it.
Until the next item on my list!
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