Logan Sork Film Reviews
Blade Runner
(For this review I viewed the final cut of the film which was released in 2007 and is considered the main version of the film)
With the success of the Star Wars franchise in the late 70’s and early 80’s, many studios began to back science fiction genre films as people began to show interest in what was considered a dead genre. One of the films to emerge out of this period was Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. Upon release, the film received mixed reviews and ultimately bombed at the box office, as people couldn’t quite wrap their heads around it. As the years went by however, more and more people were influenced by its unique atmosphere and themes. This resulted in people looking back on it and discovering what an innovative film it was. With its amazing set design, beautiful cinematography and unique themes, it’s a wonder why it took people so long to appreciate the film for what it is.
Blade Runner is directed by Ridley Scott and is based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick. The film takes place in the dark dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, a world in which human like androids known as replicants live among humans as workers. Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a Blade Runner- a person tasked with hunting rogue replicants- who is tasked with tracking down a group of replicants who revolted on a mining ship, led by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer). Along the way, Deckard meets the replicant Rachel (Sean Young), whom he begins to show romantic interest in. As Rick tracks down the replicants, he begins to question his duty, as he begins to learn that the replicants may be more human than he is led to believe.
Without a doubt the most influential thing to come out of the film is the production design. Every time you see a dark dystopian world in science fiction, with dark skies, tall towers and massive neon lit signs and screens, the look can be attributed to this film. The world is the perfect mixture of futuristic science fiction design and grounded gritty realism. This is aided by the fantastic costume designs, which helps gives the dark and mysterious world a sense of realism as most of the costumes look well used and much different than the typical clean-cut designs we are used to in most science fiction films. With these elements, you need only look at one frame of this movie to know that it’s Blade Runner.
The cinematography and direction help give life to the film, as Scott and cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth use light and shadow to create what is essentially sci-fi noir. The use of light in this film is simply stunning, whether it’s the overly bright neon lights of the city streets, or the warm shimmering light of the mysterious Tyrell Corporation, there is not a single frame of this film that looks dull or uninteresting. Scott also does a subtle trick of giving the replicants slightly glowing eyes. With this subtle addition, we can spot different replicants throughout the film if we look close enough. Scott’s direction also adds tension to the film, both in the films action sequences and the films up and close interrogation scenes, helping toad some edge to the film that most other films of the genre won’t give.
The themes and ideas presented in this film are also one of its most unique qualities. While many science fiction films have underlying themes and critiques on humanity, Blade Runner manages to balance multiple themes and ideas, while allowing the audience to interpret the outcome of the film in ways that are ambiguous and different for everyone who watches it. The subtle imagery and symbolism mixed with the more obvious symbols and dialogue allow for all the themes to be presented in a way that the audience needs to take time to wrap their heads around it. Because of this, multiple viewings may be necessary to uncover the ideas of what makes us human and if machines can ever be capable of human like emotions and what they would do to become human. The ideas and themes may be why the audience initially rejected the film, but as society changed, the ideas became more and more relevant.
So, is this film the great science fiction masterpiece that everyone makes it out to be? Well not exactly, as it has a few flaws that many people seem to overlook. The film’s pacing isn’t exactly fast, it’s slow and yes it takes its time, but there were one or two moments where it felt like the film needed a push to move it along. While the central characters are complex and unique, most of the side characters come across as one-dimensional and only serve to do one thing before they are discarded, and the story forgets them. Despite the great direction when it comes to the cinematography and sets, the acting leaves something to be desired. Apart from the main leads, everyone else feels wooden and doesn’t really add much to their characters beyond saying their lines and performing certain actions. The music is also something that feels like it could’ve been improved as composer Vangelis relies heavily on a synthesizer that becomes irritating at certain points of the film.
While the film is flawed, the film has had such an impact on out pop culture and contains enough outstanding elements to overcome the flaws. It has breathtaking set designs, fantastic cinematography and direction and enough ideas and themes to keep you thinking about it long after the credits roll.
9/10
With the success of the Star Wars franchise in the late 70’s and early 80’s, many studios began to back science fiction genre films as people began to show interest in what was considered a dead genre. One of the films to emerge out of this period was Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. Upon release, the film received mixed reviews and ultimately bombed at the box office, as people couldn’t quite wrap their heads around it. As the years went by however, more and more people were influenced by its unique atmosphere and themes. This resulted in people looking back on it and discovering what an innovative film it was. With its amazing set design, beautiful cinematography and unique themes, it’s a wonder why it took people so long to appreciate the film for what it is.
Blade Runner is directed by Ridley Scott and is based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick. The film takes place in the dark dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, a world in which human like androids known as replicants live among humans as workers. Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a Blade Runner- a person tasked with hunting rogue replicants- who is tasked with tracking down a group of replicants who revolted on a mining ship, led by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer). Along the way, Deckard meets the replicant Rachel (Sean Young), whom he begins to show romantic interest in. As Rick tracks down the replicants, he begins to question his duty, as he begins to learn that the replicants may be more human than he is led to believe.
Without a doubt the most influential thing to come out of the film is the production design. Every time you see a dark dystopian world in science fiction, with dark skies, tall towers and massive neon lit signs and screens, the look can be attributed to this film. The world is the perfect mixture of futuristic science fiction design and grounded gritty realism. This is aided by the fantastic costume designs, which helps gives the dark and mysterious world a sense of realism as most of the costumes look well used and much different than the typical clean-cut designs we are used to in most science fiction films. With these elements, you need only look at one frame of this movie to know that it’s Blade Runner.
The cinematography and direction help give life to the film, as Scott and cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth use light and shadow to create what is essentially sci-fi noir. The use of light in this film is simply stunning, whether it’s the overly bright neon lights of the city streets, or the warm shimmering light of the mysterious Tyrell Corporation, there is not a single frame of this film that looks dull or uninteresting. Scott also does a subtle trick of giving the replicants slightly glowing eyes. With this subtle addition, we can spot different replicants throughout the film if we look close enough. Scott’s direction also adds tension to the film, both in the films action sequences and the films up and close interrogation scenes, helping toad some edge to the film that most other films of the genre won’t give.
The themes and ideas presented in this film are also one of its most unique qualities. While many science fiction films have underlying themes and critiques on humanity, Blade Runner manages to balance multiple themes and ideas, while allowing the audience to interpret the outcome of the film in ways that are ambiguous and different for everyone who watches it. The subtle imagery and symbolism mixed with the more obvious symbols and dialogue allow for all the themes to be presented in a way that the audience needs to take time to wrap their heads around it. Because of this, multiple viewings may be necessary to uncover the ideas of what makes us human and if machines can ever be capable of human like emotions and what they would do to become human. The ideas and themes may be why the audience initially rejected the film, but as society changed, the ideas became more and more relevant.
So, is this film the great science fiction masterpiece that everyone makes it out to be? Well not exactly, as it has a few flaws that many people seem to overlook. The film’s pacing isn’t exactly fast, it’s slow and yes it takes its time, but there were one or two moments where it felt like the film needed a push to move it along. While the central characters are complex and unique, most of the side characters come across as one-dimensional and only serve to do one thing before they are discarded, and the story forgets them. Despite the great direction when it comes to the cinematography and sets, the acting leaves something to be desired. Apart from the main leads, everyone else feels wooden and doesn’t really add much to their characters beyond saying their lines and performing certain actions. The music is also something that feels like it could’ve been improved as composer Vangelis relies heavily on a synthesizer that becomes irritating at certain points of the film.
While the film is flawed, the film has had such an impact on out pop culture and contains enough outstanding elements to overcome the flaws. It has breathtaking set designs, fantastic cinematography and direction and enough ideas and themes to keep you thinking about it long after the credits roll.
9/10