Bladerunner Review
> I had heard of “Blade Runner” before, but really had no preconceived ideas of how it was or even who was in it. I was unaware of the 1982 movie’s Oscar nominations or cult-like following that seems to still be around today. From doing a bit of research online, I ran into many discussions on the original film with Harrison Ford’s narration versus the new 2007 version. Students in cinematography class dissecting each scene: the characters and dialogue. A multitude of newspaper reviews, all respectful of the vision but quick to point out the lags in plot and inconsistent explanations and motives behind the story. As a first-time viewer, I had to really dig to figure everything out and piece together some meaning. As many online, student-reviewers have suggested, it may get better watching it a second time.
> I did try to condition myself to look out for certain themes or motifs that we have discussed in class and came up with a few. In this futuristic landscape that is crowed, dark, damp, and littered with trash and neon signs, people are living in fear … or Replicants, rather. Twice, a Replicant asks Ford’s character, Deckard, how it feels to live in fear. The first time being when Deckard and Leon are fighting each other and Leon begs to know when he will expire, something Deckard shouldn’t have to worry about in the near future (depending on whether or not you believe he is possibly a Replicant as well):
> Deckard: Leon!
> Leon: How old am I?
> Deckard: [Deckard hits Leon to no effect] I dunno.
> Leon: My birthday is April 10, 2017. How long do I live?
> Deckard: Four years.
> Leon: More than you! Painful to live in fear, isn't it?
> Again, at the closing of the movie, Batty says, “Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.” This idea of living with a constant anxiety that you are being watched or that you are not in complete control relates back to the panopticon and Big Brother. Something bigger and more powerful than you is exerting power over your life that you cannot change. You are being watched. It could be argued that the government, one’s religion or even the Internet controls us, or keeps us in line. We are taught how to act and have consequences for our failure to obey certain laws, mores or practices. In one sense, we are a slave to society/government/etc. Although the Internet may not be literally watching us, we are essentially putting our entire existence on a medium that is accessible by almost anyone who wants to see it. Your pictures, conversations, locations, interests, background and relationships are no longer your own. They belong to everyone. We do no have complete authority.
> Also, the concept of randomization and mixing things together to create a new entity was used often in “Bladerunner.” Primary, the audience is told that Rachael and Batty are Replicants and that Deckard is a human, but the line between human and robot are blurry. Rachael believes she has her own memories, she plays piano and she seems to fall for Deckard. Batty is so driven to fight for his life, like any human would do knowing that he or she only had a 4 year life span. His instinct to persevere and to seek revenge upon his stingy creator is the same as any real man. Deckard actually seems the least human out of the group. Besides a few rare moments, his emotions are barely there. He is completely controlled by his boss who assigned him to this mission to kill the Replicants, and although he does not want to do it, there is little indication of remorse or guilt. There is not much that distinguished him from the robots other than his eyes.
> Continuing with the intermix in the movie, is the setting. Los Angeles in 2019 is a combination of several different cultures. There is an obvious Asian influence, but ethnicity or race are never addressed or made important in any way. The culture seems to be overwhelmed by advertisements and police cruisers. Nothing really fits together, but is forced to create this futuristic vision. Everything is indistinguishable, from the time of day to the music that accompanies the movie. It is almost unnoticeable and then when you realize it’s there, it is chilling and eerie. It just floats in the background, not making a monumental impact, but tying the film together.
> Something else that reminded me of a class discussion was the love story. When we discussed eHarmony and finding companionship using digital culture, we were obviously not talking about robots but I think it applies. One of Ford’s most emotionally revealing scenes was when he promised Rachael that he would not hunt her if she ran away, but he also told her that someone else would. He owed her for saving his life and felt gratitude towards her. In this futuristic world that these characters live in, almost everything is fabricated, manipulated and governed heavily. The only thing that gives these people or robots any identity is emotion, whether it be love, hate, revenge or otherwise. It’s always a combination of the two: the real world and the virtual world, or in this case, robotic.
> I think overall, that the film has pretty good reason for being held in such high esteem. It may be outdated and almost funny the way a director in the ‘80s portrayed 2019 as we watch in 2009, but it was a great sci-fi flick for the time. For entertainment value alone, the scene in which the first Replicant was killed, smashing through the different layers of glass, was remarkable. Also, the city scenes were so industrially heavy and dark, but foreign. It made for an interesting backdrop. There were many elements that were so perfect, that the story just didn’t seem to keep up. It could be that I should have gotten the narrated version, or that I’m not a Harrison Ford fan but there was more to be desired.
> I did try to condition myself to look out for certain themes or motifs that we have discussed in class and came up with a few. In this futuristic landscape that is crowed, dark, damp, and littered with trash and neon signs, people are living in fear … or Replicants, rather. Twice, a Replicant asks Ford’s character, Deckard, how it feels to live in fear. The first time being when Deckard and Leon are fighting each other and Leon begs to know when he will expire, something Deckard shouldn’t have to worry about in the near future (depending on whether or not you believe he is possibly a Replicant as well):
> Deckard: Leon!
> Leon: How old am I?
> Deckard: [Deckard hits Leon to no effect] I dunno.
> Leon: My birthday is April 10, 2017. How long do I live?
> Deckard: Four years.
> Leon: More than you! Painful to live in fear, isn't it?
> Again, at the closing of the movie, Batty says, “Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.” This idea of living with a constant anxiety that you are being watched or that you are not in complete control relates back to the panopticon and Big Brother. Something bigger and more powerful than you is exerting power over your life that you cannot change. You are being watched. It could be argued that the government, one’s religion or even the Internet controls us, or keeps us in line. We are taught how to act and have consequences for our failure to obey certain laws, mores or practices. In one sense, we are a slave to society/government/etc. Although the Internet may not be literally watching us, we are essentially putting our entire existence on a medium that is accessible by almost anyone who wants to see it. Your pictures, conversations, locations, interests, background and relationships are no longer your own. They belong to everyone. We do no have complete authority.
> Also, the concept of randomization and mixing things together to create a new entity was used often in “Bladerunner.” Primary, the audience is told that Rachael and Batty are Replicants and that Deckard is a human, but the line between human and robot are blurry. Rachael believes she has her own memories, she plays piano and she seems to fall for Deckard. Batty is so driven to fight for his life, like any human would do knowing that he or she only had a 4 year life span. His instinct to persevere and to seek revenge upon his stingy creator is the same as any real man. Deckard actually seems the least human out of the group. Besides a few rare moments, his emotions are barely there. He is completely controlled by his boss who assigned him to this mission to kill the Replicants, and although he does not want to do it, there is little indication of remorse or guilt. There is not much that distinguished him from the robots other than his eyes.
> Continuing with the intermix in the movie, is the setting. Los Angeles in 2019 is a combination of several different cultures. There is an obvious Asian influence, but ethnicity or race are never addressed or made important in any way. The culture seems to be overwhelmed by advertisements and police cruisers. Nothing really fits together, but is forced to create this futuristic vision. Everything is indistinguishable, from the time of day to the music that accompanies the movie. It is almost unnoticeable and then when you realize it’s there, it is chilling and eerie. It just floats in the background, not making a monumental impact, but tying the film together.
> Something else that reminded me of a class discussion was the love story. When we discussed eHarmony and finding companionship using digital culture, we were obviously not talking about robots but I think it applies. One of Ford’s most emotionally revealing scenes was when he promised Rachael that he would not hunt her if she ran away, but he also told her that someone else would. He owed her for saving his life and felt gratitude towards her. In this futuristic world that these characters live in, almost everything is fabricated, manipulated and governed heavily. The only thing that gives these people or robots any identity is emotion, whether it be love, hate, revenge or otherwise. It’s always a combination of the two: the real world and the virtual world, or in this case, robotic.
> I think overall, that the film has pretty good reason for being held in such high esteem. It may be outdated and almost funny the way a director in the ‘80s portrayed 2019 as we watch in 2009, but it was a great sci-fi flick for the time. For entertainment value alone, the scene in which the first Replicant was killed, smashing through the different layers of glass, was remarkable. Also, the city scenes were so industrially heavy and dark, but foreign. It made for an interesting backdrop. There were many elements that were so perfect, that the story just didn’t seem to keep up. It could be that I should have gotten the narrated version, or that I’m not a Harrison Ford fan but there was more to be desired.
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