#9 - Blade Runner (1982)

Late. Again. But then again, who cares? So, like yesterday, I'm taking a look at another futuristic, sci-fi movie directed by Ridley Scott. Funny how I always seem to find patterns in the movies I watch. But enough about that. Did I like it? Sort of.

My biggest complaint here is how little did I care about the plot. I don't know why, but I didn't find the plot nearly as interesting as the world I was being inmersed into or the themes the movie dealt with. That was awesome, by the way.

Basically, the movie is set in 2019. And it's a very dissapointing future, because according to this movie we will have everyday space travel, flying cars, human-like androids and a police force known as Blade Runners that hunt them down if they escape into Earth illegally... in 7 years or less. And yet in real life, the pinnacle of mankind's technological progress is the iPad. Fantastic.

Of course, let's not forget... ROBOT HOOKERS!

And while that cyberpunk futuristic setting was fascinating, the plot was... meh. You have this Blade Runner (may I remind you, the cops that kill robots without green cards) played by Harrison Ford, that has to find and "retire" several of these "replicants". Period. That's it. Sure, he comes across an experimental replicant that believes herself to be human along the way and something happens but you won't really care, particularly with the slow, boring pace of events. It doesn't help that the movie pretty much sucks in the character department as well: with the exception of the villian, most of them are forgettable and underdeveloped.

The themes the movie deals with are also much more interesting than the plot or the characters. You have the morality behind forcing sentient androids into slavery, the whole "is it ok to play God?" thingy with genetical engineering, the religious symbolism, the idea of not knowing whether you are a human or a replicant... The list goes on, and the film deals with them fantastically.

Another thing this movie nails perfectly is the presentation. Both the visuals and the music, composed by Vangelis, really help to set the weird blend of cyberpunk and noir tones of the film, particularly the lighting. The costumes are also a highlight: with some exceptions, they manage to look both futuristic and believable.

The bright, vibrant colors contrast perfectly with the dark backgrounds.

So, summing up, if it weren't for the unappealing plot and characters, I would have loved this movie. The world it weaves is fascinating and great to immerse into, the themes it deals with are great, the visuals are very stylish and original... I think it's worth watching, just for the world it sets.