Blade Runner Review- By Michael Carlisle

 Title: Blade Runner
Year: 1982
Director: Ridley Scott
Country: US
Language: English

Throughout the late 70's to late 80's American actor Harrison Ford was unstoppable; appearing in classics like Star Wars, Apocalypse Now, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Blade Runner. All these pictures left a tremendous mark in American Cinema, but unfortunately effectively ended New Wave American film in the process. Perhaps the most enduring of Ford's flicks is Blade Runner; a gritty dystopian sci-fi that left us in awe.

In a cyberpunk vision of the future, man has developed the technology to create replicates, human clones used to serve in the colonies outside Earth but with fixed lifespans. In Los Angeles, 2019, Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a Blade Runner, a cop who specializes in terminating replicates. Originally in retirement, he is forced to re-enter the force when four replicates escape from an off-world colony 

Blade Runner is a true science fiction that relies on thoughts and ideas rather than bland action scenes involving space battles and futuristic samurai fights ripped off from Akira Kurosawa's library (I'm looking at you Star Wars!) Each intriguing character is a reflection of humanity, Deckard is a broken man, as he is the product of a broken society. This is a very Marxist picture at heart; we see the dehumanization of people through a society shaped by technological and capitalistic excess. We see their mutual enslavement and the relationship between owner and worker, creator and creation.

Ridley Scott's haunting depiction of a what might become of Los Angeles is shockingly possible. It captures elements of Noir with its urban atmosphere of decadence, lighting and characters that are shades of grey; they cannot possibly be defined in terms of good and evil. Considering this was made before the invention of CGI, the special effects are astounding, top notch for that era. Much of the set was used with models, this of course requires great creativity, patience and intelligence to pull off. The entire picture is a quest to answer the philosophical questions in life, Blade Runner demands discussion from the audience and the flick is better for it.

In conclusion, Blade Runner may not be the greatest or most intelligent sci-fi ever made, it still is fantastic and bold in vision. Though 2019 is steadily approaching, and it doesn't seem like our technology will match the film's, the themes of alienation and exploitation are increasingly present and seem like they will continue to grow. Perhaps eventually all mankind will become as existential as Deckard is. Praise it! 5/5