What's so great about Blade Runner?

It's considered to be one of the best movies ever made by many people, but whenever I see it, I cannot understand why. I like the movie and think it's a good movie, just not great or a masterpiece.

The biggest weakness of the movie for me is that we the audience are suppose to feel sympathy for the replicants cause of how they are treated and have no place in the world. But at the same time, the two main replicants, Roy and Pris, act like such villainess over the top mustache twirlers, that constantly have evil glares and sinister smiles all the time, that it makes them nearly unsympathetic, if not totally.

The main character, Deckard I didn't really find to be that interesting either. He's just your typical hard boiled tracker, and there doesn't seem to be much more too him than that. The love interest was okay, but I felt, they didn't have the greatest chemistry. Some, but not a lot.

Although the special effects and cinematography are fantastic and I give it praise for that.
I feel like instead of one of the best movies of all time, it's more like a movie of the week, or maybe movie of the month at best. So it's a good movie, but not a great one. What do you think, or what is it that I am missing about it, that's better?

I think it's because they were created and then driven to turn out the way they did. It's sort of nihilistic, condemning the humans for the mistreatment of their own conscious creations. But, I don't think we're supposed to agree with the replicants either. It's just not a traditional bad guys/good guys narrative.

Yep. That's the neo-noir style I guess. He's supposed to be pedestrian, which makes him stand out in an otherwise unusual world.

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What's so great about pizza?

It's considered one of the best foods ever made by many people, but whenever I eat it, I cannot understand why. I like pizza and think it's a good food, but just not great or the best one.

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

Another one of these threads?

I guess that's your perception, but I'd still contend that they're not constantly like that. Roy's an intense character who's motivated by the fact that he hasn't got long to live so he's got to make his way to Tyrell as quickly as possible, even if that means intimidating or manipulating ordinary humans like Chew or Sebastian (the same goes for Pris). Even when he does end up killing someone, he doesn't look even remotely happy about it; he even mourns his fellow replicants when they are killed. The same goes for Pris - it's all but implied that her friendly attitude towards Sebastian is just her pleasure-model programming kicking in in order to seduce him into helping her and Roy, though there is room for doubt.

I'd contend that this seems like a deliberate creative choice to make him "uninteresting" whether he's human or replicant (leaving aside the Final Cut "confirming" his true nature).

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I saw Blade Runner recently and I thought simmilar for a bit of the movie but the second half was great. the way to appreciate it is to not expect a super crazy action story and just absorb the enviroment

I consider it average.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

I can't speak for anyone else's love for this film, but for me, back when it came out, there was nothing like it. Nothing. The sound design, the music, the visuals, the sets, the lighting. Incredible. It was a mood piece. Yeah, sure, the story/acting was distant from say something like E.T. where that film practically smacks you over the head with emotional cloy. Blade Runner wasn't that kind of film. In my opinion, you don't watch or rate Blade Runner as an emotional, story/character driven sci fi drama. You just sit back and let it run its course on you, if you can stay with it. It is very long and does drag. Very draggy. I've seen the film probably 40 times since 1982. It's not an easy watch if you're hyper or wanting something more than being transported to another drab world. It's like going to the opera. You're sitting up there with spectacles, the seat is riding up your ass, you GF refuses to give you a handjob until you get home, I no longer am making any sense. Love it or leave it.

Perfectly said. It's not an action movie. It's for atmosphere.

Kinda reminds me of Taxi Driver, many come in with expectations of a guns a blazing action packed movie but in reality it's about a man brooding over his thoughts.

What I think is, you're bored and make a lot of these threads. You've made 7 threads in 12 days, and many of them are just like this one.

I agree as you can't just make a thread every time one of your opinions pop into your mind.

It's beautifully crafted and a feast for the senses. The soundtrack alone is enough to make it a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned, and then on top of that there's is top-tier atmosphere, directing, photography, design, special effects, and the list goes on. The story might be a relatively simple one, but it is well told in a great slow-burning way that always makes me feel wistful. Blade Runner is one of those movies where watching it is like stepping into another world, a very immersive experience. Did I mention the music?

It's an atypical sci-fi movie. Very bleak visuals and moody soundtrack. Has an excellent resolve [as in, atypical] in the end for both the Replicants and the Blade Runner.

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe: Attack ships on fire off the Shoulders of Orion... I watched C-Beams glittering in the dark near the Tennhouser Gate... All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain"

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Blade Runner was one of the films, if not the film that changed my perception of film from something that is simply entertainment or a way to pass the time into something with deeper meaning that deserved more scrutiny and respect. Its existential themes, unmatched (at the time) atmosphere, and insane attention to detail drew me in like no other film ever had. It blends two of my favorite genres ever, in Science Fiction and Film Noir, and basically created a new genre all on its own, Tech Noir. The effects work was revolutionary, the art direction stunning and memorable, and really, it set the template for dozens of other films that came after it, like The Matrix, Dark City, The Fifth Element, Minority Report, and many more.

Blade Runner is my favorite film of all time, and although it is not a perfect film, it holds a very special place in my heart, and probably always will.

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Oh you big softy.

Very interesting post, and woah, not often I see people bring up Dark City.

I'll give you Dekard being unsympathetic, I really didn't like Harrison Ford in this, but everything else is so utterly captivating that it's so easy to overlook and forgive for me personally.

It changed my perspective on what cinema can do as well, it's so layered and the attention to detail is second to none. It feels like an authentic vision into the future, the fashion, the social trends, the architecture, the technology, all of it. I bet the future looks something like this.

There's something about the replicants feeling "other" that's still very relevant today, universally so. Whether is be their segregation or seeming intolerance on some part, and their own lack of identity and purpose, and their struggle to find one that strikes close to home personally on several levels. I can understand not identifying with Rutger Hauer or Daryl Hannah's characters, but that's where Sean Young's Rachael comes in. "More human than human" is proved to be true through her character alone, she's so compelling for what essentially is a robot and Ms Young nails it, as do the rest of the cast.

They also managed to adapt the book, and recognise that films and books are two different mediums, it didn't just copy straight from "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" but it changed and adapted what it needed to in order to suit the big screen. Entire segments that are developed somewhat upon in the book i.e. the animals dying and being replaced by androids, is hinted at and made clear through a couple of lines of dialogue here.

And Vangelis does this a hell of a lot of favours also, the music for the love scene almost make you forget how borderline rapey it is

LOL, I dont remember the love scenes.

It's one of your fav's yet you like the main character

It's awkward as hell, I remember being a bit uncomfortable sitting through it

I'll have to have a rewtch because I'm totally drawing a blank.