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MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
139 .......................... 129
__________________________
May 7th
—— 1982 ——
BLADE RUNNER
—— sci-fi ——
EXTENDED REVIEW
REWATCH
"All those moments will be lost in time...
Like tears in rain... Time to die"
Around the time of its release, ‘Blade Runner’ wasn’t at all considered to be the masterpiece that many see it as today. One might wonder, whether it was because it was a film ahead of its time, maybe it had too many layers for people to grasp it all, or perhaps it is due to the enormous amount of revisits to the editing room, which this film has had over the past many years. Personally, I never got to experience the evolution of the film and its story structure and status in science fiction, over the years; when I heard of this film for the first time, it was already considered a classic, and I didn’t bother going chronologically through the past edits, neither did fans of the film find it necessary to do so. It was recommended to just jump straight into the definitive and ultimate edition of the film, which I obviously did, and though finding the film fascinating and quite admirable, I was never fully captured by it – but nonetheless, I certainly understand and respect its status as a groundbreaking and important milestone in the science fiction genre…
Ever since my first watch I have been wondering, whether my opinion might change to such an extent, that I will wholeheartedly love it some day. But surprisingly enough, this rewatch left me feeling the same exact way, as when I first watched it a few years back. That is far from a bad thing though, because I really like the film for a lot of reasons; particularly for its beautifully dark and dystopian depiction of a future world – in which it rains every single second of the day – yet every corner, in every alley, on every block, remains as filthy and nasty as ever. It is impressive world building at its finest, and by comparing every cinematic element the film has to offer, it might actually be its visually creative presentation, which is richest in detail. At this point I bet the dedicated followers of the film – including those so smart they even claim to know if androids really do dream of electric sheep – step in to tell me about all the hidden symbolic layers and philosophical questions that the movie so expertly asks.
And of course I won’t ever deny those claims, because I do indeed think the film raises some interesting questions, while playing around with themes that are both new and old to the genre. Specifically known to the cyberpunk subgenre, we see the clear technological and social difference between the diverse classification of individuals, both human and android, as well as the many assorted areas around this extensive fictional world. I also like the depiction of religious and scientific beliefs, the questions raised about creating and manipulating life, which basically lies within the whole examination of humanity itself, and lastly, the overall paranoia and fear caused by attempting strict control in a world out of control. Many of these things are provocative and extremely well executed, especially the "dueling duo” in focus throughout the story, consisting of Deckard and Batty – both played to absolute perfection by Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, though we shouldn’t forget the fact that it is two wonderfully written characters as well. Roy Batty might also be one of my favorite “villains” of all time, and his last monologue on top of the building lies within the list of my personal favorite quotes of all time…
There is an endless amount of elements to admire in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece, ‘Blade Runner’, and while I don’t rank this as highly in terms of personal favorites or fantastic films, I definitely love a whole lot about the film. Because, admittedly, I do believe it has some pacing issues, and though not downright confusing, the story is a little distanced and fractured a few places throughout. It also gets a little too weird for my taste here and there, which I guess is only part of its charm and undying classification as a very unique piece of work; coming from the minds of countless creative and truly talented people working together. To sum it all up, what I love the most about the film, despite of its post-apocalyptic philosophies and ambitious script, is undoubtedly still the actual world of ‘Blade Runner’. It is such an immersive and breathtaking experience to take on high-flying voyages in and out of the detailed set pieces, guided by extremely impressive cinematography and fascinating characters – not to forgot the absolutely fantastic soundtrack, setting the perfect pitch for the neo-noir space-age presented in this film… My final rating ultimately reflects my own subjective opinion, while a more objective point of view would perhaps award it with another popcorn... But who the hell do objective ratings anyway?
+
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
139 .......................... 129
__________________________
May 7th
—— 1982 ——
BLADE RUNNER
—— sci-fi ——
EXTENDED REVIEW
REWATCH
"All those moments will be lost in time...
Like tears in rain... Time to die"
Around the time of its release, ‘Blade Runner’ wasn’t at all considered to be the masterpiece that many see it as today. One might wonder, whether it was because it was a film ahead of its time, maybe it had too many layers for people to grasp it all, or perhaps it is due to the enormous amount of revisits to the editing room, which this film has had over the past many years. Personally, I never got to experience the evolution of the film and its story structure and status in science fiction, over the years; when I heard of this film for the first time, it was already considered a classic, and I didn’t bother going chronologically through the past edits, neither did fans of the film find it necessary to do so. It was recommended to just jump straight into the definitive and ultimate edition of the film, which I obviously did, and though finding the film fascinating and quite admirable, I was never fully captured by it – but nonetheless, I certainly understand and respect its status as a groundbreaking and important milestone in the science fiction genre…
Ever since my first watch I have been wondering, whether my opinion might change to such an extent, that I will wholeheartedly love it some day. But surprisingly enough, this rewatch left me feeling the same exact way, as when I first watched it a few years back. That is far from a bad thing though, because I really like the film for a lot of reasons; particularly for its beautifully dark and dystopian depiction of a future world – in which it rains every single second of the day – yet every corner, in every alley, on every block, remains as filthy and nasty as ever. It is impressive world building at its finest, and by comparing every cinematic element the film has to offer, it might actually be its visually creative presentation, which is richest in detail. At this point I bet the dedicated followers of the film – including those so smart they even claim to know if androids really do dream of electric sheep – step in to tell me about all the hidden symbolic layers and philosophical questions that the movie so expertly asks.
And of course I won’t ever deny those claims, because I do indeed think the film raises some interesting questions, while playing around with themes that are both new and old to the genre. Specifically known to the cyberpunk subgenre, we see the clear technological and social difference between the diverse classification of individuals, both human and android, as well as the many assorted areas around this extensive fictional world. I also like the depiction of religious and scientific beliefs, the questions raised about creating and manipulating life, which basically lies within the whole examination of humanity itself, and lastly, the overall paranoia and fear caused by attempting strict control in a world out of control. Many of these things are provocative and extremely well executed, especially the "dueling duo” in focus throughout the story, consisting of Deckard and Batty – both played to absolute perfection by Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, though we shouldn’t forget the fact that it is two wonderfully written characters as well. Roy Batty might also be one of my favorite “villains” of all time, and his last monologue on top of the building lies within the list of my personal favorite quotes of all time…
There is an endless amount of elements to admire in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece, ‘Blade Runner’, and while I don’t rank this as highly in terms of personal favorites or fantastic films, I definitely love a whole lot about the film. Because, admittedly, I do believe it has some pacing issues, and though not downright confusing, the story is a little distanced and fractured a few places throughout. It also gets a little too weird for my taste here and there, which I guess is only part of its charm and undying classification as a very unique piece of work; coming from the minds of countless creative and truly talented people working together. To sum it all up, what I love the most about the film, despite of its post-apocalyptic philosophies and ambitious script, is undoubtedly still the actual world of ‘Blade Runner’. It is such an immersive and breathtaking experience to take on high-flying voyages in and out of the detailed set pieces, guided by extremely impressive cinematography and fascinating characters – not to forgot the absolutely fantastic soundtrack, setting the perfect pitch for the neo-noir space-age presented in this film… My final rating ultimately reflects my own subjective opinion, while a more objective point of view would perhaps award it with another popcorn... But who the hell do objective ratings anyway?
+
__________________________