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Blade Runner



Blade Runner
Director: Ridley Scott
Featured Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Brion James, Daryl Hannah, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, William Sanderson, Joe Turkel, Joanna Cassidy.
Screenplay: Hampton Frascher and David Peoples.
Loosely based on the novel entitled Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick.
1982, 2007


Plot: Deckard, a retired bladerunner (a policemen who’s sole purpose is to detect and “retire” deadly androids known as replicants) is forced out of retirement to handle the latest crisis. The problem is will he accidently kill a human by mistake?

Review: This science fiction movie may not have the best visual effects like Star Wars or some sci-fi films made since then, but it is very strong in its story. (you can see the wires used for special effects in some scenes) I have seen a Sociological interpretation, a Religious interpretation, a Philosophical interpretation, and even an Environmental interpretation of this film. This is to say the film is loaded and if you are to understand it on its various levels it will require several viewings. This is not a weakness in my opinion. It takes some guts to make a film that require several viewings to understand all that the film has to offer.
It has been a great influence on the Science Fiction genre since its release in 1982, including: Dark City, Total Recall, Brazil, and Twelve Monkeys to name a few.The film has undergone several changes since it was initially released in 1982. In the initial release the studio exercised a heavy hand in the editing room. David Peoples came in to tighten the story, they required Ridley Scott to add a Phillip Marlow like voice over to the entire movie, and they tacked on a happy ending (the original ending was more ambiguous then a sad ending). I believe the final cut makes vast improvements by removing the voice-over, changing the ending, and adding some information that virtually changes the whole meaning of the story.
For those who watch the movie and enjoy it, you should check out the book by Paul M. Sammon entitled, Future Noir: The Making of Bade Runner. 978-0061053146. The book makes some great observations about the original release and its subsequent re-releases. This might be a good time to watch it if you have not already seen it. Ridley Scott is working on a sequel that is supposed to come out in 2017. The final cut is recommended for those over 18 years of age.