Alfredo
It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does?
Blade Runner is the type of film that you have to sit down, watch and engross yourself in. I know this from experience. The first time I saw Blade Runner I didn't really care much for it. It seemed like a typical run of the mill Sci-Fi movie. A genre which at the time I didn't particularly care much for.
I saw it again not to long ago though, (prior to viewing it for this blog) and my thoughts about it changed significantly. I never really cared much for thought provoking movies when I was younger. I just wanted to sit down and have fun watching a movie. Film noir, which this movie very much is, was not my cup of tea. That was years ago though.
I think the biggest selling point this movie had, for myself anyway, was it's ability to inspire conversation. Throughout the length of the movie and for some time after it was over the four of us were constantly commenting on what was occurring. We weren't riffing on it mind you but rather asking questions about life and society. It's not often that a film comes a long that can spark debate about the differences of being a human and being human.
Final thoughts- Without even going into how spectacular the backdrops for this movie were or how well little details were written into the screenplay to make this dystopian world all the more believable. Ridley Scott does not disappoint with this fantastic film. Although this film is not for everyone, the science fiction geek in me proudly stands firm as I claim that this movie deserves it's spot on this list.
Bryan
It's not an easy thing to meet your maker... Can the maker repair what he makes?
Blade Runner is the first thought provoking movie on the list. It is a dystopian view of earth, a morality play that draws the viewer into a philosophical discussion. The Tyrell Company’s slogan is “more human than human,” but how do you define human? How could our society be drawn into such a dirty, gritty, uncomfortable vision of the future? Is it immoral to hunt down and kill with impunity Replicants that were made in a factory a just last year? Is humanity defined most by the matter we are composed of, or by the emotions that drive us? Are dolls that can march around and welcome you home creepy? It fires the imagination.
Needless to say this film will not enjoy universal appeal. Complexity of this type requires an active participation, and a willingness to both pay attention and ponder. This is not escapism, not a movie that is mindless enjoyment after a long day.
The pacing of this movie was extremely slow, which contrasts it considerably from most movies on the market. The problem is that even this pacing, distinguishably Noir, still left me at times feeling that I had missed things. The sweeping views of the city were so rich that I felt like I missed interesting parts; in fact I know for sure I did because while we were watching people were noticing and pointing out things I hadn’t. The dialogue didn’t repeat itself, and the thought-provoking details illuminating the setting were giving equal emphasis as the plot-driving clues. Unless Decker (Harrison Ford) reiterated a point in his gumshoe voiceover, it was easy to miss some of the details that make the movie robust. (And while I liked the voiceover at the onset, by the end of the film I can see why Ridley Scott’s directors cut approached the movie without it.)
Watching this movie, I found myself again trying to decide what criteria to apply to judge the top 100. Does a movie need to be universally appealing to be on the list? If I vote for it to be included, am I suggesting that this is a movie that you will probably like? Or is it suggesting that it is a movie that is worth seeing, even if I don’t think it will be your cup of tea? Is intellectual stimulation adequately compelling? Is having a good time the only purpose of theatre?
Just considering this movie’s position feels like an academic exercise. It is the hardest call I’ve made yet. It certainly deserves a nomination. I have a sneaking suspicion that there are thought provoking science fiction films that are quick paced and action packed, and also have this kind of complexity, but racking my brain I can’t think of any. I can name multitudes of novels that accomplish this brilliantly, but stories that bring this wondrous mix to the silver screen are rare.
Final Thoughts - I will vote yes, this belongs on the list, but it belongs about where it is. It brings a flavor that is different and novel, and the list should reveal that not all of the best movies are blockbusters. It is classic science fiction, not the “fantasy in space” that films like Star Wars have made popular. There is value to that genre, but cerebral science fiction themes can be significant in a wholly different way. There is great potential here, but I feel like Blade Runner is not the epitome of its field. I look forward to either discovering a movie out there that would supplant it from its position, or for a new movie to come out and steal the spotlight. Until then I vote to keep Blade Runner notable, so that people have the opportunity to expand their horizons, even if many do not avail themselves of it.
Jason
I need ya, Decks. This is a bad one, the worst yet. I need the old blade runner, I need your magic.
While watching blade runner last night I thought writing about it was going to be easy, but I've been sitting at my computer for a 1/2 hour and have erased ten different introductions. Last night I was so sure that I was going to rip this movie apart for all the things that I don't like about it, but as I sit here I can't really think of any. What I mean is that I have always said for a movie to be truly good it has to invoke an emotion, and this movie didn't do that. However, it was able to spark some very deep conversations between the four of us while we were watching the movie and those conversations lead to some very strong emotions. So does this mean I'm wrong is this movie better then I thought. Unfortunately, no, the movie just isn't that good.
Now that I have decided that I feel a little more comfortable picking it apart, and the best place to start, and what I consider to be the most obvious flaw, is the plot. It was full of holes. The biggest hole being the world the story takes place in. I have a lot of trouble comprehending how the human race got to the point they were at. They created these "robots" called replicants which are completely indistinguishable from humans except if a trained professional sits them down in a room and uses a fancy device after 20 or 30 questions he can figure out whether or not they are a human, yet they have none of the rights a human has, and it is illegal for them to be on earth. Honestly this is stupid, and this ridiculousness really turned me off from the movie.
This was not the only thing that went wrong in this movie. The pace of the movie was very very slow. It was trying to do this whole film noir thing. It tried to do this cheesy voice over and had Harrison Ford and his love interest dress in what could only be defined as futuristic 1950's noir.
Final Thought- Unsurprisingly I do not want this movie on the top 100 list. I mean I get why some people might enjoy this movie, but I just didn't like it. Creating some interesting conversation can make a bad movie watchable, but it does not make one part of the 100 greatest
Angel
This film was cool though to be honest I spent more time talking about what the film was trying to do rather than actually watching it.
The film is about Harrison Ford a now retired "Blade Runner", which is a guy who chases these robots that look exactly like humans. Why they ended up like this is not entirely described in the film. But he is one of the best at what he does, and he is in need. The robots have evolved to a point where they can feel emotion (former versions did not feel emotions and that was how they were able to tell them apart.)
The film was very dramatically shot and the director very obviously tried to make every scene look as epic as possible. Though Harrison Ford kept having these inner monologues during every scene where people where not already talking. It made it quite annoying because Harrison Ford had this voice that just never really made sense. It was like he was trying to hard to sound like an old grizzled cop and never fit.
The best thing the film did was strike up conversations. The conversation went all over the place from the reasons they were made to look like humans to begin with, to how they were able learn emotion. We were constantly asking questions that would elicit reactions from everyone else. This was the first film where we all had slightly different feelings about what the film was trying to do.
Final Thoughts: I know it does not really sound like it but I actually enjoyed the film quite a bit. The questions and thoughts that this film brought up gave the film more depth and complexity. Though I still do not believe that it should be on the list.
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