Throwback Thursday - Blade Runner (1982)
Hey guys, Chuck here. This week for Throwback Thursday, I'll be taking a look at a classic of the 80's that, while considered a classic now, was not seen as such upon initial release. However, upon various midnight screenings, a director's cut, and a more definitive "Final Cut," has been seen as a classic of science fiction that would inspire many other films in what we now know as the cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction, That film is director Ridley Scott's 1982 classic: Blade Runner.
The movie starts off by telling us that in the near future (2019 as of the release of the actual film), the Tyrell Corporation has advanced robotics to the next evolution: the Nexus phase. The Nexus series replicants were bioengineered artificial life forms, designed to appear identical to adult humans, but with superior strength, speed, agility, resilience, and in some cases intelligence. At the time the movie is set, replicants can only be detected by what is known as the Voight-Kampff test, which utilizes emotional responses, and a replicant's nonverbal responses differ from those of humans. At the time of the movie, the latest model of replicants are the Nexus-6 model, which is built with a four-year lifespan, and they are ultimately illegal on Earth, under penalty of death, after a series of violent mutinies in the off-world colonies. Specially trained police officers, known as blade runners, are tasked with identifying and exterminating any replicants that are found on Earth. And the extermination of replicants was not called "execution"...it was called "retirement."
In November of 2019, which is where the movie begins, an officer known as Holden is conducting a Voight-Kampff test on Leon Kowalski, who kills Holden, confirming that Leon is a Nexus-6 replicant. Meanwhile, retired blade runner Rick Deckard, while eating noodles at a public eatery, is taken to the local police precinct by an officer named Gaff, who was sent to bring Deckard in by captain Harry Bryant. Bryant tells Deckard that he needs Deckard's skills to retire four replicants who are hiding somewhere in Los Angeles. The four replicants, along with Leon, are Roy Batty, Zhora, and Pris. The foursome are seeking out individuals at the Tyrell Corporation with one goal in mind: extend their lives past the four-year lifespan. Deckard is then sent to the offices of Tyrell Corp, where he meets both Eldon Tyrell and his assistant Rachael. After a lengthy Voight-Kampff test, Deckard deduces that Rachael is, in fact, a replicant. Tyrell informs him that she has implanted memories, and has no idea that she isn't human.
Deckard, while continuously fascinated with Rachael, conducts his investigation into locating the four replicants. His investigation leads him to finding a snake scale, leading him to finding Zhora, who after a long chase, he finally shoots and retires. After having a drink, and chatting with Gaff and Bryant, Deckard is attacked by Leon, who is killed by Rachael, who goes with Deckard to his home. Rachael and Deckard begin to hit it off, and she ultimately leaves some time later after spending the night with him. Meanwhile, Pris and Roy befriend a Tyrell employee named J. F. Sebastian, who due to a preexisting condition that causes rapid aging, is forced to stay on Earth. Due to his connections within Tyrell Corp, Sebastian takes Roy to meet with Eldon Tyrell, who tells Roy that what he seeks has been attempted before, and viruses and lethal issues that emerged from doing so made extension of a replicant's lifespan impossible. In response to this, Roy kills Tyrell by crushing his skull. After learning of Tyrell's death, Deckard then heads to Sebastian's place, where he is attacked by Pris. Deckard manages to kill her, leaving just Roy, who taunts and toys with Deckard. After a lengthy chase that end on a rooftop, Roy, after saving Deckard from falling to his death, slowly fades away, his lifespan spent. After a moment, and short congratulations from Gaff, Deckard returns home to find Rachael, and leaves Los Angeles with her into an uncertain future, ending the movie.
Blade Runner is one of those movies that definitely requires multiple viewings. The performances by Harrison Ford as Deckard, Rutger Hauer as Roy, Sean Young as Rachael, Edward James Olmos as Gaff, and Joe Turkel as Eldon Tyrell are all spectacular. Okay, ALL of the actors in the movie were spectacular, but the ones I listed are my favorites of the movie. Visually, this movie is truly something to behold. For example, the Tyrell Corp. buildings, which were miniature models, look massive on screen due to the way they were filmed for the movie. The themes of Blade Runner are also incredible, and are part of why the movie needs to be seen multiple times. One major highlight of the film for me, and many other fans, is Roy's final monologue near the end of the movie. Now, I should point out that, despite the film's runtime, the pacing is very slow and gradual, as opposed to a more high octane action flick that one might expect based on the title. However, if you don't enjoy it upon initial viewing, give it a few more viewings and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I'm going to go ahead and give Blade Runner a rating of 5/5. This is Chuck signing off. Keep an eye out for my review of Blade Runner 2049 this Saturday. See you guys next time.
The movie starts off by telling us that in the near future (2019 as of the release of the actual film), the Tyrell Corporation has advanced robotics to the next evolution: the Nexus phase. The Nexus series replicants were bioengineered artificial life forms, designed to appear identical to adult humans, but with superior strength, speed, agility, resilience, and in some cases intelligence. At the time the movie is set, replicants can only be detected by what is known as the Voight-Kampff test, which utilizes emotional responses, and a replicant's nonverbal responses differ from those of humans. At the time of the movie, the latest model of replicants are the Nexus-6 model, which is built with a four-year lifespan, and they are ultimately illegal on Earth, under penalty of death, after a series of violent mutinies in the off-world colonies. Specially trained police officers, known as blade runners, are tasked with identifying and exterminating any replicants that are found on Earth. And the extermination of replicants was not called "execution"...it was called "retirement."
In November of 2019, which is where the movie begins, an officer known as Holden is conducting a Voight-Kampff test on Leon Kowalski, who kills Holden, confirming that Leon is a Nexus-6 replicant. Meanwhile, retired blade runner Rick Deckard, while eating noodles at a public eatery, is taken to the local police precinct by an officer named Gaff, who was sent to bring Deckard in by captain Harry Bryant. Bryant tells Deckard that he needs Deckard's skills to retire four replicants who are hiding somewhere in Los Angeles. The four replicants, along with Leon, are Roy Batty, Zhora, and Pris. The foursome are seeking out individuals at the Tyrell Corporation with one goal in mind: extend their lives past the four-year lifespan. Deckard is then sent to the offices of Tyrell Corp, where he meets both Eldon Tyrell and his assistant Rachael. After a lengthy Voight-Kampff test, Deckard deduces that Rachael is, in fact, a replicant. Tyrell informs him that she has implanted memories, and has no idea that she isn't human.
Deckard, while continuously fascinated with Rachael, conducts his investigation into locating the four replicants. His investigation leads him to finding a snake scale, leading him to finding Zhora, who after a long chase, he finally shoots and retires. After having a drink, and chatting with Gaff and Bryant, Deckard is attacked by Leon, who is killed by Rachael, who goes with Deckard to his home. Rachael and Deckard begin to hit it off, and she ultimately leaves some time later after spending the night with him. Meanwhile, Pris and Roy befriend a Tyrell employee named J. F. Sebastian, who due to a preexisting condition that causes rapid aging, is forced to stay on Earth. Due to his connections within Tyrell Corp, Sebastian takes Roy to meet with Eldon Tyrell, who tells Roy that what he seeks has been attempted before, and viruses and lethal issues that emerged from doing so made extension of a replicant's lifespan impossible. In response to this, Roy kills Tyrell by crushing his skull. After learning of Tyrell's death, Deckard then heads to Sebastian's place, where he is attacked by Pris. Deckard manages to kill her, leaving just Roy, who taunts and toys with Deckard. After a lengthy chase that end on a rooftop, Roy, after saving Deckard from falling to his death, slowly fades away, his lifespan spent. After a moment, and short congratulations from Gaff, Deckard returns home to find Rachael, and leaves Los Angeles with her into an uncertain future, ending the movie.
Blade Runner is one of those movies that definitely requires multiple viewings. The performances by Harrison Ford as Deckard, Rutger Hauer as Roy, Sean Young as Rachael, Edward James Olmos as Gaff, and Joe Turkel as Eldon Tyrell are all spectacular. Okay, ALL of the actors in the movie were spectacular, but the ones I listed are my favorites of the movie. Visually, this movie is truly something to behold. For example, the Tyrell Corp. buildings, which were miniature models, look massive on screen due to the way they were filmed for the movie. The themes of Blade Runner are also incredible, and are part of why the movie needs to be seen multiple times. One major highlight of the film for me, and many other fans, is Roy's final monologue near the end of the movie. Now, I should point out that, despite the film's runtime, the pacing is very slow and gradual, as opposed to a more high octane action flick that one might expect based on the title. However, if you don't enjoy it upon initial viewing, give it a few more viewings and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I'm going to go ahead and give Blade Runner a rating of 5/5. This is Chuck signing off. Keep an eye out for my review of Blade Runner 2049 this Saturday. See you guys next time.
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