Posted on 11/05/2011 7:40:04 AM PDT by Kaslin
And it’s a “liable to be a sequel” according to Scott himself, who was recently interviewed by the Wall Street Journal‘s Speakeasy blog.
When I first heard about this project, back in the summer, it was unclear whether the movie would be a prequel or a sequel. But saying I was intrigued would be falling short. Blade Runner wasn’t much of a hit when it was released in theaters back in 1982, but I could never get my eyes off it — without fail — every single time I rented it (Yes. On VHS). And I rented it several times between the age of 14 and 19. How many, I can’t recall. Like Scott’s prior work Alien, I just can’t get it out of my mind.
I didn’t see Blade Runner on the big screen till 1990 or so (awfully scratched print). And when the Director’s Cut was released in theaters in ’92, I actually drove 2 hours to see it (and it’s not that I’m a sci-fi geek. I drove 3 hours to see Robert Altman’s The Player — I was living in a small Texas bordertown at the time). In 2007, Warner Bros. celebrated Blade Runner‘s 25th Anniversary with another theatrical release (digitally remastered under Scott’s supervision as a so-called “Final Cut”). I drove about 40 minutes to see that one on the big screen, mostly because of L.A. traffic. That’s how much I enjoy the film. And I know I’m not alone in this. The truth is, it’s a strong film. And despite it’s sci-fi/neo-Noir wrapping, I believe it has plenty to recommend it to mainstream audiences.
The visuals and sound design in Blade Runner are simply arresting. And the narrative — based on a short story by the prolific Phillip K. Dick — ain’t bad either, focused as it is not only on a multiple manhunt (synthetic manhunt?) but also on the existential angst of the characters, grappling from their own particular points of view with the sadness of the human condition. But not in that annoying French New Wave way. This is an American movie. A Hollywood movie. It just happens to come across as artsy because it is beautiful to watch and hear.
If Blade Runner is unfamiliar to you, I’m probably coming across as too mysterious. But I don’t want to spoil it for you, not even with a plot summary. But a little background wouldn’t hurt: suffice it to say the movie is set in a future in which synthetic humans — called Replicants — are mass produced to be used as labor. But they’re not seen as human, nor considered human at law. They’re simply genetically engineered lifeforms designed to be “more human than human”. And, as you might expect — especially if you are a fan of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica — they’re just deemed to be too dangerous to mix with naturally-born folks. So they’re illegal on Earth. The job of a blade runner is in fact to locate illegal Replicants and kill them on the spot.
In sum, the movie does force the viewer to ask what the meaning of “being human” actually is, while exploring the themes of identity crisis that so obsess Phillip K. Dick. But watching it is far from being a mere exercise in philosophy. It’s exciting; and beautiful to both watch and listen (the soundtrack by Vangelis is also an old favorite). It’s best appreciated in a theater, but a nice big screen TV will do. There is no doubt that the upcoming Blade Runner sequel will be quite an event. So might as well get ready and acquaint yourself with the original movie. Make it part of your weekend. You won’t regret it. Even if you don’t like it as much as I do, you’re bound to get something worthwhile out of the experience.
I prefer the narration version too. Not for the back story but for the feel. At it’s core Blade Runner is a pulp detective story, he’s basically a PI, it’s always at night, everybody smokes, the weather sucks, and there’s a dangerous dame. Pulp detective is always narrated, the structure becomes incomplete and not as satisfying.
Maybe they have, but it’s epidemic now, and they have lost their skill.
It’s no more epidemic now than ever before. The only difference now is people complain about it now.
I hate the narration and am glad it was cut. Part of the fun of Blade Runner, and why it endures, is that you can interpret much of it in different ways, and just having a narrator hand you the official interpretation on a platter completely destroys it.
I don't know if I want this new movie. I'm perfectly happy with the old one. Scott was never happy with this film, but he should probably view it like the movie Jaws. Spielberg had so many problems, technical and human, on the set filming Jaws he ended the shoot not knowing if he had enough footage to make a movie, and thought his young career was over. What he assembled in editing was not the film he intended, but ended up better than what he would have made if he hadn't had those problems. He admits this openly now. Sometimes it is good for an artist to let go of the art and let the audience own it.
The first whole generation of Disney movies was taken from Grimm's fairy tales and other older children's stories, sanitized by taking the violence out.
I was taking German in Jr High and the German teacher decided a good exercise was for us to translate the original Grimm’s fairy tales. HOKEY SMOKE, I can see why Disney sanitized them. Those things are serious, kids getting their thumbs cut off and all kinds of nastiness. Quite the shock to a brain that had been raised on the Disney versions. Of course she was from Germany, she grew up on the real thing.
an abomination to be sure...Ridley has spoken out many times of his disdain for traditional western culture and in particular Christendom
the original Blade Runner was spectacular in it’s day...Rutger Hauer....Sean Young
Body of Lies...GI Jane...1492 and so forth
he’s a lefty no question
but he does texture well and give nice Leanesque panorama and decent with dark moods as in Blade Runner
Duellists is another gem of his...big time..how Keitel pulls off the Brooklyn Jewish French guy think is amazing...he nails it in an odd way
I did not find Blackhawk entertainment...I don’t like American tragedies filled with just irony and little morality beyond self sacrifice for one’s military brother but with no overriding purpose to the slaughter of our kinsmen..nothing much about why we were there first place..to feed folks and keep warlords from stealing the food.
anyhow...it’s the culture...time we took it back or at least tried
The only difference is that San Fran occasionally gets overrun with these insect creatures who take over the High Command and in Blade Runner the Chinese own the streets ~ and that's because they are not as rich as the white people who have moved to the stars.
I do believe Africa is a dangerous radioactive waste ~ the Africans not having succeeded incontrolling thermonuclear weapons. In Star Trek note that Jordi and other blacks are treated like they belong to an endangered species. There are so few of them Jordi couldn't even get an eyeball for transplant ~ no one compatible!
They are missing completely in Blade Runner.
Then, there are the Arabs ~ there are NO ARABS in either theatrical event, nor any Moslems!
Both stories draw from the same imagined reality.
Bruce Willis would have done a much better job as Decker. Maybe Kelly McGillis as Rachel, or Debra Winger (just thinking 80s actresses.)
Agreed. The cityscapes are awesome, and the Vangelis music that goes with them is great too. It’s a shame the movie is so flawed. I want to love it. I love noir. I love dystopian sci-fi. But it’s got some really annoying flaws—sort of like the Star Wars movies.
There was usually a reason though, for the violence. It was usually the end result of children doing something they shouldn’t have been doing. The world was a more dangerous place for kids when they were written, and the stories warned the kids of that fact.
LOL. I'll never understand this. The story is totally understandable without the idiotic, monotone narration. The executives put it in because they figured (I guess correctly) that the average viewer was too STUPID to watch it otherwise.
What do the films Blade Runner, Brazil and Atlas Shrugged have in common...?
Of course, what you learn in the original book is everyone and everything is actually a replicant. No wonder the acting is stiff! ;-)
“Why are there so many Asians there now?”
Why are there so many Asians now?
Dystopian futures?
Monty Python? No, that can't be right.
Dead parrots? Oh, that's right out.
Blade Runner? never read the book...and going into it cold, the first time, I did not realize how important the narration was...
....30 years later having forgot most of the plot of the movie, I found it hard to fill in what Scott assumed should be either understood, or unimportant....
Blade Runner is my favorite movie by far.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.