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.
Oh yeah, always educational, but if you grew up on the American versions shockingly severe.
;’)
I’ve got the original release on VHS; I’ve got the original DVD release; I’ve got the multi-disk “final” edition (BluRay and DVD). And I’ve watched the movie probably fifty times. :’) That’s why I’m sure it sucks. ;’)
I’ll watch either version, but the narration helped hold together the incomplete mess that was shot. Heard the same thing, from Harrison Ford (some interview) that he deliberately tanked the narration in solidarity with Ridley Scott.
Oddly enough, I’m watching “The Wild Bunch” right now, I’ve never seen it before.
Have you been to the theater or blockbuster recently?
Looked for a film to watch on Nextflix?
Where can I as a movie fan view these tons of great movies being made?
I go to the theater all the time. You can view the tons of great movies being made at the theater, the first thing you need to do is stop assuming everything sucks because that’s just wrong. Here’s some high profile really solid movies this year:
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Harry Potter 7 1/2
Moneyball
Drive
Puss in Boots
the Help
Margin Call
Captain America
Contagion
Adjustment Bureau
Source Code
And that’s just the stuff in the bigs. If you go art house the list is huge. Tons of great movies are still being made, anybody saying otherwise is just doing their crabby old man imitation.
The man is amazingly creative, and who cares if he’s a Christian? Being Christian certainly isn’t the benchmark for creativity. Unless of coarse, you’re a fanatic that needs to see everything through your religious beliefs much like the Taliban.
I guess we are just on different wavelengths. Nothing on that list appeals to me.
One of my all time favorites is The Silence of the Lambs.
Movies such as that simply aren’t made anymore, lost art.
Sure there are. What part of Silence did you like? Investigation thrillers aren’t that popular a genre but they popup periodically. Contagion has a lot of similarities. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series is very good and being remade by Hollywood. Mr Brooks comes near but kind of blows. Zodiac was solid.
Films like that are made still. Not a lost art. You just gotta go find them. Just like everything else worthy of your time.
My favorite part of the movie was Starling’s recollection to Lecter of running away with the lamb, and the reason for that is the simplicity of the scene and the sheer perfection of the acting.
Just two people dicussing a subject, no CGI, no nothing.
Magnificent!
That’s easy to find, and is in a number of the movies I listed. You just have to be willing to get off curmudgeon rock and go watch a movie.
Lol.
Doubt it. Captain America? Come on.
Planet of the Apes? Gimmie a break.
I’m staying on my rock.
There you go being a curmudgeon again. Try The Help, Moneyball, Margin Call, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Zodiac and Contagion. Any CGI in any of those is purely incidental to avoid mat paintings (it’s a lot easier to make movies in the past with some CGI for skylines and stuff).
You can stay on your rock, but complaining it’s not comfortable is all on you. If what you want is actors acting no thrills no spills no CGI watch Winters Bones. It’s on Netflix instant, it’s one of the best movies that’s been made in years. If you don’t watch it you lose all ability to complain about the quality of movies being made, if you do watch it there’s a 50/50 shot it will replace Silence as your favorite movie.
Well, even though I maintain my rock position, I hadn’t seen Contagion yet and am interested to, and Winters Bones, though I’ve not heard of it, sounds intruiging based upon your statement.
What I really lament in movies these days is the move away from plot driven movies to special effects driven movies, and the non replenishing of acting talent, for the most part, in Hollywood.
Sam Peckinpah died in 1984 so whatever was added to The Wild Bunch was without his permission.
‘The Help’ was terrible. It seemed to have been made for ten year olds who don’t know anything about the period going in.
‘Zodiac’ is one of my favorite American films of the decade. It improves with each viewing.
“Hell, even GI Jane with it’s PC message, and feminist hero was well done. And It’s not like he spared the very non-pc beatdowns on Demi Moore. NO sanitizing.”
I never saw GI Jane as a PC movie per-say. The idea of women in combat yes, but the story was kind of the opposite. Demi’s character went to the seal training with reservations, and only after being pushed into it by the Female Democrat Senator, who was trying to “social engineer” and then traded away her core beliefs, and sold out Demi’s Character using a made up scandal (sound familiar?) to save her political life. It certainly portrayed the Senator, as the scum sucking politician most libs are.
I know the Stocketts quite well
And u r quite right
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