Hey Siri, set a reminder for November 1st to check in on Los Angeles and see how their society is going. I'm starting off the New Year the right way by finally watching the classic sci-fi thriller Blade Runner, set in this year of 2019. While I have seen the newest, Ryan Gosling-led installment, I was lost on many of the aspects of its story simply because I had not seen the original. With this, I was expecting a high-octane 80s action film with a plethora of special effects and cheesy dialogue, but what I actually got was a futuristic noir drama, complete with the same confusing tone of the 2017 film. While that may or may not be the best perspective, I still relatively enjoyed this movie for the world that it has created.
Harrison Ford was one of the most versatile actors of the 1980s. Only a year after his *much better* debut portrayal of the classic treasure hunter Indiana Jones, Ford leads this film as Rick Deckard, a hired mercenary who hunts down replicants for a living. Five of these replicants, on the run from committing mass homicide, are being hunted by Deckard and as they are picked off one by one, Deckard begins to experience something he was never allowed to before: feelings. This was the most interesting piece of Ford's character, but it is also one of the least focused-on aspects of the writing. This movie unfortunately relies on the strange, steampunk version of Los Angeles to tell its story rather than show development in its characters. Especially Deckard, being the protagonist of the film, as he does not change at all until the last few minutes of the movie. After falling in love and running away with the fifth replicant Rachael, played by Sean Young, Deckard is finally able to be the human version of himself. I wish that this relationship and how it affected the main character was made more of the focus in this movie, rather than trying to get the audience to sympathize with the other, antagonistic replicants. Then again, Deckard is not written to be very friendly to women, as seen in the uncomfortably aggressive intimacy scene, so I am not sure who the writers were attempting to appeal to.
The tone of this film is its other main issue, as it remained monotone for its entirety. This was the same problem that I had with Blade Runner 2049; the story did not seem to build tension or narrative at all. In practically any other film, the audience should be able to feel the swells in the story without being able to predict too much else. This movie was very predictable as its plot was laid out in the first few minutes and did not stray from it. Perhaps it is due to the imaginary setting's bleakness, but I could not feel any parts of the writing that got me excited for the next scene. It was not until the final fight scene between Deckard and Roy, played by Rutger Hauer, that I became engrossed in this movie. I actually began to feel the stakes that had been previously laid out and this action should have occupied all of the previous scenes. This was of course, also because of Ford's and Hauer's fantastic performances that brought the only beam of energy through this dark dystopia.
I hate to be one of those film students, but Ridley Scott works best only as a producer and visionary for films. I appreciate the nostalgia and world-building that Scott has accomplished, but leave the breathtakingly artistic direction and cinematography to Denis Villeneuve and Roger Deakins, especially in the realm of this fantasy world. Or better yet, I would have loved to seen how Spielberg would have handled this story, as he has proven himself much more capable of working with Ford. *cough* Raiders of the Lost Ark *cough*. Fortunately, what made this film the most enjoyable for me was its production design and music. The futuristic alternate reality of Los Angeles paved the way for some incredible shots and design, whether it was special effects or not. Even though these effects have not aged the best, they are stunning for the time period that they were released in. I also love the noir vibes that are emitted not only through the costuming, but also the lighting and certain parts of the script. The score in this film by Vangelis is amazing as his use of mostly electronic instruments definitely fit this film exceptionally well.
Blade Runner is not at all what I was anticipating. Harrison Ford carries this movie into the exciting, aesthetic world that many cinephiles adore. While it is refreshing to see a film from this time period that does not overly rely on explosions or one-liners, I was disappointed to feel the exact same way that I did about the newest installment: bland.
My Rating: ★★★
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