Before I start, I knew nothing of the film, except that it was a sci-fi, dystopian type setting. Seeing Harrison Ford as the starring role was a surprise, and I didn't realise Ridley Scott had directed this. It seems relevant that I came off watching Alien for the first time to this film.
I'm not too fond of the Star Wars type narration sequences on screen, especially in the context of a new universe. Given that the director chose film to tell its story, he should utilise the medium effectively. But it was simple enough to follow, humans have now become 'God' and have created slaves to work on projects that are not fit or possible for human beings. The line that was particularly conflicting was 'it was not called execution. It was called retirement'. Replicants are only images of their creators, and can be deemed unworthy at any point with no moral contestation with their masters i.e. almost like domestic animals. These biblical references are scattered throughout the film. There is also prevalent socio-economic and metaphysical commentary in every scene in this film. It is a testament once again to Scott's fine cinematography, which seems to focus on illuminating dark spaces here. We have the main city constructed as a large pyramid structure, I assume, laid out vertically symbolising trickling down in terms of the socio-economics of this dystopian society. We have large glimpses into the almost totalitarian state with the masses at the bottom, seemingly on the fringes of poverty, and Trell with a majestic and renaissance apartment building. Just the difference between the colours of gold and blue at the top and bottom of this pyramid, amplified by the night backdrop, highlights the light and dark conflict in biblical imagery. I don't mind the obvious consumerism and advertisements in the film, as it reflects a society that seem largely ignorant to the wider issues. We even get to glimpse middle class life in the bar scene, complete with its renaissance fashion and lifestyle. The soundtrack is incredible. The combination of synths and classical instruments, usually on the piano, was a beautiful combination. It encapsulates the near futuristic setting, with its ominous and empty tones. The alternate CRT technology future is something I've enjoyed in 80's films. It was bizarre watching the Blade Runner's interview use tools that were crafted from basic chassis inputs, but futuristic internals and functions.
The first scene brilliantly sets the stage for how replicants were impossible to distinguish to the naked eye, and their threat status. You assume that this person was an ignorant and confused interviewee until the sudden gun shots and escape that ensued. However, as the film progressed to Roy and Pris, you started to empathise and understand the replicants' desire for freedom. I loved how this was contrasted with the scene in Sebastian's apartment where the Pris was hiding amongst the toys. The toys were another marvel to watch. They were an angelic equivalent to the replicants, who were harmless and innocent. Perhaps Sebastian created them because of his guilt after creating the replicants. At this point in the film, the replicant's became cold blooded killers, completely distinguishable in character and body language from Deckert.
When the creator, Tyrell, meets his creation, the plot had reached a turning point. The face when Roy realised he couldn't get an extension to his life, that it was impossible, and his later reactions to Tyrell and Sebastian were horrific. At first, I felt the ending where Drecker was pulled up by Roy was a cop out. But watching him come to terms with his inevitable death and talking to the hunter (who at this point is the hunted) is a potent ending to the rebel replicant's story. I liked how this was at odds with the other replicants, who seemed like demonic monstrosities instead of humanistic. Everyone must end at some point, and there are no cheating death. Again, the biblical imagery was strong at this point, as Roy was sitting in the rain, 'washing away his sins' - a confession to his masters. This segment along with the chase was the most human Drecker came across in the film, and not a single word was uttered by him.
But social commentary can only go so far. I felt some of the film's pacing and change of tone was odd and a bit spontaneous at times. Perhaps I can forgive some of the pacing issues due to the overtly beautiful world Scott has built here, but I can see why this could be a polarising film. The film transformed the replicants from cold hearted robots to humanistic creatures at the end, and the same with Drecker. The experimentation on Rachael helped blur the lines too. There were points in the first half hour of the film where I felt I was lost in this world, to the films merit and drawback. Maybe one more action or chase scene could have solved this, but this would have detracted from the scenic and ambient cinematography the film offered. Overall, I don't think I've ever experienced a film like this before, and I don't know how to judge it. But what I can say is that I throughly enjoyed it.
I'm not too fond of the Star Wars type narration sequences on screen, especially in the context of a new universe. Given that the director chose film to tell its story, he should utilise the medium effectively. But it was simple enough to follow, humans have now become 'God' and have created slaves to work on projects that are not fit or possible for human beings. The line that was particularly conflicting was 'it was not called execution. It was called retirement'. Replicants are only images of their creators, and can be deemed unworthy at any point with no moral contestation with their masters i.e. almost like domestic animals. These biblical references are scattered throughout the film. There is also prevalent socio-economic and metaphysical commentary in every scene in this film. It is a testament once again to Scott's fine cinematography, which seems to focus on illuminating dark spaces here. We have the main city constructed as a large pyramid structure, I assume, laid out vertically symbolising trickling down in terms of the socio-economics of this dystopian society. We have large glimpses into the almost totalitarian state with the masses at the bottom, seemingly on the fringes of poverty, and Trell with a majestic and renaissance apartment building. Just the difference between the colours of gold and blue at the top and bottom of this pyramid, amplified by the night backdrop, highlights the light and dark conflict in biblical imagery. I don't mind the obvious consumerism and advertisements in the film, as it reflects a society that seem largely ignorant to the wider issues. We even get to glimpse middle class life in the bar scene, complete with its renaissance fashion and lifestyle. The soundtrack is incredible. The combination of synths and classical instruments, usually on the piano, was a beautiful combination. It encapsulates the near futuristic setting, with its ominous and empty tones. The alternate CRT technology future is something I've enjoyed in 80's films. It was bizarre watching the Blade Runner's interview use tools that were crafted from basic chassis inputs, but futuristic internals and functions.
The first scene brilliantly sets the stage for how replicants were impossible to distinguish to the naked eye, and their threat status. You assume that this person was an ignorant and confused interviewee until the sudden gun shots and escape that ensued. However, as the film progressed to Roy and Pris, you started to empathise and understand the replicants' desire for freedom. I loved how this was contrasted with the scene in Sebastian's apartment where the Pris was hiding amongst the toys. The toys were another marvel to watch. They were an angelic equivalent to the replicants, who were harmless and innocent. Perhaps Sebastian created them because of his guilt after creating the replicants. At this point in the film, the replicant's became cold blooded killers, completely distinguishable in character and body language from Deckert.
When the creator, Tyrell, meets his creation, the plot had reached a turning point. The face when Roy realised he couldn't get an extension to his life, that it was impossible, and his later reactions to Tyrell and Sebastian were horrific. At first, I felt the ending where Drecker was pulled up by Roy was a cop out. But watching him come to terms with his inevitable death and talking to the hunter (who at this point is the hunted) is a potent ending to the rebel replicant's story. I liked how this was at odds with the other replicants, who seemed like demonic monstrosities instead of humanistic. Everyone must end at some point, and there are no cheating death. Again, the biblical imagery was strong at this point, as Roy was sitting in the rain, 'washing away his sins' - a confession to his masters. This segment along with the chase was the most human Drecker came across in the film, and not a single word was uttered by him.
But social commentary can only go so far. I felt some of the film's pacing and change of tone was odd and a bit spontaneous at times. Perhaps I can forgive some of the pacing issues due to the overtly beautiful world Scott has built here, but I can see why this could be a polarising film. The film transformed the replicants from cold hearted robots to humanistic creatures at the end, and the same with Drecker. The experimentation on Rachael helped blur the lines too. There were points in the first half hour of the film where I felt I was lost in this world, to the films merit and drawback. Maybe one more action or chase scene could have solved this, but this would have detracted from the scenic and ambient cinematography the film offered. Overall, I don't think I've ever experienced a film like this before, and I don't know how to judge it. But what I can say is that I throughly enjoyed it.
