Blade Runner is a science-fiction film that leaves us questioning reality and our own morality. During its release, it flopped and didn’t do very well at the box office but over the years, opinions about the movie became more positive and it eventually helped influence other films and pop culture. The visuals and his development of a dystopian society we see in the film would be imitated by many other films. The complex nature of the plot and some of the ideas they explore about humanity may have contributed to its flop at the theaters because audiences at the time were accustomed to having a straightforward story. Also, it differed from the films both Harrison Ford and Ridley Scott had been making around that time; Ridley Scott had just directed Aliens and Harrison Ford had recently played roles in both Star Wars and Indiana Jones. The plot of the movie can be difficult to fully understand if you’ve only viewed the film once, and that’s why the movie started to gain a larger following after it was released on home video and people were able to fully appreciate all aspects of the film. The film is set in Los Angeles in the year 2019, and Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a retired cop that has been called back to the job by his former boss to hunt down four ‘replicants’ that have come back to Earth. In his hunt for these ‘replicants’, we’re able to gain a better understanding of our characters and how they view humanity, and what should be considered a person. The central themes to this movie are not simple questions to answer and are bound to spark debates in many conversations; these themes include identity, morality, consciousness, and freedom.
Blade Runner (1982) Official Trailer – Ridley Scott, Harrison Ford Movie – YouTube
Rick Deckard is a retired officer of the LAPD that worked in the Blade Runner unit which was created to hunt down ‘replicants’ that made their way back to earth. The ‘replicants’ were actually artificial humans that were developed by the Tyrell corporation and used as slaves to colonize other planets. As the film begins, Deckard is called back to work to hunt the replicants and “retire” them, which is just another word for the kill, but we slowly understand that these artificial humans are complex and have emotions that show they have the capacity to become human. Deckard is just fulfilling the job that was given to him by the LAPD but does this justify the deaths of the replicants because after all, they’re conscious beings that have been used since their creation. It forces the audience to question whose side to take because it’s not clear who’s side is more justified. The humans in the film have declared replicants on Earth illegal because they’re afraid of the threat they might pose to their own control, while the replicants who have never been treated like people just desire to have some freedom. It can be said that the replicants in the film may seem unhinged or inhuman at moments, but we have to take into account that they’ve never been treated as people despite having all the same mental capacity and even greater physical abilities.
There are many scenes from the film that reinforce its messages. In one scene, Deckard is completely overpowered by one of the replicants, Leon, and right before it looks likes the end for him Rachael shoots him in the back of the head; Rachael is a replicant that served as Eldon Tyrell’s assistant but doesn’t know she’s a replicant because she’s had memories implanted. But after Rachael shoots Leon, Deckard is confused because she saved him despite being a replicant herself which makes him acknowledge they may be more complex than he thinks and he slowly gains more sympathy for replicants as he falls in love with Rachael. The ending culminates into a fight between Deckard and our “villain” Roy Batty, who’s a replicant that has just discovered they only have a set amount of time to live. Roy had many different opportunities to kill Deckard but he seems to be toying with him instead. At the beginning of their fight, Roy’s actions lead us to believe he’s unhinged, but in the final scene as his lifespan is about to expire he decides to save Deckard from falling to his death. Roy then recounts some of the experiences in his life and he is completely humanized at that moment. As his life was coming to an end he realized how precious life really was and couldn’t just watch someone die, so he decided to save Deckard and show us that replicants were capable of humanity, maybe even more so than humans.
Tears in the Rain – Blade Runner (9/10) Movie CLIP (1982) HD – YouTube
Works Cited:
Blade Runner: anatomy of a classic | BFI
Blade Runner movie review & film summary (1982) | Roger Ebert
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Hello Barry,
I agree that the complex plot and the exploration of humanity in Blade Runner contributed to its flop. I learned that people weren’t ready for a complex storyline as a blockbuster by then. It seems like people are ready for that complexity in movies now. It shows with seeing the success of such films like The Matrix and Inception. I admired that you choose such a complex film to write about.
Hi Barry!
I have to agree with you, Blade Runner is definitely a cult classic. I feel that a lot of people expected other – less than serious – films to come out of Harrison Ford’s career. So, the audience was expecting a film that was kind of kid-ish, or even a general audience. When I first watched Blade Runner, I was so confused and didn’t really fully understand the plot, but now that I’ve seen it multiple times. I can say that it’s easy to fully understand, but that’s from watching it multiple times. However, the villain of the story, is unhinged, like you said. Which only makes his actions even more insane. Anyway, have a nice day!