I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate (Movie only) (Blade Runner (Remastered Directors Cut) (DVD))

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Blade Runner (Remastered Directors Cut) (DVD)
Date:	09/11/06 (543 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Outstanding sci-fi movie

Disadvantages: Might be a bit grim for some

Science fiction movies are a crowded genre with a history filled with illustrious, seminal movies and those relegated to B-movie status due to their sub-standard production. Few ever make that rare, seminal status considered water shed in Sci-fi terms. Movies like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Star Wars” changed the face of science fiction on film forever but it was “Blade Runner”, released in 1982, that steered the genre in a whole new direction.

The movie is directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Based on the novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick, the story revolves around the semi-retired blade runner, named Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment. His job is to hunt down and "retire" (i.e. kill) escaped replicants on Earth where replicants are genetically manufactured beings that look identical to humans and are used for dangerous and degrading work in Earth's "off-world colonies”. Set in a dystopian Los Angeles in 2019, Deckart has to hunt down a particularly brutal gang of replicants that have gone on a killing spree following a bloody mutiny in space. The catalyst for the story is the shooting of fellow Blade Runner Holden (Morgan Paull). Deckard is brought to his old boss Bryant (M. Emmet Walsh), who informs him that the recent escape of Nexus-6 replicants is the worst yet. Deckard’s mission is to retire Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) who is a commando, Leon (Brion James) a soldier and manual laborer, Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) a sex worker retrained as an assassin, and Pris (Daryl Hannah) a "basic pleasure model."

In essence, “Blade Runner” is an action movie. Deckard’s struggle to retire the renegade replicants is set against a dark, Asiatic/Tokyo setting of neon lights and skyscrapers. Where the movie is elevated to cult status is in its numerous philosophical themes and stream-of-consciousness style captured by the director and brought to life by the glittering cast. Harrison Ford is impressive as the gritty, repressive blade runner of the title who won’t give an inch and is dedicated to his job and yet remains cynical in an oppressed world full of corruption and greed. The unusual Raymond Chandleresqe first-person narrative creates an empathy with the audience although his seemingly straight-forward, yet banal existence is complicated by his interaction with Rachael (Sean Young), a secretary at the Tyrell Corporation which owns the Voight-Kampff eye test designed to differentiate replicants from human beings. Rachael believes herself to be human but is, in fact, a replicant with the implanted memories of Tyrell’s niece. It’s Deckard’s developing relationship with Rachael that provides the existential ponderings so reminiscent in Philip Dick’s work.

Rutger Hauer is outstanding as Roy Batty. His utter, cold contempt for human life is in stark contrast to the scene in his maker, Tyrell’s apartment where he asks for an extension to his four year life span and absolution from his sins. Tyrell is unable to grant either and so Batty kills him despite the apparent pang of conscience he has had after all the atrocities committed by him during his life span. Perhaps the most famous scene of all is his grim pursuit of Deckard towards the end of the movie and a quote that has gone down in movie folk lore. As that scene plays out to conclusion, Batty remarks “I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.” The movie’s supporting cast performs admirably throughout. Sean Young is convincing as the confused replicant, Rachael; Brion James is brutally sinister as Leon and both Joanna Cassidy and Daryl Hannah are striking in their roles in supporting their male counterparts. A certain depth is added to the cloying paranoia fueled throughout the movie by a combination of low lighting and a wonderfully effective sound track by Vangelis.

“Blade Runner” is a film steeped in thematic. From Batty’s struggle with his own conscience to the juxtaposition of Deckard’s hatred of replicants and his growing feelings for Rachael, Ridley Scott exposes a dark, oppressive landscape of lowlight and neon billboards shuffling a deck of omnipresent police, probing lights and a complete lack of natural life underlined by a noticeable absence of live animals and pets (who have been replaced by artificial ones). There’s even a parallel with American immigration of yesteryear as the inference that wholesale emigration to the off-world colonies is common place to escape the depression of present day America (read Europe of the 19th century). Religious symbolism is rife throughout the movie, both with Batty’s mental struggles and the moral debate centred on the rights and wrongs of genetic engineering shown in Rachael’s desperation to prove that she is human.

“Blade Runner” is one of my favourite films of all time. Ridley Scott continues his dark, sci-fi theme from “Alien” released in 1979 to make a genuine film noir that will make viewers think whilst taking in a wonderfully panoramic movie full of great scenes and a brooding story line. Just one final point to consider: The movie has been dogged by controversy over the years. A number of different versions of the film have been created for various markets and as a result of controversial changes made by film executives. A Director's Cut was released in 1992 after a strong response to workprint screenings and this, in conjunction with its popularity as a video rental, made it one of the first films to see a DVD release. The central debate is over the ambiguous finale and the viewer may end up with a different interpretation depending on which version of the movie you see. The final, definitive “Director’s Cut” will be available on DVD in 2007 celebrating 25 years since the movie’s release. Maybe the question left hanging at the end will always set this movie aside as one of the best ever of its kind.

Thanks for reading

Mara

Notes:
-------
Run time 117 mins
Cert: 15. Adult themes and violence
Available at Amazon from £9.99 for the latest DVD version.
Movies with a similar theme: “Minority Report”

Summary: Overview of "Blade Runner"