Review – Blade Runner
Review – Blade Runner Directed by: Ridley Scott Written by: Hampton Fancher & David Peoples Produced by: Ridley Scott & Hampton Fancher Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer & Sean Young Release Date: September 9th 1982 I first watched Blade Runner around twenty years ago and in my dumb kid-brain, I put it into the same category as Star Wars. They were both sci-fi movies, both made in a similar era and they both starred Harrison Ford. I think that the first version I saw was the director’s cut version. I then went back to Blade Runner at the age of 12, when the ultimate cut was released in 2007 and at the time, I felt that the setting and the world were still incredible, but the plot and characters in the movie left a lot to be desired. Recently, I decided to go back and re-watch the directors cut of Blade Runner for review and then follow it up with Blade Runner: 2049. The biggest shock that I experienced during this most recent re-watch what that I realised that I had totally forgotten just how excruciatingly slow this film is. The whole thing moves at a snail’s pace and half of the run-time is spent looking at Harrison Ford’s reaction shots. I had it in my head that the pace of Blade Runner was similar to that of A New Hope, but I was way off. I get it, it’s not a sci-fi action flick, it’s a hard-boiled, contemplative detective film, but it really is a slog to sit through. And that is coming from a guy that loves a slow burn movie! I still feel the same way about this movie that I always have, the world and the setting that the story takes place in are far more interesting than the movie itself, (something else that Blade Runner has in common with Star Wars!) There is a reason that so many other movies have borrowed elements of Blade Runner’s amazing setting over the years and used them as inspiration for their own set design. To this day the sets and the majority of this almost 40-year-old film’s visuals still look great, that is an achievement not to be scoffed at. I will always appreciate Blade Runner for what it did for sci-fi movies that came after it, but if you saw this film as a kid and are thinking about going back to re-watch it again to see how well it holds up, I would actually recommend against it. This movie was so much better in my head than it was when I actually re-watched it and I somehow like it less now after re-watching it. However, this certainly should not take away from the importance and influence of this film and if you consider this a classic, it would be hard to argue that point with you. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] Speaking of things that blatantly ripped off the aesthetic of Blade Runner, you can check out our review of Cyberpunk: 2077 right here. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Discord and join our official Facebook Group. Check out our new Podcast and subscribe to the channel on Youtube, Spotify, Apple and Google. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews and News from Glasgow, Scotland, UK and the US, HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE