"More human than human" is our motto - Tyrell
With the premiere of Ridley Scott's Prometheus just around the corner, I thought it was time to revisit his proven classic, Blade Runner.
In Blade Runner, the future is portrayed as a time in which overcrowded streets, murder, industrial destruction, and darkness are the norm. There are no sunny days. Instead, fire reigns as pillars of flame expel from shadowy buildings. Dystopia is law. The government is a shady entity whose law enforcers (the "blade runners") are tasked eliminate the replicants before L.A.'s human citizens find out about their escape. Sight and vision are king. Eyes are everywhere, from the Voight-Kampf testing to the poor Chew character who manufactures the replicants' eyes. Fittingly, the film's most devastatingly brutal scene occurs when one character loses vision, to put it delicately.
"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."
The film meditates the very nature of humanity, which I predict Prometheus will similarly do. The crucial point of debate amongst fans is whether Deckard is a human or a replicant. The best answer is no answer. The point is to blur the line between the two, which the film does successfully. Both humans and replicants have a limited lifespan ("it's too bad she won't live - but then again, who does?"), the potential for developing their own emotional responses, and dreams. In the end, Deckard risks his own security for the love of a woman. He chooses to learn what it feels like to "live in fear," as Roy Batty warns.
The discussion of humanity, the eye motifs, the idea of memories, the giant Geisha billboards, the animal metaphors, the origami. Blade Runner is brilliant. It's an intelligent film that demands an equally intelligent audience. There's no doubting its rank as one of the most influential and important works of science fiction film.
"Time to die."
5 out of 5
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