The Art and Beauty of Blade Runner (2015)

I love the film but for a long time I really disliked that Ridley Scott changed the plot.

To me Scott's idea that Deckard is a replicant but doesn't know it is just weak. Even the idea that they would make a replicant hunter that's weaker than the "basic pleasure model" it's designed to hunt doesn't work.

I think Scott shoe-horned his change in after the fact and he's had to keep releasing new edits because it doesn't really fit.

PKD's original plot themes are much richer and deeper:

The purpose of this story as I saw it was that in his job of hunting and killing these replicants, Deckard becomes progressively dehumanized.

At the same time, the replicants are being perceived as becoming more human.

Finally, Deckard must question what he is doing, and really what is the essential difference between him and them? And, to take it one step further, who is he if there is no real difference?

— Philip K. Dick

The other thing that always strikes me when rewatching Blade Runner, is just how much time to breathe every little scene is given. Maybe a little too much time in some of the longer director's cuts, but it's a really stark contrast to a lot of lesser films, that try and pack as many story beats as they can into their runtime.

Let me share this "fake" trailer i made for obscure polish movie that's heavily inspired by Blade Runner visuals - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxfTouivTBY

It's called O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization (1985).

Another thing that might amuse Blade Runner nerds is my attempt at recreating Blimp advertisement video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK1LJKtHj6Y

Of the sci-fi genre for me it will always be #1. The whole thing is just perfect, there's no other movie that comes close to the world that is envisioned in Blade Runner.

This came up about a month ago when someone posted a link celebrating the title cards in Blade Runner. I responded then the same way I will respond now: it’s not just the amazing visuals, it’s also the amazing auditory experience, an additional creative dimension to transport the audience into a dystopian future.

The audio consists of two parts: the wonderful minimalist score by Vangelis, and sound effects that include distant booms, twinkling computer notes, dripping rain, strange languages, the whoosh of futuristic vehicles, even small details such as the crosswalk warning. Along with the set design, photography, special effects, acting, and other visual elements, the audio effectively immerses viewers into this incredible world and story.

Keep in mind that a typical viewer entering the local cineplex in 1982 to watch Blade Runner might have just stepped out of a Chevy Nova with an 8-track cassette player loaded with Juice Newton and Kool & The Gang. The visuals, the score, the sound effects, and the story would have been completely novel, and totally mind-blowing.

Many aspects have already been mentioned, all great in their own right, that lifts the movie into timeless greatness. I'd like to add one more. The stunning beauty and performance of Sean Young.

It's time for a new point and click adventure game.

It’s one of the very few immersive masterpieces where all elements complement each other: script, acting, score, production design, lighting, cinematography. The core vision was so brilliant that even short-sighted studio bosses couldn't destroy it with a butchered edit.

Alien is the same imho, hard to believe two of the most iconic sci fi's were created by the same guy and only 3 years apart.

> The movie even inspired Anders Ramsell to paint 3285 water colour prints, and then turn those into a remarkable short film.

I'm yet to see the movie. Are there any spoilers in this article?

It's amazing that Blade Runner looks as good as anything that has come since. And sounds way better.

"Click on the picture to enlarge"

"COMPUTER. ENHANCE." WAS RIGHT THERE!

The look of Pris is really amazing, for it's nearly timeless. Probably inspired by looks from the early 80s and I know there's a bit of a 80s comeback (at least music-wise) but I really dig it.

Ridley Scott is perhaps not quite as script-centric as Martin Scorsese or able to make a multi-faceted movie like Spielberg or visual effects heavy as George Lucas. However had, Ridley Scott has by far the best visual eye and is also able to draw like a professional designer, which the others can't. I think the best example for this can be seen in both Alien (first one) and Gladiator. In Gladiator he was much more professional from A to Z, but I think the first Alien is even more impressive if you look at it. The camera work is brilliant (Martin also has great camera work in Taxi Driver, but in Alien the effect is IMO much more profound) and the work around for visual problems (depicting the alien without it looking like garbage) was really epic. It is not easily possible to rank directors, but from a visual point of view, Ridley is probably the best individual (visual) artist as such (note: I refer to his abilities, not to the final product, which may not require as much individual artistic prowess, in other words, Martin may not be able to draw something with a pencil, but the end result movie has strong visual effects - see the desert scene in Casino or the "Do I amuse you?" scene in Goodfellas).

Bloody annoying POS. It was nothing like the book.

Star Wars looked just cheap flick for children.

Soviet Solaris (1972) was one and only true Sci-Fi. But Alien (1979) fixed this problem.

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