Now we are getting into the meat of this list aren’t we, with a movie I watched when I was too young and did not have a clue what was going on. Some snake woman ran through a load of glass for some reason. Why are we following a nasty man with a gun who appears to be killing random people? The answers to that and other questions won’t be told here. This is Ridley Scott’s directed science fiction epic movie from 1982. Worshipped by many and confusing to others. Produced by Michael Deeley, screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples but ultimately based on a Philip K Dick novel called Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? This starred Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah and William Sanderson. This movie was a slow and was originally a bit sniffy at the box office, made on a budget $30m it eventually got traction and recouped $41.5m from the box-office. It really swelled after released and got a cult following and was critically loved it proven with IMDb giving this an 8.1 out of 10 and Rotten Tomatoes gave it 90% so even more than me. This is loved by many and there is a good reason, but should I keep with tradition and go through the plot now?
Set in a future dystopia of Los Angeles in 2019 (which means that this movie LIED TO US!!) and former policeman Rick Deckard is detained by Officer Gaff and brought back to his former supervisor, Bryant. Deckard used to be a ‘Blade Runner’ who used to track down bioengineered humanoids known as replicants. The department used to retire them i.e., terminate them and Deckard is informed that four are on Earth illegally. Bryant forces the issue and Deckard has to stay and watches a video of a blade runner called Holden conducting a test on someone who he realises that is a replicant based on his emotional response to questions. The subject is called Leon and he shoots Holden when he realises the gig is up. Bryant wants Deckard to retire Leon along with three others Roy Batty, Zhora and Pris. Deckard is pointed to CEO of a company that makes replicants so he can try the test of a Nexus-6 model replicant the same as the four he is hunting down. This is where he meets Rachael assistant to the CEO. The test takes much longer than usual but he works out that Racheal is a replicant, but she believes she is a human. This is due to her being given human feelings and an emotional cushion due to believing the history she was given. The challenge for Deckard is clearly going to be a tough one. I think that sets up the story for you.
This is a classic futuristic movie that has been cut to bits and reattached in so many different ways it’ll be really difficult to give you all the details. From directors cut to unedited to extended version to the directors unedited version, even the editor’s dog has released a version of this movie. It is loved by so many for a good reason it is a good movie. It asks questions about humanity and robots of the future, but it shows the planet as a grim world where people are still working hard just to get by whilst corporate companies are pushing their wears to everyone. There is a film noir feel to the film and the cinematography is glorified by many critics and fans alike. The film has strong female characters and was one of the first films to paint the future as a bleak and desperate place. Paranoid thoughts fill the world and there is fear among the consumerisms. It saw what was coming and made a movie of it. Maybe they got the timings a bit wrong, but it does appear to be going that way, if things don’t change direction. Maybe this is why this film is loved. It doesn’t paint a future full of unicorns and beauty and everything being perfect this says its grim out there now here’s the story. It rains constantly meanwhile Harrison Ford’s character is the hero, but his character is far from being pure and innocent and the hero people would want. He is what he is he and the story continues anyway. That is why it is loved and why I like it to get into my top 50 is because it is a great story there are scene’s that are world famous on its own without the rest of the movie. The conclusion for me sticks in my memory and worth the journey to get there. Despite all the extra bits added and taken out and back and forward since. It’s still a good movie and should be lorded for it.
Next up is another classic movie but this one inspired horror movies for generations to come…
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