Blade Runner Critique
ENG225: Introduction to Film (GSK1442C)

Professor Brad Waltman

November 16, 2014

The film Blade Runner is an outstanding example of the science fiction genre of film. The film uses it’s futuristic setting, combined with the plot of a policeman hunting down illegal and violent androids, to set the stage for a truly thought provoking film. The viewer is exposed to new ideas about morality and the boundaries of technology. Blade Runner is widely regarded as a pioneer film in the science fiction subgenre of “cyberpunk” and its dystopian style has influenced dozens, if not hundreds of films since it’s release. The style, message and distinct futuristic darkness of Blade Runner is an outstanding part of the science fiction genre and a fascinating example of movie making. Blade Runner was released in 1982 and much of its distinct personality comes from the unique people involved in the film, both in front of, and behind the camera. Ridley Scott directed the film and is revolves around one of his favorites elements, artificial intelligence. Blade Runner is regarded is a Scott classic, and displays the elements that audiences expect from one of his films. Jordan Cronenweth worked as the film’s cinematographer and was regarded as one of the best in the industry, even years after his death. Cronenweth’s dark and moody work provided much of the noire and intrigue of Blade Runner. The film stared Harrison Ford as the not too heroic main character, police officer and android hunter Rick Deckard. Ford’s character faced off against the homicidal replicant Roy Batty, played by Rutger Hauer. Ford played his role well and has a flavor of his previous role as Han Solo, a reluctant hero. Hauer adds much to the film, having been somewhat type casted as the stone cold killer, and it’s one of his many villainous roles. Blade Runner was considered a science fiction film by many, but also contains all the classic examples of film noire. On a futuristic Earth, where androids (replicants) are used for a variety of military and industrial applications, blade runners are police officers and hunt down and kill replicants that are on Earth and not under human control. These elements fit well into the science fiction genre. The story telling used in Blade Runner uses a dark and gritty presentation of film noire. The examples are almost too extensive to list. In Blade Runner we see a dark and futuristic Los Angeles. We have a recently unretired cop who is less than enthusiastic about his new case, a manipulative femme fatale android, many characters who seem to be interested in 1940s/1950s style of dress, and a host of other cynical characters. The engaging combination of science fiction and film noire successfully keep the audience’s attention throughout the film. The story, and plot, of Blade Runner are anything but simple. Deckard is recruited to return to police work, in the city of Los Angeles, after four replicants return to Earth illegally from an off world installation. The replicants are built with a four years life span, and no longer content to live the life of slavery they were designed for, have returned to Earth in an attempt to extend their shelf life. These particular replicants are military models and possess certain combat expertise, which they are not hesitant to use to meet their goals. Deckard begins his investigation at the Tyrell Corporation, the manufactures of the androids, in a search for answers but ends up leaving with more questions than he arrived with. Here Deckard meets Rachael, an advanced model replicant, programmed with artificial memories and who isn’t even aware that she is not human. Deckard and his partner, Gaff, investigate replicant Leon’s apartments; whose violence sparked the android hunt. We then see Roy, the leader of the rogue replicants, as they tracks down, interrogates and then kill another Tyrell engineer in their continued quest to discover a way to prolong their lives. Deckard has another encounter with Rachel at him home, who tries to convince him that she is in fact a human. Deckard’s investigation takes him to Chinatown where he successfully kills one replicant, and then almost killed by Leon before eventually being saved by the gun totting Rachael. During this time Decker is also instructed to neutralize Rachael, as she has disappeared from Tyrell Corporation and is also considered a threat. Rachael and Deckard reconnect at his apparent and kiss. They discuss how long she has to live and she is confused by her emotions. Meanwhile, Roy infiltrates Tyrell Corporation, with the help of engineer J.F. Sebastian, in order to speak to Tyrell himself. Tyrell claims that extending his life is impossible and he should be satisfied with the short and remarkable life he has had. Roy finds this unsatisfactory, and kills him. Deckard eventually goes to Sebastian’s apartment and dispatches a third replicant. Roy returns to the apartment also and is devastated by the death of his last comrade and sets out to kill Deckard. Deckard and Roy eventually end up battling on the roof, with Deckard about to fall to his death but is then saved by Roy. Roy’s life span ends on the roof and shows regret at his short life and the irony of being a very mortal immortal by design. Decker returns home to find Rachel still there and they reconcile to go on the run together, as Rachael is still wanted dead by the authorities with Gaff no doubt on their trail. The plot of Blade Runner builds the action in the film. The audience is initially introduced to the violence that replicants are capable of and Decker is recruited for the cause of hunting them down. With the introduction of the unknowing android Rachael, the audience is introduced to the moral ambiguity of the idea of using androids and then exterminating them. We then see the plot turn into a race between the replicants as they search for a means of extending their lives and Deckard as he attempts to determine their next steps. The violence ramps up as Decker eliminates the replicants one by one and culminates with the final battle with the antagonist, Roy. The apex of the story is the death of Roy, which is not even by Deckard’s hand and we perceive that Deckard questions his previous choice in career. At the conclusion we see Deckard ask Rachael to trust him and his obvious refusal to finish his work and terminate her as well. Blade Runner is known for it’s outstanding style, which is displayed in the aesthetic techniques used to present the film. Lighting used in the film is mostly characterized by its low-light techniques. In many of the scenes, it’s has been explained by Ridley Scott that it is so dark that it was intentional that audience can barely perceive what is going on. Williams (1988) used Dempsey's quote to explain the lighting used in Blade Runner by stating, "From the former tradition, Scott borrows generously with a set dominated by dark shadows, hazy lighting, and odd camera angles all of which creates an atmosphere of splendor and mystery, but ultimately conveying what one critic has described as "vision after vision of a definite 'terrible, beauty' both urban and human"" (Williams, 1988, as quoted by Dempsey, 198203: 34). The darkness of the film adds much to the dystopian style. Neon lighting is used during many outdoor scenes of the film, to provide lighting with in itself seems very artificial. The costuming in the film is meant to provide a classic detective noir feeling. Decker wears a traditional trench coat, a stereotypical early detective film costume. Rachael’s garb is something that would be familiar to anyone watching a film from the 1940s or 1950s. Editing is used in the introduction showing a wide view of the futuristic Los Angeles, which has distinct Asian futuristic qualities. Yu (2008) said that, “In works of science fiction such as Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner or William Gibson’s Neuromancer, cities of the postmodern future are placed in Asia or in an orientalized America, characterized by freewheeling commercial and cultural exchange and interracial contact.”
This opening scene gives much information as to the state of the city; we see a grim and dark future; where none to pleasant things occur. Blade Runner makes dramatic use of camera angle, often showing a wider view in the beginning of a scene and then cutting to closer shots of the characters. Special effects in Blade Runner were in the years before computer generated imagery and make use of models. These are used particularly successfully when showing the city and a variety of flying vehicles that serve as mode of transport.
Blade Runner has had an endearing effect on society and in the ways we perceive the use of technology. A common subject in Ridley Scott’s films is the use of artificial intelligence. This was also seen in the androids in the films Prometheus and Alien. In the film we see a society that has created android with the abilities to learn and think, making them useful in military applications and hazardous off worldly missions such as mining an exploration. Blade Runner had an affect on how people perceive the use of artificial intelligence and the idea that it may not be an overly intelligence artificial life form. Slade (1990) referred to the human and artificial intelligence relationship when he spoke of “psychic skewing of human relationships to realities previously thought stable.” The overall style of the film helped create the cyberpunk subgenre and gave the feeling of a dark future dominated by reactionary political elements and an over reliance on technology. Much of this was influenced by the anti-Reagan elements of the 1980s. The film helped shaped ideas in society that advanced technology may not be the cure to all the ills of man. Blade Runner paints a bleak future, which is as relevant today as it was in 1982. The cast and crew of the film provided a visually intriguing film based in the darkness of a near future where the biological is shunned for the more convenient synthetic. In Blade Runner we explore the themes of humanity, and if one must be human to have humanity. The combination of science fiction material, a futuristic world filled with robots, is coupled with the familiar detective noir of years past. The viewer’s futuristic experience is paired well by the hardened detective with a dark mission. As the years have passed since the release of Blade Runner, but technology continues to grind forward. As more advanced artificial intelligence is produced, people in society still discuss the replicants of Blade Runner. The film classic Blade Runner remains as outstanding example of the science fiction genre to this day, and will remain so for many years to come.
Reflection
Prior to taking this class I had less depth in my knowledge of how to understand film, this has changed dramatically. I had no understanding of the aesthetic elements, which are used to craft a story. I now possess more knowledge is how lighting, both high and low, is used to affect the mood of an overall scene. As I learned more about these techniques, it broadened my understanding on how it was used effectively to influence the dark tones of my chosen film for my final critique. I now know the auteur elements are used to craft a film to satisfy the expectations of both critics and the viewers. I was unaware previously that a term existed, although I knew some of my favorite directors were well regarded and possessed a certain style, I now know that the elements I sought out in their movies were due to their auteur status in film making. My broader understanding of genres aided me much during my final film project. I was delighted to discover that Blade Runner was equally detective noir as it is science fiction. Although I have possessed an interest in literature, and was familiar with the concept of theme, I was interested to learn how theme applies to film. Where as literature is the written word, what we view in the minds eye may be starkly different than that of the author. Much can be lost in the translation of text, depending bot on the word shaping of the author and the perception of the reader. Film’s visual elements do much to influence the audience’s understanding of theme. Now understand how cinematography can influence how the viewer interprets theme and how is much easier to reconcile with a directors theme than it may be an author of a book.
Reference
Williams, D. E. (1988) Ideology as Dystopia: An Interpretation of "Blade Runner". Sage Publications,LTD. Retrieved from https://philosophy.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Ideology%20as%20Dystopia%20-%20An%20Interpretation%20of%20Blade%20Runner%20-%20Douglas%20E.%20Williams.pdf
Slade, J. W. (1990). Romanticizing cybernetics in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Literature Film Quarterly, 18(1), 11. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a52b05c4-fb94-44c8-b6e7-2550089bfed5%40sessionmgr198&vid=3&hid=112
Yu T. Oriental Cities, Postmodern Futures: "Naked Lunch," "Blade Runner," and "Neuromancer.". Melus [serial online]. Winter2008 2008;33(4):45-71. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 16, 2014. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8313a8a8-1370-4b13-bca6-b58b10dbd31c%40sessionmgr198&vid=3&hid=112