Another movie you may have heard about that is pretty dated yet hailed as a classic in the science fiction realm. Harrison Ford plays in this movie about cops of the future that have to discern whether robots (who look identical to humans yet can not feel emotions) have invaded earth (illegally). Ford played his part well and reminded me of Hans Solo without as much sarcasm and wisecracks. Throughout the movie, the police officers usually test people to discern if they are robots by using a machine that watches their eyes, and then asking them several questions that would provoke an emotional response in a normal human. The robots obviously answer logically but not emotionally and that tips the police off to their identity. Although dated, it was definitely an interesting movie to watch and very well acted. It is kind of dark as the robots get murderous (similar to the Terminator movies), but not so much that the basic plot is lost in the action and violence. Unfortunately, Ridley Scott who directed this movie (also directed Gladiator), put a scene in this movie that was entirely inappropriate and therefore I don't recommend anyone watch this unless they are watching a TV edited version. It raised some interesting questions about artificial life yet the indecent scene just ruins the movie (in my opinion). Not recommend unless edited.Saturday, September 08, 2007
Blade Runner Review
Another movie you may have heard about that is pretty dated yet hailed as a classic in the science fiction realm. Harrison Ford plays in this movie about cops of the future that have to discern whether robots (who look identical to humans yet can not feel emotions) have invaded earth (illegally). Ford played his part well and reminded me of Hans Solo without as much sarcasm and wisecracks. Throughout the movie, the police officers usually test people to discern if they are robots by using a machine that watches their eyes, and then asking them several questions that would provoke an emotional response in a normal human. The robots obviously answer logically but not emotionally and that tips the police off to their identity. Although dated, it was definitely an interesting movie to watch and very well acted. It is kind of dark as the robots get murderous (similar to the Terminator movies), but not so much that the basic plot is lost in the action and violence. Unfortunately, Ridley Scott who directed this movie (also directed Gladiator), put a scene in this movie that was entirely inappropriate and therefore I don't recommend anyone watch this unless they are watching a TV edited version. It raised some interesting questions about artificial life yet the indecent scene just ruins the movie (in my opinion). Not recommend unless edited.
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3 comments:
Interesting take on what is my favorite movie. One clarification though, Deckard isn't chasing robots, these are replicants, bioengineered carbon based organisms exactly like humans. See (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicant). The reason they can't be differentiated from ordinary humans very easily is that they don't have mechanical parts (ala Terminator).
Blade Runner is about the existential angst we all feel about what life is about, what do we want from it and ultimately, how long do we have to live. Unlike the rest of us, replicants know they are produced to be slaves toiling away for a few years and then discarded.
But the question arises, what if the replicants were made well enough that they had intelligence and emotions -- what if they were equivalent to humans in all respects, except they knew they had only a few years to live. What would they do ... what would you do if you knew you only had a few years to live?
What if you could stand in front of your maker like Roy does when he meets Tyrell. Would you thank him for letting your candle burn so brightly or curse him for giving you so little time?
In the end when Roy does his final speech, he's filled with such passion for life, any life, that he decides to let Deckard live. In that scene he shows a capacity for emotional understanding that exceeds that of Tyrell, Deckard and all the other humans. In the end, the irony is Roy demonstrates the human qualities we all feel are important but rarely exhibit. In the end, Roy was more human than the humans.
I like to wear green hats while eating spaghetti...
Wow, many thanks to the first commentator about the movie Blade Runner. It really made me think about how deep the movie is, and I now may need to watch it again. Excellent questions and observations - it even raised my opinion of the movie. Thanks so much for the insight.
As to the second commentator, I don't know if that is a reference from the movie, an inside joke, or confirmation that drugs hurt the brain. Let's keep the comments meaningful people!
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