My Thoughts on Blade Runner...

Starring Harrison Ford, this Sci-Fi anthem is a story about synthetics who had been developed to mimic every aspect of the human physiology except for emotions. They were stronger, faster, and at least as intelligent, and called replicants. They became dangerous and were systematically destroyed by soldiers called Blade Runners. Harrison Ford is one of the last and one of the best. He is tasked with locating and “retiring” four replicants which had managed to return to earth from the off world colony and had already killed a few humans. The movie is the quest of Ford to find these machines before they kill more people. Eventually he discovers all of them and kills them in less than dramatic combat. The issue of their humanity is discussed, especially in a soliloquy by the last and most philosophical of the replicants.

The special effects are apparently spectacular for the year it was made, but that seems to be the only reason for the label that it receives as a “classic.” The dialogue is almost non-existent and when there is dialogue it is simple and vaguely expected. It makes a few glamorous attempts at good dialogue, but never really does anything with the opportunities that it is given. There is even an interesting plot twist when they discover a fifth replicant that doesn’t know she’s not human. This, however, is little more than a gimmick. Ford does little to prove to us that he is the best Blade Runner that there was. Twice, he is nearly killed by one of the replicants. Once he is saved by a woman, the other time he is saved by the replicant’s talkativeness and desire to discuss philosophy, resulting in the inevitable decay of the replicant as it reaches the end of it’s allotted life span. One other replicant puts up a fight and he kills it by a quick draw, the fourth runs away and he chases it down.

Overall, it doesn’t live up to the hype, but it is at least entertaining, I suppose.