Still the one
It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since the release of the science fiction cult masterpiece BLADE RUNNER. The recently released “Final Cut” has undergone some surprising tweaks as well as a major digital re-mastering which has restored the luster back into this timeless classic.
What’s even more compelling is the accompanying documentary called Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner in which the difficult and controversial process of creating the film is re-hashed. Running at 3 hours, it is worth the watch even if one is not a Blade Runner fan. It validates many of the struggles, creative, financial, personal that are still very much a part of modern film making.
The grueling film shoot that took it’s toll on the cast and production crew is legendary. But 25 years later, it only confirms Ridley Scott as a true master film maker and visionary. (especially when he openly admits to the film’s shortcomings) He was ruthlessly uncompromising in bringing his ideas to fruition, and it’s not until much later that he is given credit for creating an extraordinary film.
The film’s impact is immeasurable. Before Blade Runner, science fiction was dominated by bright, fantastic worlds with laser swords and space cruisers all wrapped in a fight for good and evil. While the latter is true for Blade Runner, it broke convention by looking inward and showed a world that was dingy and chromatically desaturated, cynical and broken.
Unfortunately Blade Runner’s story suffers the lack of a tangible narrative. It is a rare science fiction art film. One whose parts can be enjoyed more that it’s whole. As demonstrated by all the works of art it has inspired whether printed or filmed, Blade Runner has become the state of the art in science fiction design, lighting, and cinematography. Much like how Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey did years before it.
And much like those films, there is no doubt we will continue to see Blade Runner’s influence for the next 25 years and beyond.
