Monday, May 27, 2013

Blade Runner (1982)

Plot: A blade runner must find and terminate four runaway "replicants" who've returned to Earth to find their creator.
Stars:  Harrison Ford,  Ruger Hauer,  William Sanderson, Sean Young
Best Quote: I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die.

After reading Phillip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", I decided to revisit the movie adaptation, which I fondly remembered from 1982.  Man, what a disappointment.

The film LOOKS great, has good action sequences, and fine acting by Sanderson and Hauer - but otherwise its mediocre. The movie junks the Novel's back stories, along with its fascinating, futuristic world and meditations on humanity.

Instead we get a stripped-down SF action/film noir.  Its  a feast for the eyes - but overall the story & characters are too simplistic. You can argue that's what movie's have to do - but Scott went too far in dumbing-down the novel.

As for Harrison Ford he's extremely muted, and lack the charisma of a true Star. The old-time leading men would've blown him off the screen. Sean Young plays a emotionless replicant, without much emotion.