Ridley Scott’s Blade
Runner has appeared on All Time lists in Empire, Total Film, Sight and Sound, Time Magazine and countless
others, both professional and amateur. It is generally regarded as one of the
greatest Science Fiction movies of all time but here’s where I’m going to start
making people angry. I don’t think it is. I’ve seen the film twice now and on
my first viewing thought it not only wasn’t the greatest Sci-Fi ever but was
just average. Yesterday on my second viewing I enjoyed it more than my first
but I’m yet to join the millions who rank it as one of the best films ever. For
me it is too slow and not very interesting. There’s obviously a lot to like but
best ever? Nope.
It’s Los Angeles 2019 and humanoid replicants have been
outlawed on Earth. The machines were designed as slave labour to perform menial
tasks on the off world colonies but following an uprising, Blade Runners were
hired to track down and ‘retire’ (kill) all Earth dwelling replicants. Rick
Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a former Blade Runner who is convinced to return to
the job to track down several Nexus 6 replicants who have returned to Earth
illegally, intent on extending their built in four year lifespan.
