Blade Runner Message Board
Rachel UMD posts on 9/9/2008 5:43:59 PM
I absolutely loved this movie. I am somewhat new to the scifi scene so I thought I would have to watch the movie more than once in order to understand it...totally not the case with Blade Runner. I enjoyed how dark the movie was with the thread of uncertainty running through it. Do we know what our purpose is on Earth? Or do we know that we have a limited amount of time to accomplish the things we need to accomplish? I also couldnt help but try to answer those questions as I watched the movie.
I noticed a few postings below contemplating Deckard as a Replicant or not...my take on the question may be out there but I think he may be an extremely advanced Replicant, even farther advanced than Rachel who shows emotion. On the other hand, we hardly see Deckard with emotions except for the one scene where he kisses Rachel. Maybe those arnt even emotions rather programmed movements, who knows.. He also talks about her memories but we never know if he has any memories of his own. I think if I watched the movie again, I would look for more clues as to whether or not he is a Replicant.
Abbey - UMD posts on 9/6/2008 12:13:28 PM
I saw this film for the first time many years ago with my dad. He had seen it previously, probably when it first came out, and then rented it to watch with me. I remember him telling me that it was a classic. I was so bored, and thought the movie was just too dark, I think I fell asleep. Now, many years later, after developing my analytical skills a bit more, I got more out of it. I watched it a third time, and actually liked it. Now, reflecting on the movie, after seeing it three times and reading some of the insightful essays on 2019 Off World I think it was an absolutely brilliant film. I can appreciate the film so much more for the vast amount of symbolism that was wrapped into such a short period of time! I loved the concept of replicants, and how the film makes you question what really makes a human a human? We see varying levels of replicants, throughout the film, and then finally the most sophisticated replicant, Rachel even shows emotion. This completely blurs the lines of separation between the humans and replicants. Why does Rachel have to be killed when she seems to be no different from a human. Then, Ridley Scott takes it one step further and throws one more twist in... Our preconception from the start of the film is that Deckard is human, due to his position, and I personally just accepted that he was human, as you wouldn't think that a replicant would kill other replicants. However, your entire film experience is called into question at the end of the film when you consider the fact that Deckard could have been a replicant. Brilliant, and really makes you think!
Andrew UMD posts on 9/1/2008 4:20:35 PM
Whether or not Deckard is a replica is very interesting discussion. When looking at the last origami figure of the unicorn, one may come to the conclusion that in fact, Deckard is a replica. However, I look at the unicorn in a different way. I believe the unicorn represents the dream Deckard has with running away with Rachel. Rachel is a replica, but Deckard now believes she is human because of his strong love for her. The unicorn is to remind Deckard that he is in a dream world: because of his feelings for Rachel he now tricks himself into thinking she is in fact human.
Nick T UMD posts on 8/14/2008 11:21:07 PM
I'm very surprised at how many people in this forum felt that this was a boring movie. I actually thought it was very intriguing. I did watch it more than once, though, and found it much more interesting the second time.
After reading many opinions and theories involving the idea of Deckard being a replicant, I have come to the conclusion that there is not a definite answer. There are too many piece of evidence that support both theories.
To prove that he's human, consider the fact that he is unable to fight the replicants without using a weaopon. If he were a replicant, it seems likely to me that he would be as strong as them, and would be more able to fight them.
Secondly, you have to consider the amount of emotion Deckard shows throughout the movie. He displays many emotions that are clearly very human in quality.
However, you could also use his emotions to argue the other way. The fact that he does display his emotions may show that he is a 'special' replicant, like Rachel. In other words, his emotions may indicate that he is a replicant who does not have a date to expire, and he is in the later stages of his life, in which he has developed emotions of his own.
Basically, it is my opinion that the mystery of whether or not Deckard is a replicant is part of what makes the movie so genius. I think it was the intention of Ridley Scott to leave it up to the viewer to decide what they believe.
Nick UMD posts on 8/13/2008 3:50:49 PM
I agree that the first time I watched Blade Runner, I was unimpressed. However after reading some fan sites and watching it a second time it was more intriguing. One thing I discovered that I was completely unaware of is that Deckard could very well have been a replicant. There is an added seen in the Director's Cut of the movie which is a dream that Deckard has of a running unicorn. It suggests that Deckard is implanted with the memories like the Nexus 6. Also at the end of the movie the police officer Gaff, leaves an origami unicorn on the floor of Deckards apartment suggesting that he knows Deckard is a replicant. Upon giving it some thought and thinking back on the movie this all seems to make sense...
Daniel UMD posts on 8/2/2008 11:52:35 PM
Although this movie was somewhat dark it is consistent with the "Film Noir" genre and allows for a little literary interpretation. One of the sub-themes in the movie is man becoming god. Roy Batty refers to this in his meeting with Tyrell when he says "It is not an easy thing to meet your maker." The depression comes along when you have no higher power to look to for guidance or even an explanation for how things are around you. All we can do is blame ourselves for our current state of affairs.
arod posts on 7/25/2008 1:23:00 PM
when i saw blade runner in high school i had different feelings on the movie. I found it very interesting and well put together even with its age. I was able to see behind the original plot and receive the lessons it characterized. The way these replicants were slaves and their rebellion brought lots of reflection on the Human race's plunders.
I found this movie to be a worst case scenario of what advanced technology coupled with advanced agendas could create. What disturbed me was that natural animals were basically instinct. Human kind killing off natural habitats and other species should not be a foreign subject to many.
There are my very liberal views.
Abby KThis film was v. UMD posts on 7/16/2008 3:22:19 PM
I agree with other people, this film was painful to watch. I tried to start it a few times and just couldn't get through 15 minutes of it. I then sat down and forced my self to watch it. It was a very confusing film, but after looking through this forum and others, I have come to understand it a little more. I don't believe that Deckard is a Replicant, I think he shows much too much emotion to be one. This film was so much different than any I've ever seen, so maybe that's why I didn't understand it very well. I don't know what's up with the theme of eyes throught the movie.
Joy Hepokoski posts on 7/11/2008 3:31:46 PM
I found Blade Runner difficult to watch as well. I thought it was dull and overly bleak, especially the scenery. I sat through the movie once and didn't get much from it. After researching the movie online, I watched it again and was able to recognize some of the symbolism that was used, such as the origami unicorn at the end and the ongoing "eye" theme. Still though, I think the movie could have been made a bit more appealing for the viewer.
thor0506 posts on 6/11/2008 8:06:13 PM
I agree with okonx001 that watching Blade Runner was painful. I tried watching it a couple of times and after 20 minutes I had to turn it off. Eventually, I just sat down and watched it all the way through. I do disagree with okonx001 in that you need emotion to kill. There were many serial killers in the past, such as Richard Kuklinski aka The Iceman, who did not show any kind of emotion when he killed people.
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