Blade Runner Message Board
Casey Krekelberg posts on 6/4/2010 2:45:29 AM
I thought Blade Runner was a interesting film. As it held multiple meanings in different sections of the film. My take on it was for the majority of the film, the focus of the matters at hand are on the fear of death and dying. Where this seems obvious is Roy's desperate need to find out how long he exactly has to live. I found this to be interesting, as a replicant, because being artificial to me would mean that worrying about your own existence is strange. But throughout the film it is shown that the replicants care more about there lives and lifespans then the humans, whom you would expect to care more.
Sara Sturzenegger (UMD) posts on 5/21/2010 3:32:11 PM
I enjoyed watching this moive. It is not what I expeceted out of a science fiction film. I find it interesting that the movie is so futuristic, but yet it deals with such fundamental ideas. For instance the only thing the replicas on earth are concerned about is wanting to know where they came from, how to live longer, and what not. Overall, it was a good movie and I agree that ti should be considered a classic science fiction film.
Destinie Geisinger posts on 5/21/2010 3:52:56 AM
I really enjoyed how Blade Runner is not a traditional science fiction movie. It is a touching drama film that is visually influential. However few may refer to this film as a classic because of the coherence of the story. But the special effects and production design is clearly notable throughout it. I felt at times the special effects started to overwhelm the story. Blade Runner is creatively imagined in LA that is marked by technological wonders. The city shows an exquisite visual environment. There is a distinct sense of detail. For example this is shown with the skyways and skyscrapers in the city. The plot shows the value of life and making the most of what you have. The true question of the film is to have humans without emotions or machines with emotions. But we never get an exact answer on this. It just makes us open our eyes and aware that we should be grateful for being alive today. Ever viewing that I have had of this movie brings new discoveries and perspectives that I missed the first time.
Sarah - UMD posts on 5/19/2010 7:53:19 PM
Blade Runner was a movie that I found not only psychologically fulfilling but interesting in other ways as well. The idea that there are "robot" replicas of humans that behave and look (even physiologically react to injury) the same... It's a great concept that's almost spooky. The futuristic underlying governmental control and earthly deterioration were spot on for the time, and seem to continue on in the modern world as ideas of the future. The sense of realism in the setting was impressive, and entertaining to say the least. A concept I find the most intriguing was the idea of whether or not Deckard was a replicant. I am led to believe that he is not - due to the fact that he had a history with Bryant and hunting replicants. This in itself, however, would be a meaningful and hypocritical message if he were a replicant.
Drew C posts on 5/13/2010 10:58:41 PM
To be honest, I am not the biggest fan of this film. There are two sides to this film, the depiction of the future and the actual story centered around trouble with androids. Significant as they are, in my opinion the futuristic elements of the film are too drawn out. The story however, is great and is what really makes this film a timeless piece of science fiction. The argument of what defines human is one of the most classic subjects of sci-fi, and here in this film there is the presentation of high-tech androids that are almost indistinguishable from natural humans. However, this is not what I like most about Blade Runner. What really caught my attention was the actual writing of the story and the plethora of profound lines that the characters had, mostly on the subject of the android dilemma. For example, after Deckard had 'retired' Zhora, and then Rachel saved his life by 'retiring' Leon, she asks Deckard “You know that Voigt-Kampf test of yours? Did you ever take that test yourself?” The film drops the subject there, however this is an important question to the story, going back to Tyrell's challenge to acquire a negative before he sees a positive, as well as whether Deckard had ever retired a human by mistake, and the question of whether the test could falsely identify a human as a replicant. As humanity further and further develops towards real androids, I feel this question should never be forgotten, and while it can be answered at any moment, the answer is likely to someday change, and it will be a dramatic turning point for all of humanity when it does.
All of the great lines throughout the film can spur up heated debate and strong philosophical discussion, but they all barely hold a candle to Roy's final words, which stir up a lot of thought. “I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those ... moments will be lost in time, like tears...in rain.
Time to die.” What he says here explains Roy's motivation. His account of attack ships on fire and glorious sights argue his humanity, and his source for emotion that drives his mental development. He goes on to explain that he realizes his unique profound experiences are his and his alone, and that he wishes that others may know what he has seen and it's impact on him, but that they will die with him as his beautifully perfect analogy that is synchronous to his actual tears in the rain as he dies. It takes quite a lot to set up a scene and dialog as powerful as this, and it is to this that I commend this film and most especially the writer.
Jeff Lewis posts on 5/7/2010 9:57:33 AM
One of my favorite things about Bladerunner is the setting it portrays. I enjoy because it says as much about the time as it was written as it does about the era it written in. One of the largest influences on the culture was Japanese. You noticed this in the many scenes that passed across Los Angeles. On the signs and graffiti were kanji and hiragana, with very little katakana(which is the script used when words are taken directly from words another language). I do not know if this was intentional or not, but this shows Japanese culture as not merely being present, but being dominant. One of the predominant characters is the story, which is Tyrell with his extreme intelligence. I think this again goes to symbolic victory of the East(Japan) over the US, in at least a non-confrontational sense. I also enjoyed about the movie how empty Los Angeles, one of the most populated cities in the US, was. It seems like the space was the new places to be, as the discussion between the Roy, Pris, and Sebastian. They ask him if the reason he never went into space wasn’t based on societal or personal reasons, but because he could not pass the physical. The final aspect of Bladerunner which I strongly enjoyed was the sense of fear as a driving factor in the movie. Rachel’s fear of wondering who she is was shown quite a few times. The replicants fear of death is what drove them to Earth, and to some of the crimes they committed. I also liked the aspect of fear shown for the Japanese. I have not read Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep, but it was wrote in 1968. If it had similar tie-ins of the Japanese culture, it would be based on the confrontations between the Americans and Japanese during World War 2. However, if this was an inception Ridley Scot, with the growing dominance of Japanese Manufacturing in the 70s and 80s, with their total quality management.
Lindy S posts on 4/28/2010 7:12:38 PM
I found the movie Blade Runner to be somewhat interesting especially since it’s supposed to be depicted the year 2019 which is only 9 years away from now. It’s interesting to see what they thought the future would be like. I thought the China-town style was also interesting and how everything seemed to be overpopulated. The one guy Sebastian lived in an old hotel, the Bradbury Building, that was abandoned. Everything seemed to be built on top of everything else rather than being toren down and rebuilt. We also see Deckards apartment which seemed to b e very small and little windows. Though, when seeing Tyrell, the owner of the Tyrell Corporation, he had many windows and it was a penthouse. Light and windows must be a luxury for those in that movie.
I had to watch the film a second time to get a better idea of the film and to help me understand it a lot more. You really can’t get a full understanding and see all the underlying facts without watching it more than once. It was interesting to see the underlying factors whether the replicants were able to show emotion. It’s crazy that Rachel was able to and learned it through viewing pictures and hearing about her ‘life’.
I never really caught the theme that Deckard could have been a replicant with the origami unicorn symbolism. After hearing about that, it made me think more indepth about the film and the other possible themes that could be in the film. Seeing these themes in the film, makes me want to read the book to see if they describe them more or go more in depth. I would also like to find out more about the world outside L.A. What are these worlds that the replicants are slaves and soldiers on? I feel that there could be a lot more information provided about how the society changed to be the way it did.
Glen UMD posts on 4/26/2010 12:48:35 PM
Before watching Blade Runner, I had just watched Soldier with Kurt Russell. I immediately saw the similarities, which was not surprising since Soldier was written by the same man who had co-written Blade Runner: David Peoples. The main theme I saw in common was the issue of the fear of being discarded. In Soldier, the older versions of the Soldiers were becoming obsolete and being replaced; in Blade Runner, the Replicants had a limited lifespan and were replaced (and died).
As far as Deckard being a replicant, I had this spoilered for me before I watched the movie, so I knew what to look for. The unicorn connection would elude a casual observer, I think. Even if it was noticed, I think it is a tenuous connection to Deckard’s being a Replicant. His words at the end about not knowing how long we have left could refer to human beings as well, with our uncertain lifespans. I like how certain things are left open to the watcher to interpret, which can make the movie mean different things to different people.
Lindsay -UMD posts on 4/26/2010 12:46:52 PM
I like how in the opening scene of Los Angeles we see a world that is very believable.
This idea of things looking believable made the movie seem like it could possible happen
one day. I agree with many of your posts that Blade Runner isn?t normally the type of
movie I would rent either; however I did find myself enjoying it.
I really liked how this movie addressed very deep issues that many of us struggle with
and wonder. Issues like; who are we and where did we come from? I think after reading
others reviews and thoughts I have a deeper meaning and understanding of many things in
the movie that I would have no picked up on if I hadn?t read into it more. Overall this
movie is very complex and I think for anyone to really understand it they have to take a
course like this and look at it more in depth.
I still don?t understand how Deckard could be a replicant? Can anyone explain this to
me?
Shawn Blackburn posts on 4/14/2010 2:22:09 AM
Blade Runner is many things. The film is based on the short novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick in 1968. Dick was a visionary author who gave us the basis for many other big films: Minority Report, Total Recall, Imposter, A Scanner Darkly, Next. Ridley Scotts vision for the film had a huge impact but, to be fair so did the set desinger, editor, and sound mixer. But wait... there are two versions! Released in 1982, the original was very "Film Noir". I prefer this version. It feels like a gritty and dark black and white film from the forties. The "Director's Cut" released 20 years later is a very different film. It has a completely different "flavor" to it. I suspect that this version is the film most of you have seen and are discussing. See if you can't find the original some time. And try reading some of Dick's books!
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