Blade Runner

A neo-noir science fiction masterpiece, Blade Runner is an essential watch for any dystopia fan. A failure at the box office, Ridley Scott's 1982 film has improved its reputation overtime, becoming a timeless classic of its genre and an iconic piece of 20th century cinema.

Gaff: "It's too bad she won't live! But then again, who does?


Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) hangs precariously from a rooftop during a fight with replicant Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer). 

Brief Plot Overview:
The film stars Harrison Ford as retired police officer Rick Deckard, living in 2019 Los Angeles. He is called back into action as a 'Blade Runner' again to hunt down and terminate four replicants (human-like androids) that have escaped from an off-world mining colony. While investigating the Tyrell Corporation (the creator of the replicants), Deckard discovers that an assistant there called Rachael (Sean Young) is a replicant that is unaware she is not a human. during this time, the replicants, led by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) track down a genetic designer and colleague of Dr. Eldon Tyrell called Sebastian (William Sanderson). By this point, the motive of the replicants becomes clear - they are trying to reach their creator (Dr. Tyrell) to get him to extend their short life-span. Meanwhile, Deckard finds and "retires" the first replicant known as Zhora. Rick's supervisor, Bryant informs Ford's character that Rachael has disappeared and must also be "retired". Shortly afterwards, Rachael saves Rick by shooting Leon, another one of the replicants. Roy, with Sebastian's help, meets with Tyrell. He tells Roy that nothing can be done to extend his life so Roy kills him. Deckard eliminates Pris (the third replicant) just as Batty returns to Sebastian's apartment. The leader of the replicants then chases Deckard onto the roof. Following a failed jump, Deckard is left holding onto the side of the building. Roy, whose body is slowly shutting down, saves Rick just as he is about to fall and lifts him up to safety. Roy delivers his famous monologue before he dies in front of Deckard. Although depending on what version you see, the film ends with Deckard and Rachael fleeing Deckard's apartment block.

Batty: "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"

An iconic image of the film's futuristic, gloomy, artificially lit Los Angeles.

Verdict:
Adapted from Phillip K. Dick's 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?', Blade Runner is not only one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time, it is also simply one of the greatest movies in general. It is well noted that the film was a critical and commercial failure at the time of release possibly due to what is admittedly a quite simple plot. But what cannot be denied is that it is visually stunning, even to this day. The depiction of 2019 Los Angeles as this huge, dark, overcrowded melting pot of cultures and people has become an iconic image of the future. The cityscape, with it's countless, towering skyscrapers and the colossal pyramids of the Tyrell Corporation are reminiscent of the silent epic, Metropolis (1927). Further similarities can be seen through Blade Runner's famous police 'spinners' or flying cars as well as the representation of society where the working class toil away on the ground as the wealthy look on from above at the top of the giant buildings, living above the workers. Like many other great films, Blade Runner is also fascinating due to what happened behind the screen. Famously, Ford did not enjoy making the film, claiming that he clashed with director Ridley Scott although they are now on good terms. The major problem when shooting the film was studio involvement which supposedly resulted in the widely disliked voice-over and Hollywood 'happy ending' of the original theatrical release. These problems resulted in what the film became even more famous for - the multiple different versions (7 in total). It is these that would transform it into a cult film and raise its popularity with critics. The best version would be the Final Cut (2007) with an ambiguous ending, no voice-over and the reintroduction of the unicorn dream sequence. This sequence is important as it provides evidence for an the major underlying question about the whole film: Is Deckard a replicant? The acting is great across the board. Harrison Ford plays his part perfectly as the noir style lone detective in a complex relationship with a femme fetale (in this case, the replicant Rachael). But the star of the show is Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty who is menacing and intriguing at the same time, he always seems to speak philosophically as if every word he says is vitally important. The highlight of his performance is his famous "tears in rain" speech at the end of the film, invoking a great sense of sadness even though he is the antagonist. Some people had complained at the time of release that the film lacked a sense of humanity which is odd as the film really revolves around the issue of what is and is not human. Throughout the film, it is the replicants that show the most emotion and if the theory about Deckard is true, then the main love story is between two androids. The unlikable characters are the humans with their lack of empathy, whether that be the unsympathetic Bryant or Dr. Tyrell who dismisses the "questionable things" that Batty has done and cruelly creates replicants that believe they are human, filling them with false memories, a separate race designed for slave labour yet still have very real thoughts and feelings. Even if you are not impressed by the plot then you surely will be impressed by the cinematography and visual effects, creating a setting that would be horrible to live in yet beautiful to watch on screen. It is almost always raining and dark in the dank, grim, overcrowded city, presenting a corrupt world where big business runs the show and depression and darkness looms over ever character. Themes of corporate power and possible religious imagery are present throughout as well as an atmosphere of paranoia and human suffering. There is a feeling of entrapment and inescapable peril that surrounds every scene. The cyberpunk style and pre-CGI (non-digital) special effects give the movie a timeless feel and it surprisingly holds up pretty well to this day, something that cannot be said for many others of the genre. The film gives a deeply disturbing vision of the not-too-distant future and what is more alarming is that it is not that dissimilar to the world we currently live in with cramped cities and polluted skies. Blade Runner with its countless themes, iconic imagery, highly influential style and brilliant acting is and probably always shall be one of, if not the greatest science fiction film ever made.


 

 

 

 

Jaws

It has been 40 years since Jaws first hit the cinemas and to this day, Spielberg’s classic thriller is the benchmark for what a successful summer blockbuster should be.

"You yell, "Shark!"...We've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July"

Brief Plot Overview

Roy Scheider stars as Martin Brody, a modest police chief of a resort island called Amity on the east coast of the USA that starts to suffer frequent and fatal shark attacks. Coming into repeated dispute with the island’s mayor (played by Murray Hamilton) over closing the beaches, Brody and oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) finally convince the mayor to take action after a man is killed on the Fourth of July weekend in full view of a mass of tourists. The decision is made to hire (Robert Shaw’s) Quint, a local shark hunter. The final act consists of Brody, Hooper and Quint facing off against the Great White in the open water.

"You're gonna need a bigger boat"

From left to right: Shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw), police chief Brody (Roy Scheider) and oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss)

Verdict:

The film’s thrills and scares don’t come from the brief, gruesome shark attacks themselves but from what you don’t see. Playing on the fear of the unknown, the killer shark is not properly revealed until almost two thirds of the way through the movie and even after that its screen time is limited. The absence of the shark on screen was not the original idea and came about after trouble getting the mechanical shark to work properly and the model used was more convincing the less you looked at it. This technical difficulty changed the mood of the film completely and surprisingly elevates the film from a standard monster movie to an intelligent suspense thriller. Yet the standout aspect of this movie that really makes it an enduring classic is the relationship between the three leads which mostly develops in the final act of the movie. All three performances are solid but Robert Shaw’s portrayal of Quint is superb and encapsulates his tough, gritty demeanour perfectly, especially during the famous Indianapolis speech which he partly wrote. Furthermore, the rivalry between “working-class hero” Quint and “college boy” Hooper make for some entertaining scenes. The only real criticism of the film comes from the underdevelopment of certain minor characters such as Brody’s wife. Accompanied by an iconic John Williams score that heightens the suspense and elevates the storytelling, so much so that the music becomes a character in and of itself, “Jaws” broke box office records, laid the foundation for Spielberg’s hugely successful career and ultimately transformed the way Hollywood viewed the summer season.