Friday, July 20, 2012

Blade Runner (1982)

The first time I watched this movie, nothing went right. I slept halfway through, had to rewind, dozed off again and took 3 hours to complete it. This then joined the growing list of movies I had no opinion on. I completely lost interest in it until recently, when Varghese insisted I watch it again. I looked at all available versions and chose the Final Cut.



Set in future Los Angeles, a Rick Deckard is brought back from retirement for "one last job". He is a blade runner whose job is to "retire" rogue androids, called Replicants. The Replicants have such a short life and they spend most of it in slaving at hazardous offshore colonies. Unfortunately they end up developing a personality. Seeking answers to their questions, they return to Earth; and it is upto Deckard to catch them.

We all love movies where the antagonists have solid reasons for their actions. Roy Batty, the replicant leader, has only few more weeks to live and desperately looks for a solution that will help him live longer. His search leads him to his creator.The topic of longevity was recently raised in Prometheus, where Peter Weyland, played by Pearce, goes to his creator asking for immortality/few more years. Had this film been told from the Roy's point of view, it would have been a damn good tragedy. Is it too much to ask for a longer life? Even as he is talks about the things he witnessed in his short life, I felt no sympathy for his kind. Blade Runner had the potential of eliciting the same magnitude of emotional response as Never Let Me Go, but didn't nearly manage that.

"Too bad she won't live. But then again, who does?"

Roy never had the intention of killing Deckard. He avenges the death of his two lady friends by breaking his two fingers but that's about it. Roy even saves him. When the China-man tells Roy he created his eyes, Roy tells him "I wish you could see what I see with your eyes." Maybe the Replicants see through human bullshit. Maybe they are a greater species. 

I cannot begin to imagine the immense shock a person would suffer when they learn that their entire life was a lie. The only emotional moment in the movie is when I began to root for Deckard and wondered if he will be able live with Rachael. The future is so bleak and wet, I cannot see what kind of life Deckard would lead without her.

One thing I am still confused about is how the cop makes a paper unicorn, which Deckard dreamt about. Does this mean Deckard's a replicant? But that cannot be. I was also puzzled by the hordes of Asians in the future LA. I assume there's still some sort of a fair governance prevailing in this quasi-dystopian future, but it is so dark, you yearn for some sunshine.