Blade Runner

This article is about the 1982 film. For the franchise based on the film, seeBlade Runner(franchise).For other uses, seeBlade Runner (disambiguation).

Blade Runner
Theatrical release poster byJohn Alvin
Directed by	Ridley Scott
Screenplay by	Hampton Fancher David Peoples
Based on	Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? byPhilip K. Dick
Produced by	Michael Deeley
Starring	Harrison Ford Rutger Hauer Sean Young Edward James Olmos
Cinematography	Jordan Cronenweth
Edited by	Terry Rawlings Marsha Nakashima
Music by	Vangelis
Production companies	The Ladd Company Shaw Brothers Blade Runner Partnership
Distributed by	Warner Bros.(Worldwide) Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong)
Release dates	June 25, 1982(1982-06-25)(United States) December 22, 1982(1982-12-22)(Hong Kong)
Running time	117 minutes
Countries	United States Hong Kong
Language	English
Budget	$30 million
Box office	$41.8 million

Blade Runneris a 1982science fiction filmdirected byRidley Scottfrom a screenplay byHampton FancherandDavid Peoples.StarringHarrison Ford,Rutger Hauer,Sean Young,andEdward James Olmos,it is an adaptation ofPhilip K. Dick's 1968 novelDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?The film is set in adystopianfuture Los Angeles of 2019, in whichsynthetic humansknown asreplicantsarebio-engineeredby the powerful Tyrell Corporation to work onspace colonies.When a fugitive group of advanced replicants led byRoy Batty(Hauer) escapes back to Earth, burnt-out copRick Deckard(Ford) reluctantly agrees to hunt them down.

Blade Runnerinitially underperformed in North American theaters and polarized critics; some praised its thematic complexity and visuals, while others critiqued its slow pacing and lack of action. Thefilm's soundtrack,composed byVangelis,was nominated in 1982 fora BAFTAanda Golden Globeas best originalscore.Blade Runnerlater became acult film,and has since come to be regarded as one of thegreatest science fiction films.Hailed for its production design depicting ahigh-techbut decaying future, the film is often regarded as both a leading example ofneo-noircinema and a foundational work of thecyberpunkgenre. It has influenced many science fiction films,video games,anime,and television series. It also brought the work of Dick to Hollywood's attention and led toseveral film adaptations of his works.In 1993, it was selected for preservation in theNational Film Registryby theLibrary of Congress.

Seven differentversions ofBlade Runnerexist as a result of controversial changes requested by studio executives. Adirector's cutwas released in 1992 after a strong response to test screenings of aworkprint.This, in conjunction with the film's popularity as a video rental, made it one of the earliest movies to be released onDVD.In 2007,Warner Bros.releasedThe Final Cut,a 25th-anniversary digitally remastered version; this is the only version over which Scott retained artistic control.

The film is the first ofthe franchise of the same name.A sequel, titledBlade Runner 2049,was released in 2017 alongside a trilogy of short films covering the thirty-year span between the two films' settings. The anime seriesBlade Runner: Black Lotuswas released in 2021.

Plot

Note: Since there are several versions ofBlade Runner,this summary excludes version-specific events. See theVersions ofBlade Runnerarticle for discussion of version-specific plot elements.

In 2019 Los Angeles, former police officerRick Deckardis detained by OfficerGaff,who likes to makeorigamifigures, and is brought to his former supervisor,Bryant.Deckard, whose job as a "blade runner" was to track down bioengineered humanoids known asreplicantsand terminally "retire" them, is informed that four replicants are on Earth illegally. Deckard begins to leave, but Bryant makes veiled threats and Deckard stays. The two watch a video of a blade runner namedHoldenadministering the Voight-Kampff test, which is designed to distinguish replicants from humans based on their emotional responses to questions. The test subject,Leon,shoots Holden on the second question. Bryant wants Deckard to retire Leon and three other Nexus-6 replicants:Roy Batty,Zhora,andPris.

Bryant has Deckard meet with the CEO of the company that creates the replicants,Eldon Tyrell,so he can administer the V-K test on a Nexus-6 to see if it works. Tyrell expresses his interest in seeing the test fail first and asks him to administer it on his assistantRachael.After a much longer than standard test, Deckard concludes privately to Tyrell that Rachael is a replicant who believes she is human. Tyrell explains that she is an experiment who has been given false memories to provide an "emotional cushion", and that she has no knowledge of her true nature.

In searching Leon's hotel room, Deckard finds photos and a scale from the skin of an animal, which is later identified as a synthetic snake scale. Deckard returns to his apartment, where Rachael is waiting. She tries to prove her humanity by showing him a family photo, but Deckard reveals that her memories are implants from Tyrell's niece, and she leaves in tears.

Replicants Roy and Leon meanwhile investigate a replicant eye-manufacturing laboratory and learn ofJ. F. Sebastian,a gifted genetic designer who works closely with Tyrell. Pris locates Sebastian and manipulates him to gain his trust.

A photograph from Leon's apartment and the snake scale lead Deckard to a strip club, where Zhora works. After a confrontation and chase, Deckard kills Zhora. Bryant also orders him to retire Rachael, who has disappeared from the Tyrell Corporation. Deckard spots Rachael in a crowd, but he is ambushed by Leon, who knocks the gun out of Deckard's hand and beats him. As Leon is about to kill Deckard, Rachael saves him by using Deckard's gun to kill Leon. They return to Deckard's apartment and, during a discussion, he promises not to track her down. As Rachael abruptly tries to leave, Deckard restrains her and forces her to kiss him, and she ultimately relents. Deckard leaves Rachael at his apartment and departs to search for the remaining replicants.

Roy arrives at Sebastian's apartment and tells Pris that the other replicants are dead. Sebastian reveals that because of a geneticpremature agingdisorder, his life will be cut short, like the replicants that were built with a four-year lifespan. Roy uses Sebastian to gain entrance to Tyrell's penthouse. He demands more life from his maker, which Tyrell says is impossible. Roy confesses that he has done "questionable things" but Tyrell dismisses this, praising Roy's advanced design and accomplishments in his short life. Roy kisses Tyrell and then kills him by crushing his skull. Sebastian tries to flee and is later reported dead.

At Sebastian's apartment, Deckard is ambushed by Pris, but he kills her as Roy returns. Roy's body begins to fail as the end of his lifespan nears. He chases Deckard through the building and onto the roof. Deckard tries to jump onto another roof but is left hanging from the edge. Roy makes the jump with ease and, as Deckard's grip loosens, Roy hoists him onto the roof to save him. Before Roy dies, he laments that his memories "will be lost in time, like tears in rain".Gaff arrives to congratulate Deckard, also reminding him that Rachael will not live, but" then again, who does? "Deckard returns to his apartment to retrieve Rachael. While escorting her to the elevator, he notices a small origamiunicornon the floor. He recalls Gaff's words and departs with Rachael.

Cast

• Harrison FordasRick Deckard
• Rutger Haueras Roy Batty
• Sean Youngas Rachael
• Edward James Olmosas Gaff
• M. Emmet Walshas Bryant
• Daryl Hannahas Pris
• William Sandersonas J.F. Sebastian
• Brion Jamesas Leon Kowalski
• Joe Turkelas Eldon Tyrell
• Joanna Cassidyas Zhora Salome
• James Hongas Hannibal Chew
• Morgan Paullas Dave Holden
• Hy Pykeas Taffey Lewis

Production

Development

Map of Ridleyville, exterior sets forBlade Runnerlocated on the New York Street of theWarner Bros. Studios lot(Burbank, California)

Interest in adaptingPhilip K. Dick's novelDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?developed shortly after its 1968 publication. DirectorMartin Scorsesewas interested in filming the novel, but neveroptionedit.ProducerHerb Jaffeoptioned it in the early 1970s, but Dick was unimpressed with the screenplay written by Herb's sonRobert,saying, "Jaffe's screenplay was so terribly done... Robert flew down to Santa Ana to speak with me about the project. And the first thing I said to him when he got off the plane was, 'Shall I beat you up here at the airport, or shall I beat you up back at my apartment?'"

The screenplay byHampton Fancherwas optioned in 1977.ProducerMichael Deeleybecame interested in Fancher's draft and convinced director Ridley Scott to film it. Scott had previously declined the project but, after leaving the slow production ofDune,wanted a faster-paced project to take his mind off his older brother's recent death.He joined the project on February 21, 1980, and managed to push up the promisedFilmwaysfinancing from US$13 million to $15 million. Fancher's script focused more on environmental issues and less on issues of humanity and religion, which are prominent in the novel, and Scott wanted changes. Fancher found a cinema treatment byWilliam S. BurroughsforAlan E. Nourse's novelThe Bladerunner(1974), titledBlade Runner (a movie).Scott liked the name, so Deeley obtained the rights to the titles.Eventually, he hiredDavid Peoplesto rewrite the script and Fancher left the job over the issue on December 21, 1980, although he later returned to contribute additional rewrites.

Having invested more than $2.5 million in pre-production,as the date of commencement of principal photography neared, Filmways withdrew financial backing. In ten days Deeley had secured $21.5 million in financing through a three-way deal betweenthe Ladd Company(through Warner Bros.), the Hong Kong-based producerSir Run Run ShawandTandem Productions.

Dick became concerned that no one had informed him about the film's production, which added to his distrust of Hollywood.After Dick criticized an early version of Fancher's script in an article written for the Los AngelesSelect TV Guide,the studio sent Dick the Peoples rewrite.Although Dick died shortly before the film's release, he was pleased with the rewritten script and with a 20-minute special effects test reel that was screened for him when he was invited to the studio. Despite his well-known skepticism of Hollywood in principle, Dick enthused to Scott that the world created for the film looked exactly as he had imagined it.He said, "I saw a segment ofDouglas Trumbull's special effects forBlade Runneron theKNBCnews. I recognized it immediately. It was my own interior world. They caught it perfectly. "He also approved of the film's script, saying:" After I finished reading the screenplay, I got the novel out and looked through it. The two reinforce each other so that someone who started with the novel would enjoy the movie and someone who started with the movie would enjoy the novel. "The motion picture was dedicated to Dick.Principal photography ofBlade Runnerbegan on March 9, 1981, and ended four months later.

In 1992, Ford revealed, "Blade Runneris not one of my favorite films. I tangled with Ridley. "Apart from friction with the director, Ford also disliked thevoiceovers:"When we started shooting it had been tacitly agreed that the version of the film that we had agreed upon was the version without voiceover narration. It was a f**king [sic] nightmare. I thought that the film had worked without the narration. But now I was stuck re-creating that narration. And I was obliged to do the voiceovers for people that did not represent the director's interests. ""I went kicking and screaming to the studio to record it."The narration monologs were written by an uncreditedRoland Kibbee.

In 2006, Scott was asked "Who's the biggest pain in the arse you've ever worked with?" He replied: "It's got to be Harrison... he'll forgive me because now I get on with him. Now he's become charming. But he knows a lot, that's the problem. When we worked together it was my first film up and I was the new kid on the block. But we made a good movie."Ford said of Scott in 2000: "I admire his work. We had a bad patch there, and I'm over it."In 2006 Ford reflected on the production of the film saying: "What I remember more than anything else when I seeBlade Runneris not the 50 nights of shooting in the rain, but the voiceover... I was still obliged to work for these clowns that came in writing one bad voiceover after another. "Ridley Scott confirmed in the summer 2007 issue ofTotal Filmthat Harrison Ford contributed to theBlade RunnerSpecial Edition DVD, and had already recorded his interviews. "Harrison's fully on board", said Scott.

TheBradbury Buildingin Los Angeles was used as one of the filming locations.

TheBradbury Buildingin downtown Los Angeles served as afilming location,and a Warner Bros.backlothoused the 2019 Los Angeles streetsets.Other locations included theEnnis-Brown Houseand the2nd Street Tunnel.Test screeningsresulted in several changes, including adding avoice-over,a happy ending, and the removal of a Holden hospital scene. The relationship between the filmmakers and the investors was difficult, which culminated in Deeley and Scott being fired but still working on the film.Crew members created T-shirts during filming saying, "Yes Guv'nor, My Ass" that mocked Scott's unfavorable comparison of U.S. and British crews; Scott responded with a T-shirt of his own, "Xenophobia Sucks", making the incident known as the T-shirt war.

Casting

See also:List of Blade Runner characters

Castingthe film proved troublesome, particularly for the lead role of Deckard. Screenwriter Hampton Fancher envisionedRobert Mitchumas Deckard and wrote the character's dialogue with Mitchum in mind.According to production documents, several actors were considered for the role, includingGene Hackman,Sean Connery,Jack Nicholson,Paul Newman,Clint Eastwood,Tommy Lee Jones,Arnold Schwarzenegger,Peter Falk,Nick Nolte,Al PacinoandBurt Reynolds.Director Ridley Scott and the film's producers spent months meeting and discussing the role withDustin Hoffman,who eventually departed over differences in vision.Harrison Ford was ultimately chosen for several reasons, including his performance in theStar Warsfilms, Ford's interest in theBlade Runnerstory, and discussions withSteven Spielberg,who was finishingRaiders of the Lost Arkat the time and strongly praised Ford's work in the film.Following his success in those two films, Ford was looking for a role with dramatic depth.

Rutger Hauerwas cast as Roy Batty,the violent yet thoughtful leader of the replicants.Scott cast Hauer without having met him, based on his performances inPaul Verhoeven's movies that Scott had seen (Katie Tippel,Soldier of Orange,andTurkish Delight).Hauer's portrayal of Batty was regarded by Philip K. Dick as "the perfect Batty – cold,Aryan,flawless ".Of the many films Hauer made,Blade Runnerwas his favorite. In a live chat in 2001, he said "Blade Runnerneeds no explanation. It just[is].All of the best. There is nothing like it. To be part of a realmasterpiecewhich changed the world's thinking. It's awesome. "Hauer rewrote his character's "tears in rain"speech himself and presented the words to Scott on set prior to filming.

Blade Runnerused a number of then-lesser-known actors:Sean Youngportrays Rachael, an experimental replicant implanted with the memories of Tyrell's niece, causing her to believe she is human;Nina Axelrodauditioned for the role.Fancher originally wrote the role for his then girlfriendBarbara Hershey.Daryl Hannahportrays Pris, a "basic pleasure model" replicant;Stacey Nelkinauditioned for the role, but was given another part in the film, which was ultimately cut before filming.Debbie Harryturned down the role of Pris.Casting Pris and Rachael was challenging, requiring several screen tests withMorgan Paullplaying the role of Deckard. Paull was cast as Deckard's fellow bounty hunter Holden based on his performances in the tests.Brion Jamesportrays Leon Kowalski, a combat and laborer replicant, andJoanna Cassidyportrays Zhora, an assassin replicant.

Edward James Olmosportrays Gaff. Olmos drew on diverse ethnic sources to help create the fictional "Cityspeak"language his character uses in the film.His initial address to Deckard at the noodle bar is partly in Hungarian and means, "Horse dick [bullshit]! No way. You are the Blade... Blade Runner."M. Emmet Walshportrays Captain Bryant, a rumpled, hard-drinking and underhanded police veteran typical of thefilm noirgenre.Joe Turkelportrays Dr. Eldon Tyrell, a corporate mogul who built an empire on genetically manipulated humanoid slaves.William Sandersonwas cast as J. F. Sebastian, a quiet and lonely genius who provides a compassionate yet compliant portrait of humanity. J. F. sympathizes with the replicants, whom he sees as companions,and he shares their shorter lifespan due to his rapid aging disease.Joe Pantolianohad earlier been considered for the role.James Hongportrays Hannibal Chew, an elderly geneticist specializing in synthetic eyes, andHy Pykeportrayed the sleazy bar owner Taffey Lewis – in a single take, something almost unheard-of with Scott, whose drive for perfection resulted at times in double-digit takes.

Design

Scott creditsEdward Hopper's paintingNighthawksand the French science fiction comics magazineMétal Hurlant,to which the artistJean "Moebius" Giraudcontributed, as stylistic mood sources.He also drew on the landscape of "Hong Kongon a very bad day "and the industrial landscape of his one-time home in northeast England.The visual style of the movie is influenced by the work of futurist Italian architectAntonio Sant'Elia.Scott hiredSyd Meadas hisconcept artist;like Scott, he was influenced byMétal Hurlant.Moebius was offered the opportunity to assist in the pre-production ofBlade Runner,but he declined so that he could work onRené Laloux's animated filmLes Maîtres du temps– a decision that he later regretted.Production designerLawrence G. Paulland art directorDavid Snyderrealized Scott's and Mead's sketches.Douglas TrumbullandRichard Yuricichsupervised the special effects for the film, andMark Stetsonserved as chief model maker.

Blade Runnerhas numerous similarities toFritz Lang'sMetropolis,including a built-up urban environment, in which the wealthy literally live above the workers, dominated by a huge building – the Stadtkrone Tower inMetropolisand the Tyrell Building inBlade Runner.Special effects supervisor David Dryer used stills fromMetropoliswhen lining upBlade Runner's miniature building shots.

The extended end scene in the original theatrical release shows Rachael and Deckard traveling into daylight with pastoral aerial shots filmed by directorStanley Kubrick.Ridley Scott contacted Kubrick about using some of his surplus helicopter aerial photography fromThe Shining.

Spinner

Main article:Spinner(Blade Runner)

A "spinner" (police variant) on display atDisney-MGM Studiosin the 1990s

"Spinner" is the generic term for the fictional flying cars used in the film. A spinner can be driven as a ground-based vehicle, and take off vertically, hover, and cruise much likevertical take-off and landing (VTOL)aircraft. They are used extensively by the police aspatrol cars,and wealthy people can also acquire spinner licenses.The vehicle was conceived and designed by Syd Mead who described the spinner as anaerodyne– a vehicle which directs air downward to createlift,though press kits for the film stated that the spinner was propelled by three engines: "conventionalinternal combustion,jet,andanti-gravity".A spinner is on permanent exhibit at theScience Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Famein Seattle, Washington.Mead's conceptual drawings were transformed into 25 vehicles by automobile customizerGene Winfield;at least two were working ground vehicles, while others were light-weight mockups for crane shots and set decoration for street shots.Two of them ended up atDisney Worldin Orlando, Florida, but were later destroyed, and a few others remain in private collections.

Voight-Kampff machine

A very advanced form of lie detector that measures contractions of the iris muscle and the presence of invisible airborne particles emitted from the body. The bellows were designed for the latter function and give the machine the menacing air of a sinister insect. The VK is used primarily by Blade Runners to determine if a suspect is truly human by measuring the degree of his empathic response through carefully worded questions and statements.

– Description from the original press kit.

The Voight-Kampff machine is a fictional interrogation tool, originating from the novel (where it is spelled "Voigt-Kampff" ). The Voight-Kampff is apolygraph-like machine used by blade runners to determine whether an individual is a replicant. It measures bodily functions such as respiration, blush response, heart rate and eye movement in response to questions dealing withempathy.In real life an approximation of the test using questions was created and used in jest by a newspaper in 2003 on the Mayoral candidates for the city ofSan Francisco,United States, apparently proving that at least half of them would be classified as replicants.

Music

Main article:Blade Runner(soundtrack)

TheBlade Runnersoundtrack byVangelisis a dark melodic combination of classic composition and futuristic synthesizers which mirrors the film noir retro-future envisioned by Scott.Vangelis, fresh from hisAcademy Award-winning score forChariots of Fire,composed and performed the music on his synthesizers.He also made use of various chimes and the vocals of collaboratorDemis Roussos.Another memorable sound is the tenor sax solo "Love Theme" by British saxophonistDick Morrissey,who performed on many of Vangelis's albums. Ridley Scott also used "Memories of Green" from the Vangelis albumSee You Later,an orchestral version of which Scott would later use in his filmSomeone to Watch Over Me.

Along with Vangelis's compositions and ambient textures, the film's soundscape also features a track by the Japanese ensemble Nipponia – "Ogi no Mato" or "The Folding Fan as a Target" from the Nonesuch Records releaseTraditional Vocal and Instrumental Music– and a track by harpist Gail Laughton from "Harps of the Ancient Temples" on Laurel Records.

Despite being well received by fans and critically acclaimed and nominated in 1982 fora BAFTAanda Golden Globeas best original score, and the promise of a soundtrack album fromPolydor Recordsin the end titles of the film, the release of the official soundtrack recording was delayed for over a decade. There are two official releases of the music fromBlade Runner.In light of the lack of a release of an album, theNew American Orchestrarecorded an orchestral adaptation in 1982 which bore little resemblance to the original. Some of the film tracks would, in 1989, surface on the compilationVangelis: Themes,but not until the 1992 release of theDirector's Cutversion would a substantial amount of the film's score see commercial release.

These delays and poor reproductions led to the production of manybootleg recordingsover the years. A bootleg tape surfaced in 1982 at science fiction conventions and became popular given the delay of an official release of the original recordings, and in 1993 "Off World Music, Ltd" created a bootleg CD that would prove more comprehensive than Vangelis' official CD in 1994.A set with three CDs ofBlade Runner-related Vangelis music was released in 2007. TitledBlade Runner Trilogy,the first disc contains the same tracks as the 1994 official soundtrack release, the second features previously unreleased music from the film, and the third disc is all newly composed music from Vangelis, inspired by, and in the spirit of the film.

Special effects

The film's special effects are generally recognized to be among the best in the genre,using the available (non-digital) technology to the fullest. Special effects engineers who worked on the film are often praised for the innovative technology they used to produce and design certain aspects of those visuals.In addition tomatte paintingsand models, the techniques employed included multipass exposures. In some scenes, the set was lit, shot, the film rewound, and then rerecorded over with different lighting. In some cases this was done 16 times in all. The cameras were frequentlymotion controlled using computers.Many effects used techniques which had been developed during the production ofClose Encounters of the Third Kind.

Release

Theatrical run

Blade Runnerwas released in 1,290 theaters on June 25, 1982. That date was chosen by producerAlan Ladd Jr.because his previous highest-grossing films (Star WarsandAlien) had a similar opening date (May 25) in 1977 and 1979, making the 25th of the month his "lucky day".Blade Runnergrossed reasonably good ticket sales in its opening weekend; earning $6.1 million during its first weekend in theaters.The film was released close to other major science-fiction and fantasy releases such asThe Thing,Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,Conan the BarbarianandE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,which affected its commercial success.

Versions

Main article:Versions of Blade Runner

Several versions ofBlade Runnerhave been shown. The original workprint version (1982, 113 minutes) was shown for audience test previews in Denver and Dallas in March 1982. Negative responses to the previews led to the modifications resulting in the U.S. theatrical version.The workprint was shown as a director's cut without Scott's approval at the Los Angeles Fairfax Theater in May 1990, at an AMPAS showing in April 1991, and in September and October 1991 at the Los Angeles NuArt Theater and the San Francisco Castro Theatre.Positive responses pushed the studio to approve work on an official director's cut.A San Diego Sneak Preview was shown only once, in May 1982, and was almost identical to the U.S. theatrical version but contained three extra scenes not shown in any other version, including the 2007 Final Cut.

Two versions were shown in the film's 1982 theatrical release: the U.S. theatrical version (117 minutes),known as the original version orDomestic Cut(released onBetamax,CED VideodiscandVHSin 1983, and onLaserDiscin 1987), and theInternational Cut(117 minutes), also known as the "Criterion Edition" or "uncut version", which included more violent action scenes than the U.S. version. Although initially unavailable in the U.S. and distributed in Europe and Asia via theatrical and local Warner Home Video releases, theInternational Cutwas later released on VHS andThe Criterion CollectionLaserdisc in North America, and re-released in 1992 as a "10th Anniversary Edition".

Ridley Scott'sDirector's Cut(1992, 116 minutes)had significant changes from the theatrical version including the removal of Deckard's voice-over, the re-insertion of a sequence in which Deckard dreams of a unicorn, and the removal of the studio-imposed happy ending. Scott provided extensive notes and consultation to Warner Bros. through film preservationist Michael Arick, who was put in charge of creating theDirector's Cut.

It is often falsely claimed that the unicorn sequence was anouttakefrom Ridley Scott's follow-up filmLegendwhich also features unicorns, but it was in fact shot for Blade Runner as "additional photography" by second unit cinematographerBrian Tufano.

Scott's definitiveThe Final Cut(2007, 117 minutes)was released by Warner Bros. theatrically on October 5, 2007, and subsequently released on DVD,HD DVD,andBlu-ray Discin December 2007.This is the only version over which Scott had complete artistic and editorial control.

Reception

Critical response

OnRotten Tomatoes,the film holds an 89% approval rating based on 132 reviews, with an average rating of 8.50/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Misunderstood when it first hit theaters, the influence of Ridley Scott's mysterious, neo-noirBlade Runnerhas deepened with time. A visually remarkable, achingly human sci-fi masterpiece. "Metacritic,which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Initial reactions among film critics were mixed. Some wrote that the plot took a back seat to the film's special effects and did not fit the studio's marketing as an action and adventure film. Others acclaimed its complexity and predicted it would stand the test of time.Negative criticism in the United States cited its slow pace.Sheila Bensonfrom theLos Angeles Timescalled it "Blade Crawler", and Pat Berman inThe StateandColumbia Recorddescribed it as "science fiction pornography".Pauline KaelpraisedBlade Runneras worthy of a place in film history for its distinctive sci-fi vision, yet criticized the film's lack of development in "human terms".Aresmagazine said, "Misunderstood by audiences and critics alike, it is by far the bestscience fictionfilm of the year. "

Cultural analysis

Academics began analyzing the film almost as soon as it was released. One of the first books on the film was Paul M. Sammon'sFuture Noir: The Making of Blade Runner(1996),which dissects all the details concerning the film making. He was followed byScott Bukatman'sBlade Runnerand other books and academic articles.InPostmodern Metanarratives: Blade Runner and Literature in the Age of Image,Décio Torres Cruz analyzes the philosophical and psychological issues and the literary influences inBlade Runner.He examines the film's cyberpunk anddystopicelements by establishing a link between the Biblical, classical and modern traditions and the postmodern aspects in the film's collage of several literary texts.

The boom in home video formats helped establish a growing cult around the film,which scholars have dissected for its dystopic aspects, questions regarding "authentic" humanity,ecofeministaspectsand use of conventions from multiple genres.Popular culture began to reassess its impact as a classic several years after it was released.Roger Ebertpraised the visuals of both the original and theDirector's Cutand recommended it for that reason; however, he found the human story clichéd and a little thin.He later addedThe Final Cutto his "Great Movies" list.Critic Chris Rodley andJanet Maslintheorized thatBlade Runnerchanged cinematic and cultural discourse through its image repertoire and subsequent influence on films.In 2012,Timefilm criticRichard Corlisssurgically analyzed the durability, complexity, screenplay, sets and production dynamics from a personal, three-decade perspective.Denis Villeneuve,who directed the sequel,Blade Runner 2049,cites the film as a huge influence for him and many others.

It has also been noted for its postmodernist approach and that it contributes to the historical development of modern dystopia in film.Furthermore, the futuristic version of Los Angeles has been widely discussed by academics with some comparing it to Milton's descriptions of hell inParadise Lost.A 2019 retrospective in theBBCargued that elements of the film's socio-political themes remained prescient in the real year of the film's setting, such as its depiction ofclimate change.From a more philosophical perspective, Alison Landsberg described Scott's direction of the film as a "prosthetic memory" —an action that has never happened and appears to be divorced from lived experience, yet it defines personhood and identity within the wider Blade Runner universe.

Awards and nominations

Blade Runnerwon or received nominations for the following awards:

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
1982	British Society of Cinematographers	Best Cinematography	Jordan Cronenweth	Nominated
	Los Angeles Film Critics Association	Best Cinematography		Won
1983	British Academy Film Awards	Best Cinematography		Won
		Best Costume Design	Charles Knode andMichael Kaplan	Won
		Best Editing	Terry Rawlings	Nominated
		Best Film Music	Vangelis	Nominated
		Best Makeup and Hair	Marvin Westmore	Nominated
		Best Production Design	Lawrence G. Paull	Won
		Best Sound	Peter Pennell, Bud Alper, Graham V. Hartstone, and Gerry Humphreys	Nominated
		Best Special Visual Effects	Douglas Trumbull,Richard Yuricich,and David Dryer	Nominated
	Hugo Award	Best Dramatic Presentation		Won
	London Film Critics' Circle	Special Achievement Award	Lawrence G. Paull, Douglas Trumbull, and Syd Mead	Won
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Original Score	Vangelis	Nominated
	Academy Awards	Best Art Direction	Lawrence G. Paull,David Snyder,andLinda DeScenna	Nominated
		Best Visual Effects	Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich, andDavid Dryer	Nominated
	Saturn Award	Best Director	Ridley Scott	Nominated
		Best Science Fiction Film		Nominated
		Best Special Effects	Douglas Trumbull and Richard Yuricich	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor	Rutger Hauer	Nominated
	Fantasporto	International Fantasy Film Award	Ridley Scott	Nominated
1993	Fantasporto	International Fantasy Film Award	Best Film – Ridley Scott (Director's Cut)	Nominated
1994	Saturn Award	Best Genre Video Release	Blade Runner(Director's Cut)	Nominated
2008		Best DVD Special Edition Release	Blade Runner(5-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition)	Won

Themes

Main article:Themes in Blade Runner

The film operates on multiple dramatic and narrative levels. It employs some of the conventions offilm noir,among them the character of afemme fatale;narration by the protagonist (in the original release);chiaroscurocinematography; and giving the hero a questionable moral outlook – extending to include reflections upon the nature of his own humanity.It is a literate science fiction film, thematically enfolding the philosophy of religion and moral implications of human mastery ofgenetic engineeringin the context ofclassical Greek dramaandhubris.It also draws on Biblical images, such asNoah's flood,and literary sources, such asFrankensteinandWilliam Blake.Although Scott said any similarity was merely coincidental,fans claimed that the chess game between Sebastian and Tyrell was based on the famousImmortal Gameof 1851.

Blade Runnerdelves into the effects of technology on the environment and society by reaching to the past, using literature,religious symbolism,classical dramatic themes, andfilm noirtechniques. This tension between past, present, and future is represented in the "retrofitted" future depicted in the film, one which is high-tech and gleaming in places but decayed and outdated elsewhere. In an interview withThe Observerin 2002, director Ridley Scott described the film as "extremely dark, both literally and metaphorically, with an oddly masochistic feel". He also said that he "liked the idea of exploring pain" in the wake of his brother's death: "When he was ill, I used to go and visit him in London, and that was really traumatic for me."

A sense of foreboding and paranoia pervades the world of the film: corporate power looms large; the police seem omnipresent; vehicle and warning lights probe into buildings; and the consequences of huge biomedical power over the individual are explored – especially regarding replicants' implanted memories. The film depicts a world postecocide,where warfare and capitalism have led to destruction of 'normal' ecological systems.Control over the environment is exercised on a vast scale, and goes hand in hand with the absence of any natural life; for example, artificial animals stand in for their extinct predecessors.This oppressive backdrop explains the frequently referenced migration of humans to "off-world" (extraterrestrial) colonies. Eyes are a recurring motif, as are manipulated images, calling into question the nature of reality and our ability to accurately perceive and remember it.The film also consists of themes of Japan as a power, coming amid a time ofanti-Japanese sentiment in the United States.

These thematic elements provide an atmosphere of uncertainty forBlade Runner's central theme of examining humanity. In order to discover replicants, an empathy test is used, with a number of its questions focused on the treatment of animals – seemingly an essential indicator of one's "humanity". Replicants will not respond the same way humans would, showing a lack of concern. The film goes so far as to question if Deckard might be a replicant, in the process asking the audience to re-evaluate what it means to be human.

The question of whether Deckard is intended to be a human or a replicant has been an ongoing controversy since the film's release.Both Michael Deeley and Harrison Ford wanted Deckard to be human, while Hampton Fancher preferred ambiguity.Ridley Scott has stated that he envisaged Deckard as a replicant.Deckard's unicorn-dream sequence, inserted into Scott'sDirector's Cutand concomitant with Gaff's parting gift of an origami unicorn, is seen by many as showing that Deckard is a replicant – because Gaff could have retrieved Deckard's implanted memories.The interpretation that Deckard is a replicant is challenged by others who believe the unicorn imagery shows that the characters, whether human or replicant, share the same dreams and recognize their affinity,or that the absence of a decisive answer is crucial to the film's main theme.The film's inherent ambiguity and uncertainty, as well as its textual richness, have permitted multiple interpretations.

Legacy

Cultural impact

See also:Tears in rain monologue

A police spinner flying beside enormous skyscrapers, some with electronic billboards on them. Special effects such as these were benchmarks and have been highly influential on the esthetics of subsequent sci-fi films.

Tesla's Cybertruck was heavily inspired byBlade Runner.

While not initially a success with North American audiences,Blade Runnerwas popular internationally and garnered acult following.The film's dark style and futuristic designs have served as a benchmark and its influence can be seen in many subsequent science fiction films,video games,anime,and television programs.Its influence has also extended beyond the science fiction genre, especially in the creation of cinematic worlds. For example,Denis Villeneuve,Christopher Nolan,Guillermo del Toro,Gareth Edwards,Rian Johnson,Ronald D. MooreandDavid Eickhave all cited it as an influence.Nolan notes that he has seenBlade Runner"literally hundreds of times",while del Toro describes it as "one of those cinematic drugs, that when I first saw it, I never saw the world the same way again."

The film was selected for preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registryin 1993 and is frequently taught in university courses.In 2007, it was named the second-most visually influential film of all time by theVisual Effects Society.The film has also been the subject of parody, such as the comicsBlade BummerbyCrazycomics,Bad RubberbySteve Gallacci,and theRed Dwarf2009 three-part miniseries "Back to Earth".The anime seriesPsycho-PassbyProduction I.Gwas also highly influenced by the film.

Blade Runnercontinues to reflect modern trends and concerns, and an increasing number of critics consider it one of the greatest science fiction films of all time.It was voted the best science fiction film ever made in a 2004 poll of 60 eminent world scientists.Blade Runneris also cited as an important influence to both the style and story of theGhost in the Shellfranchise, which itself has been highly influential to the future-noir genre.Blade Runnerhas been very influential to thecyberpunkmovement.It also influenced thecyberpunk derivativebiopunk,which revolves aroundbiotechnologyandgenetic engineering.The film is also considered to be one of the early examples of thetech noirsubgenre.

The dialogue and music inBlade Runnerhas beensampledin music more than any other film of the 20th century.The 2009 albumI, Humanby Singaporean bandDeus Ex Machinamakes numerous references to the genetic engineering and cloning themes from the film, and even features a track titled "Replicant".

Blade Runneris cited as a major influence onWarren Spector,designer of the video gameDeus Ex,which displays evidence of the film's influence in both its visual rendering and plot. Indeed, the film's look – and in particular its overall darkness, preponderance of neon lights and opaque visuals – are easier torenderthan complicated backdrops, making it a popular reference point for video game designers.It has influencedadventure gamessuch as the 2012 graphicaltext adventureCypher,Rise of the Dragon,Snatcher,theTex Murphyseries,Beneath a Steel Sky,Flashback: The Quest for Identity,Bubblegum Crisisvideo games(and theiroriginal anime),therole-playing gameShadowrun,thefirst-person shooterPerfect Dark,theshooter gameSkyhammer,and theSyndicateseries of video games.

The logos ofAtari,Bell,Coca-Cola,Cuisinart,Pan Am,andRCA,all market leaders at the time, were prominently displayed asproduct placementin the film, and all experienced setbacks after the film's release,leading to suggestions of aBlade Runnercurse.Coca-ColaandCuisinartrecovered, andTsingtao beerwas also featured in the film and was more successful after the film than before.

The design ofTesla'sCybertruckwas inspired by the film.Prior to its releaseElon Muskpromised that it would "look like something out of Blade Runner".Besides referring to the truck as the "Blade Runner Truck", Musk chose to debut the truck in order to coincide with the film's setting of November 2019.The film's art designerSyd Meadpraised the truck and said he was "flattered" by the homage toBlade Runner.

Media recognition

Year	Presenter	Title	Rank	Refs
2001	The Village Voice	100 Best Films of the 20th Century	94
2002	Online Film Critics Society(OFCS)	Top 100 Sci-fi Films of the Past 100 Years	2
	Sight & Sound	Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll 2002	45
	50 Klassiker, Film		—
2003	1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
	Entertainment Weekly	The Top 50 Cult Movies	9
2004	The Guardian,scientists	Top 10 Sci-fi Films of All Time	1
2005	Total Film's editors	100 Greatest Movies of All Time	47
	Timemagazine's critics	"All-Time 100" Movies	—
2008	New Scientist	All-time favorite science fiction film (readers and staff)	1
	Empire	The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time	20
2010	Total Film	100 Greatest Movies of All Time	—
2012	Sight & Sound	Sight & Sound 2012 critics top 250 films	69
	Sight & Sound	Sight & Sound 2012 directors top 100 films	67
2017	Empire	The 100 Greatest Movies Of All Time	13
2022	IGN	Top 25 Sci-Fi Movies of All Time	2
2022	Sight & Sound	Sight & Sound 2022 critics top 100 films	54

American Film Institute recognition

• AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills– No. 74
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)– No. 97
• AFI's 10 Top 10– No. 6 Science Fiction Film

In other media

Before filming began,Cinefantastiquemagazine commissioned Paul M. Sammon to write a special issue aboutBlade Runner's production which became the bookFuture Noir: The Making of Blade Runner.The book chroniclesBlade Runner's evolution, focusing on film-set politics, especially the British director's experiences with his first American film crew; of which producerAlan Ladd, Jr.has said, "Harrison wouldn't speak to Ridley and Ridley wouldn't speak to Harrison. By the end of the shoot Ford was 'ready to kill Ridley', said one colleague. He really would have taken him on if he hadn't been talked out of it."Future Noirhas short cast biographies and quotations about their experiences as well as photographs of the film's production and preliminary sketches. A second edition ofFuture Noirwas published in 2007, and additional materials not in either print edition have been published online.

Philip K. Dickrefused a $400,000 offer to write aBlade Runnernovelization,saying: "⁠[I was] told the cheapo novelization would have to appeal to the twelve-year-old audience" and it "would have probably been disastrous to me artistically". He added, "That insistence on my part of bringing out the original novel and not doing the novelization – they were just furious. They finally recognized that there was a legitimate reason for reissuing the novel, even though it cost them money. It was a victory not just of contractual obligations but of theoretical principles."Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?was eventually reprinted as atie-in,with the film poster as a cover and the original title in parentheses below theBlade Runnertitle.Additionally, a novelization of the movie entitledBlade Runner: A Story of the FuturebyLes Martinwas released in 1982.Archie Goodwinscripted the comic book adaptation,A Marvel Comics Super Special: Blade Runner,published in September 1982, which was illustrated by Al Williamson, Carlos Garzon, Dan Green, and Ralph Reese, and lettered by Ed King.

Blue Dolphin Enterprisespublished the film's screenplay combined with selected production storyboards asThe Illustrated Blade Runner(June 1982);a book of original production artwork by Syd Mead, Mentor Huebner, Charles Knode, Michael Kaplan, and Ridley Scott asBlade Runner Sketchbook(1982);andThe Blade Runner Portfolio(1982), a collection of twelve photographic prints, similar to the artist portfolios released by theirSchanes & Schanesimprint.

There are twovideo gamesbased on the film, both titledBlade Runner:one from 1985,aside-scrolling video gameforCommodore 64,ZX Spectrum,andAmstrad CPCby CRL Group PLC, which is marked as "a video game interpretation of the film score by Vangelis" rather than of the film itself (due to licensing issues); andanother from 1997,a point-and-click adventure for PC byWestwood Studios.The 1997 game has a non-linear plot based in theBlade Runnerworld,non-player charactersthat each ran in their own independentAI,and an unusual pseudo-3D engine (which eschewed polygonal solids in favor ofvoxelelements) that did not require the use of a 3D accelerator card to play the game.Eldon Tyrell, Gaff, Leon, Rachael, Chew, J. F. Sebastian and Howie Lee appear, and their voice files are recorded by the original actors, with the exception of Gaff, who is replaced by Javier Grajeda (asVictor Gardell) and Howie Lee, who is replaced by Toru Nagai.The player assumes the role of McCoy, another replicant-hunter working at the same time as Deckard.

The television film (and later series)Total Recall 2070was initially planned as aspin-offof the filmTotal Recall(based on Philip K. Dick's short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale"), but was produced as a hybrid ofTotal RecallandBlade Runner.Many similarities betweenTotal Recall 2070andBlade Runnerwere noted, as well as apparent influences on the show fromIsaac Asimov'sThe Caves of Steeland the TV seriesHolmes & Yoyo.

Documentaries

The film has been the subject of several documentaries.

Blade Runner: Convention Reel(1982, 13 minutes)

Co-directed by Muffet Kaufman and Jeffrey B. Walker, shot and screened in 16 mm, featured no narrator, was filmed in 1981 whileBlade Runnerwas still in production and featured short "behind-the-scenes" segments showing sets being built and sequences being shot, as well as interviews withRidley Scott,Syd MeadandDouglas Trumbull.Appears on theBlade RunnerUltimate Collector's Edition.

On the Edge ofBlade Runner (2000, 55 minutes)

Directed by Andrew Abbott and hosted/written byMark Kermode.Interviews with production staff, including Scott, give details of the creative process and the turmoil during pre-production. Insights into Philip K. Dick and the origins ofDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?are provided by Paul M. Sammon and Hampton Fancher.

Future Shocks(2003, 27 minutes)

Directed byTVOntario.It includes interviews with executive producerBud Yorkin,Syd Mead,and the cast, and commentary by science fiction authorRobert J. Sawyerand from film critics.

Dangerous Days: MakingBlade Runner (2007, 213 minutes)

Directed and produced byCharles de LauzirikaforThe Final Cutversion of the film. Its source material comprises more than 80 interviews, including extensive conversations with Ford, Young, and Scott.The documentary is presented in eight chapters, with each of the first seven covering a portion of the filmmaking process. The final chapter examinesBlade Runner's controversial legacy.

All Our Variant Futures: From Workprint to Final Cut(2007, 29 minutes)

Produced by Paul Prischman, appears on theBlade RunnerUltimate Collector's Edition and provides an overview of the film's multiple versions and their origins, as well as detailing the seven-year-long restoration, enhancement and remastering process behindThe Final Cut.

Blade Runner Phenomenon(2021, 53 minutes)

Directed by Boris Hars-Tschachotin and made by the France and Germany European public service channel ARTE, this documentary informs viewers using behind-the-scenes material from various sets, photos, original locations in Los Angeles, and interviews with those involved in the production.

Sequel and related media

Main article:Blade Runner (franchise)

Screen capture of DVD bonus feature fromPrometheus(2012), a dictated letter by Peter Weyland about Eldon Tyrell, chief executive officer of the Tyrell Corporation

A sequel was released in 2017, titledBlade Runner 2049,withRyan Goslingalongside Ford in the starring roles.It entered production in mid-2016 and is set decades after the first film.Harrison Ford reprised his role asRick Deckard.The film won two Academy Awards, for cinematography and visual effects.

The world ofBlade Runnerhas also come to be explored inanimation.Blade Runner 2049was preceded by the release of threeshort filmsthat served as prequels, where the chronological first,Blade Runner Black Out 2022,wasanime(the other two,2036: Nexus Dawnand2048: Nowhere to Run,were live action, not animated).

In November 2021, a Japanese-American anime television series calledBlade Runner: Black Lotuswas released. The series tells the story of a female replicant protagonist, rather than that of a male Blade Runner one.

Dick's friendK. W. Jeterwrote three authorizedBlade Runnernovels that continue Rick Deckard's story, attempting to resolve the differences between the film andDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?These areBlade Runner 2: The Edge of Human(1995),Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night(1996), andBlade Runner 4: Eye and Talon(2000).

Blade Runnerco-writerDavid Peopleswrote the 1998 action filmSoldier,which he referred to as a "sidequel"orspiritual successorto the original film; the two are set in ashared universe.A bonus feature on the Blu-ray forPrometheus,the 2012 film by Scott set in theAlienuniverse, states that Eldon Tyrell, CEO of theBlade RunnerTyrell Corporation, was the mentor ofGuy Pearce's character Peter Weyland.

In late 2022, Amazon announced aBlade Runner 2049sequel series would be produced.On October 12, 2022, an apparent official approval to actually make aBlade Runner 2099TV series was reported.

See also

• Arcology
• Biorobotics
• List of adaptations of works by Philip K. Dick
• List of cult films
• List of dystopian films
• List of fictional robots and androids
• Synthetic biology

Bibliography

• Brooker, Will, ed. (2005).TheBlade RunnerExperience.London: Wallflower.ISBN978-1-904764-30-4.
• Bukatman, Scott (1997).BFI Modern Classics:Blade Runner.London: British Film Institute.ISBN978-0-85170-623-8.
• Doll, Susan, and Greg Faller. 1986. "Blade Runner and Genre: Film Noir and Science Fiction."Literature Film Quarterly14 (2): 89–100.
• Eagan, Daniel (2010)America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry,A&C Black,ISBN0826429777,pages 775–776
• Kerman, Judith, ed. (1991).RetrofittingBlade Runner:Issues in Ridley Scott'sBlade Runnerand Philip K. Dick'sDo Android's Dream of Electric Sheep?.Bowling Green University Popular Press.ISBN978-0-87972-510-5.
• Macarthur, David (2017)."A Vision of Blindness:Bladerunnerand Moral Redemption ".Film-Philosophy.21(3):371–391.doi:10.3366/film.2017.0056.
• Morgan, David.Blade RunneratNational Film Registry
• Sammon, Paul M. (1996).Future Noir: the Making ofBlade Runner.London: Orion Media.ISBN978-0-06-105314-6.

External links

• Official website
• Blade RunneratIMDb
• Blade RunneratMetacritic
• Blade RunneratBox Office Mojo
• Blade RunneratRotten Tomatoes
• Blade Runnerat theTCM Movie Database
• Blade Runnerat theAFI Catalog of Feature Films