I just watched Blade Runner for the first time after checking out Blade Runner: The Final Cut from the local public library.  Aside from some unfortunate skipping issues on the DVD, the film holds up well even on first viewing.

Based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, the Ridley Scott-directed film was first released in 1982 and it’s yet another role that actor Harrison Ford will revisit when he reprises his role as Blade Runner Rick Deckard in October’s Blade Runner 2049.  With a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, Ford leads a cast that includes Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos.

Offering a futuristic noir feel certainly makes for an interesting take.  It’s a nice change from the classic noir thrillers with the typical voice for detectives.  One thing that’s interesting to pay attention to in watching so many classic films over the years is the change in how actors speak on camera.  Do I feel that the writing could be better?  Most certainly.  While the action-adventure thriller has become a classic over time, the story could have been improved upon but not that much.

Visually speaking, this is a film that has so much to offer–which should not come as a surprise given that the Visual Effects Society named it the second most visually influential film of all time in 2007, second only to Star Wars.  Not just the cinematography of a dystopian Los Angeles but also the visual effects in general.  If this is what 2019 Los Angeles looks like, I can’t wait to see how filmmakers will depict 2049.  With its futuristic styles, it’s influenced many filmmakers and even helped to kickstart the cyberpunk movement.

We’re only two years away from when the film takes place in 2019 and once more, technological advancements have let us down.  We’ve already reached the future in Back to the Future and still have yet to see flying cars.  What gives, Hollywood?  But I digress, Blade Runner is a film that has stood the test of time even if it was misunderstood upon its initial release in the 1980s.  I have no excuse for waiting this long to watch the film for the first time especially since a theatrical release of the final cut came out in late 2007.  With the sequel due for release, my watching the film was bound to happen and I’m glad to rectify the situation as the film is one of the best science fiction films to have ever been made.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049 will open in theaters on October 6, 2017.