25 years ago today, Blade Runner opened to mostly-empty theaters. I saw it the week it came out, mostly because I'd seen Ridley Scott's Alien, and because Cameron told me there was a naked girl in it. I didn't get the film then, but it left a lasting impression... and no, not just because of the scene Cameron told me to keep an eye out for.
I just watched it again (for the, ohhhh, bajillionth time) and the film’s nuance is so clear to me now that I can’t believe it ever eluded me to begin with. More than Cronenewth’s breathtaking photography or
- The idea that the “bad guys” in the film aren’t bent on world domination, or the attainment of riches. Their “crime” was that they are desperate…and would do anything…to live. The fugitives being sought by Harrison Ford’s character were born with a limited life span. But in their four years of existence, they’d lived more meaningful lives & enjoyed far richer experiences than some people manage over decades…and they didn’t want to let go. To some extent, Blade Runner is a film about killing – but in being so, it is ultimately a potent exaltation of life.
- The idea that our “hero” (perhaps “protagonist” is a better word in this instance) was trying to kill people who just wanted to live – people whose death warrant was written only by virtue of their being born. Sure they did wrong things, but they did wrong things for reasons most of us could understand. The desire to survive, after all, is a strong motivator. For the unenlightened in Blade Runner, creatures with beauty, talent, a sense of place, and searching for belonging deserved to be shot in the back on a rainy street like an unwanted animal.
- It's about the simple, gut-wrenching truth that the beauty we see around us and the moments we cherish will never be understood by others... and that they may simply vanish completely when our bodies stop working. It's realizing that they were right, you are special, but that thing they told you about it mattering? That was a lie.
Is that a downer? Can a 16-year old kid in the back of the Cinedome really get that message on a Saturday afternoon? I don't know for sure, but at 40 years old I can tell you this:
Blade Runner might best be seen as a call for self-empowerment, self-awareness, and self-appreciation. We can share many, many elements of our lives with others, but, in the end, each of us experiences uniquely, appreciates uniquely, and sees through unique eyes.
Blade Runner says that what we carry with us…and who we are inside…is more valuable than any of the trappings by which we define ourselves on a daily basis. Like nearly every character in the film, perhaps the greatest challenge most of us will ever face is a deceptively simple one: make every moment count.
1 comment:
Dammit! I can't believe you beat me to this!
Great post! However, one point you forgot to mention is the question of "personhood." You keep referring to the replicants as people, but the Blade Runner's argument is that they are *not* people, they are machines that look like people. Therefore, a Blade Runner feels justified that he is not "killing" but "retiring" a replicant.
I believe this is one of the great questions raised by science fiction: When does a created being cross over to being a person? It could be argued that it is not human, but when does it become that vaguely defined entity called an "intelligent life form" worthy of being granted "human" rights. As long as it is less than human it can be abused, manipulated, and exploited.
I have gotten into the most serious debates with certain people over whether characters such as the android Data or the hologram "Doctor" from Star Trek can be considered "people."
Wow-- looks like now I've got something to post about... ;-)
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