Adrian Ruhi

I first saw Blade Runner (the director’s cut) when I was in high school, when DVDs were in their infancy and I was just starting to get into film. Being a fan of sci-fi, I had high hopes.

I hated it.

Now, almost ten years later, I gave it another shot. This time, the final cut (the movie exists in at least seven versions).

Guess what?

I didn’t hate it.

It wasn’t my favorite film. Wasn’t my favorite sci-fi film. Not even my favorite Ridley Scott film. But there’s much to appreciate and learn from Blade Runner.

The best element is the art design, sets, and special effects. Visually, the movie is extremely compelling, and shows us the most dreary and depressing dystopia seen on film.

It’s easy to call it “sci-fi,” but at its essence, Blade Runner is film noir. Los Angeles as shown in 2019 has no sunlight, constant rain and beautiful (and ominous) shadows. At it’s core, the plot is traditional crime drama.

As a high schooler, the story made little sense to me and kept me disinterested.

This time around, I was hooked, and was caught up in the ambiguous ending and the meaning of the unicorns, as so many have over the last 27 years.