i watched the 2007 final cut.

i have to laugh about how pretty much everyone in my class but me has seen this multiple times. i think this is a film that improves on rewatches and i hope to experience this again some day.

in this case, the style is the substance. if you were to strip away the sci-fi setting, i think you'd be left with a fairly typical noir. it's when you add in the score and the incredible futuristic vision of Los Angeles and all the wonderful, crazy details that this becomes something special. there are some truly breathtaking moments here- the one that sticks out to me most immediately after finishing the film is the scene where he's shooting Zhora as she plunges through the glass.

i know people have complained about the pacing but honestly, i don't mind it. it helps immerse us in the world ridley scott and co. have created. setting matters here far more than the plot or the characters. in fact, i'd say the setting is the most crucial character that blade runner has.

like pretty much all good science fiction, blade runner is ultimately about what it means to be human. and while i appreciate a stirring monologue in the rain as much as the next person, i can't help feeling like the feints this made in that direction weren't all that interesting or deep. we're given too little time to truly explore the ramifications of the replicants as a concept or the effects they've had on human society or the moral ambiguities of the job deckerd performs. which is funny, because the movie isn't exactly afraid to take its time in regards to pretty everything else.

like, i said in my opening, i'm hoping i'll come around to this my second time. i imagine there's a lot that went over my head here.