Milo Paulus’s review published on Letterboxd:
One of the most imaginative films ever made, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is an endlessly fascinating and contemplative masterpiece that raises big questions all the while telling a brilliant detective story, with one of the best endings in history.
Since the sequel just came out, and the hype for it is endless, i felt the need to revisit one of my favorite movies, the original masterpiece that changed cinema: Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. While i absolutely loved Blade Runner 2049 (Read my review here), as of now being my favorite film of 2017 and my favorite film of Denis Villeneuve, it still does not come close to the utmost awe of the original.
Let me quickly recap my history with this film. The first time i saw it ages ago i disliked it immensely, i fell asleep twice and had absolutely no clue what it was about. Then a couple years later i gave it another shot, i was totally into it, and liked it so much more. Then, i watched it one more time because i wanted to, fully grasping this film's total brilliance. Since then, I've seen it a couple more times, and having now seen the sequel, i had no problem revisiting this film, and seeing how it plays out.
The best thing i can say about this experience, is that knowledge i yielded from its sequel, enriched parts of the original. Blade Runner is a melancholic work of art that raises existential questions about fear, life, death, emotions, mortality, humanity, dehumanization and love among other philosophical questions in an environment totally destroyed by excessive pollution, technology, marketing and consumption. It's visually one of the best looking films. The sets are detailed, the costumes imaginative, the effects breathtaking and the lighting arguably one of the 5 best ever. It transcends the typical troupes of the genre and uses great thematic imagery, writing, characters, and beautiful direction to make a truly defining piece of science fiction that demonstrates what stories can be told with the power of film making.
Oh, and Rutger Hauer, one of Holland's most talented actors, is on full display here. As someone from Holland, and who's seen this lovely man in so much stuff (I've also met him shortly), this is the film that fully encapsulates his talents. From his charm to menace, as well as his immense writing capabilities (He wrote his monologues near the end), he's the kind of actor that makes me proud to be Dutch.
On my "Movies That Made Me Cry" list
