Every time I watch Blade Runner, the visual splendor becomes more and more beautiful to me. It's simply gorgeous to look at, despite the grungy tech-noir setting and tone. Jordan Cronenweth captures Ridley Scott's world wonderfully, draped in blue, drenched in rain, and covered in shadows.

My quibbles with the story always hold Blade Runner back for me. Hampton Fancher and David Peoples' script lets its focus stray here there and everywhere. You would assume Harrison Ford would be the star, but we spend a lot of time away from Rick Deckard. Rachel (Sean Young) has precious little screen time; Deckard's escape with her feels slightly unearned, especially in light of the extremely uncomfortable rape scene. Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) is a deeply compelling villain, but he doesn't even enter the frame until far later in the film. The whole final sequence in the abandoned hotel turned apartment is tense and thrilling, elevated to great heights by Cronenweth and Hauer's taunting, wolf-like, antagonist, and his moving soliloquy is brilliant. It all would have meant so much more if we had a few more moments with him.

Still, we don't just watch films for the story. We would be content with books if all we needed was a good story. The gorgeous visuals and near-perfect production design are worth returning to again and again.