The first time I saw my favorite film I was stunned. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, or its visual stepchild, doesn't just assault your senses, it manages to instill dread and longing simultaneously.

"A new life awaits you in an Off-World Colony. A chance to begin again in a Golden Land of Opportunity and Adventure…"

This is Los Angeles in 2019 and you believe that it's not just film noir, it is the future. It's always raining—one supposes it's toxic as well. The street patois is a combination of English, Spanish and Japanese, a decent prediction at the time the film was made in 1982. It's more likely now to be a blend of Spanish and Chinese, but they had it close enough.

I was appalled at the apparent misery and decay. People survived in a crumbling infrastructure made all the more prescient in our own time with the demise of people in the middle. The prediction was three social strata—poor or rich or working for what has replaced the government—The Tyrell Corporation. 

Ridley Scott directed a hauntingly possible future LA. It's not just the decadence, the sets, the brilliant for its day CGI (it still holds up well), but the creation of characters that are neither good nor evil in the face of inescapable corruption. It's almost always dark, garbage is everywhere, most buildings leak in the incessant rain. You're sure that anyone with any means has left for one of those sappily hyped off world colonies. So, who's left? 

It's a brilliant film, encompassing the search for truth and the meaning of life, but also leaves us with questions. Without it being too much of a spoiler, in case you'd like to revisit this masterpiece, I think Scott left us with wondering who indeed is a replicant.

Bladerunner is more than just detective noir sci fi pulp. It still may happen.

Watch it again, and tell me what you think. Try to get the 2007 Final Cut version. 

 

 

 

  

all images screen caps from my computer dvd player, except the model spinner.

update: Go right now and see Verbal Remedy's much better rendering and plea to watch or rewatch this movie. You can see it here. Happy to bow to you VR.