Blade Runner (1982) Retrospective / Review 

Get the Blade Runner Blu-ray here goo.gl/9a0UVv Get The Blade Runner soundtrack here goo.gl/hnL5Pw

All those moments of Rutger Hauer will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.

Fun fact : this film premiered on the same day as John Carpenter's The Thing. Coincidentally, both movies were critically panned at their release but both became cult classics years later

i think its one of the most special movies ever made.

I don't think Pris found Sebastian by accident. I always thought Batty planted her there to befriend him.

Blade Runner was set in 2019 so that was the year Roy Batty died ..... as did Rutger Hauer in real life. Although sad it is also somewhat poetic as Rutger and Roy seem to have been intrinsically linked.

I always thought of Deckard as human. The movie makes more sense thematically because it provides the contrast between the human and replicant, and shows the blurring line between them.

Blade Runner is 35 years old today. From a cult favourite known from butchered theatrical releases to a bona fide classic with an anticipated sequel, this film has had quite a journey.

I love the score to this film.. I get lost in it every time..

Ridley's insistence on making a perfect film set the stage for letting directors being able to have artistic freedom. The quality of the special effects (which were not computerized or cgi'ed) has never been surpassed. BR is the best "analogue" film ever made. In 1982 it was beyond mind blowing. I saw it in a theatre back then when I as 32 and it changed my life. The soundtrack is exquisite It is by far the best Scifi movie ever made. It will be interesting if BR 2 will be able compare.

I don't think the "love" scene between Deckard and Rachael was supposed to be romantic. It may have been written as such in the script, but I see Deckard more as taking advantage of this android who doesn't have a proper concept of love while he's a little drunk, and enforces the anti-hero persona of his character. And it's only after the rest of the events in this movie that that opportunism turns into genuine affection.

Rest in peace Rutger Hauer.

Blade Runner and Alien are my top two favourite movies of all time. Your retro review brilliant. Thank you.

One of my favorite movies of all time.

You've done a man's job, sir.

The most beautiful narrative film ever

Oh Oliver, you bring so much happiness and enjoyment to people all around the world with your wonderful homage-reviews. I am truly happy that I found your channel. Best from Israel

For anyone interested in the music; the lead synth used primarily throughout the movie is the yamaha CS-80. Also used prominently is the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 and the E-mu Emulator. All these machines are worth thousands now.

first time i saw this i didn't know what all the fuss was about. But then after watching it again i liked it and its thoughtful nature.

I always liked the blue sky as Batty's dove flew away. It suggested to me the symbolism of a soul flying into a better place, where the sun shone.

TO ME there is NO WAY Rick is a Replicant, that just does not work. The whole movie is the story of him becoming less cold and learning as HUMAN from a MACHINE! AND The unicorn theory in particular. Gaff makes countless figurines of various animals. Him making a Unicorn is just not a justifiable excuse. To me i took the unicorn more of a symbol that he knows Rick is hiding the Replicant, but that she is very unique, a Unicorn. Rick see's this and thinks "oh shit, Gaff is gonna be coming" and takes off in the Elevator to escape with his robo-girl.

I would rather see a prequel about Roy Batty. We could get a chance to see "all those memories lost in time."

"This is Ridley Scott at his best." Couldn't agree more, Oliver.

Cityspeak also has Korean (Hangul) in it. The very first words Gaff says to Deckard are Korean. He says: "come here". I would know, I'm Korean :)

Brilliant job as always Oliver. Don't forget the underrated Dark City was also heavily influenced by BR.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest sci fi films ever made. The visual style of Ridley Scott, and his brother Tony (The Hunger), is beautiful and impeccable. Excellent retropespective!

I get the impression that although Hannibal and Sebastian were close associates of Eldon Tyrell, they were not official employees of the monolithic, impregnable looking Tyrell Corp. (a city sized Replicant factory) and were more likely consultants and early start up partners screwed out of the Rplicant patents held by the super rich Eldon Tyrell (Hannibal got by with his small Replicant eye business, making synthetic eyes for hospitals, while the more screwed over Sebastian became an eccentric recluse - easier for Batty's crew to get to, after failing to directly storm the Tyrell pyramids).

@Oliver Harper: "All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain. Time to die" ... Goodbye Roy/Rutger ... RIP ... and thank you for creating one of the most memorable monologues in the history of cinema ... this was the hook that made me fall in love with the movie Bladerunner ... (my other favorite line from the movie: "Chew, if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes") ... When I watch Roy, I am reminded of Kirk's eulogy for Mr.Spock, in ST2: The Wrath of Khan, where he says "Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most human." I feel this way about Roy. Thank you for the excellent analysis and video ...

I own the soundtrack on vinyl! It's so bosstastic!

oh my god this movie looks like 2013 and its 1982. just look at those buildings!!!

This is the godfather of all Cyberpunk films , as always had a very difficult birth and showing

3 first Ridley Scott movies are one of the best movies of all time and definitely my favourites.

I can't lie this has to be one of my favorite films of all time!

you've done a man's job sir

Ah Snatcher, I love how it's basically a hotchpotch of Blade Runner + Terminator + Metal Gear + Bubblegum Crisis , and even uses Sting from Dune as a character

I like the happy ending. When I first watched Blade Runner a long time ago I thought Deckard and Rachel went to the Offworld Colony.

This is quite possibly one of my favourite movies of all time. A true masterpiece - 10/10. Can't wait for the sequel and many critics said that it's as good as the original. 😆

Absolutely fell in love with Blade Runner from an early age. Gripping score, unlike anything I ever listened to before, and even now, 33+ years after its release. I once lived in LA and whenever I'd nap, the Esper Edition score would play in the background. Try it sometime, you'll remember what it was like sleeping like a baby. I even went so far as to acquire all the various editions of the score: Regular release, Esper Edition, 25th anniversary complete, limited 29th anniversary, and of course the 3 disc 2007 release which followed the Final Cut. I am needless to say a huge fan of this stunning cinematic masterpiece.

This has and will always remain my favorite movie of Ridley Scott. The amount of thematic layers within this film are immense. They aren't forceful or bloated. They just make sense. This movie also made me appreciate Noir and Cyberpunk as a genre a lot more. But more importantly, it is one of those films where when you rewatch it(especially, the various cuts), you gleam so much more from the movie each time. The soundtrack of this film is amazing. I often say that music should serve as a complement to the story. And this soundtrack succeeds in portraying the great mood and narrative within the film. I wholeheartedly agree this guy needs to get more work via the Superhero genre(maybe a Question movie?). Finally, the visuals to Bladerunner still to this day are gorgeous. You know when a film is timeless when its effects still look realistic and beleivable. The use of model and the various film techniques showcase the utter brilliance of the production crew. I cannot even say this about Star Wars(some of my favorite films), for some of those models are showing their age. Even if diehard fans(I am one of them) refuse to admit it. Overall, I sincerely thank you for doing such a wonderful retrospective. Blade Runner is such a significant film. Aside from giving us a real thought provoking story, it changed the way people viewed science fiction. Other franchises, like Ghost in the Shell, Deus Ex; have all taken inspiration from this film. It illuminated the way for noir and dark science fiction movies. As a result, you have my utmost respect.

I was 16 when I saw this film at the theater, to this day it possesses my favorite cinematography in addition to Vangelis amazing musical score.

I saw Blade Runner with my friend 1982 and we expected with childlike expectation an easy cool looking Sci-Fi movie like Star trek or Star Wars. After this film we was... seized and paralyzed! Since that time Blade Runner is my favorite movie ever! Thanks Ladd Company, thank you Mr. Ridley Scott, the fantastic team and artists to realized this cinematic revelation that changed my sight for the Science Fiction film!

It's been awhile since I saw the movie, but I was under the impression that Pris was planted by Roy deliberately to meet Sebastion and it wasn't an accident. I'll have to watch it again. Thanks for another great review!

Watching this before 2049. Excellent retrospective

I have seen Blade Runner countless times, from VHS, to DVD and Bluray, and all the various versions of the film itself. But until today I've never seen it on the big screen. I just came home from watching Blade Runner The Final Cut at the cinema and it was beautiful, but slow, so slow. Still love it though.

one of my top 5 favorite films! pretty much unmatched in visuals, soundtrack and atmosphere brilliant movie, highly recommend it

Great review !!! Blade Runner one of my favorite movies ... I remember seeing this movie in the theater with my dad

Blade runner is my all time favorite movie! I saw this movie as a child and was blown away by it. Seen it many times and new editions and still leaves me in awe! I became i HUGE Vangelis fan and love all his music!

2019: Roy Batty dies. 2019: Rutger Hauer passes away.

My God the list of great movies in 1982! Saw them all as a fresh faced 17 year old!!!! What a great time the 80's were.

"Like tears in rain" That speech was improvised.

I loved 2049 so much. I think it lived up to this movie's legacy.

Of the Sci-Fi genre this Blade Runner Movie is by far my most favorite. For me it was just so thought provoking since its release to current time.

Blade Runner is my favorite movie of all time. I secretly wish that I could live in that world sometimes.

I guess I must count myself among the apparent few that really liked the Harrison Ford narration... Yes, he sounds flat in the reads, and the dialogue is stilted...like a detective novel. This added a 'film noir' element I thought worked. I personally don't care for the idea of Decker being a replicant (I know...minority) as the idea of him choosing to be with rachel for 'whatever time she has left' (a fitting allegory for life as we all know it_ Either way, Scott's direction and every other technical aspect of this film STILL look fantastic today,...appreciating it for what it is, rather than dismissing it for what it is not is exceptionally sound advice...great entry in this series, Mr. Harper.

Well with the sequel coming out, I think it's safe to say that Deckard isn't a replicant due to him aging, unless they come up with some bs like, "Aging technology!"

This was, if not the best review of Blade Runner. It deserves to come with the boxset It's so good.

Your reviews are top shelf. Thank you. Blade Runner - I agree with your opinions. A great film with some minor faults.

The number one negative review is the slow pace of the movie. I got the feeling that they slowed it down in an attempt to add to the depressing and dark reality of the future. Giving you time to sink in all the fine details in every scene. After all its the scenery that people remember the most about this movie. That went on to inspire alot of futurists down the road. Anyways I'm glad this kind of movie was made even if it was unintentional.

Joe Turkel/Tyrel is such an awesome actor he is also the creepy bartender in the shinning :D

One of the best movie ever made accompanied by the most brilliant music score. I guess Roy Batty is activated this year

Watched this for the first time a few weeks ago on my OLED TV it looked amazing and the soundtrack

One of my favorite movies ever!

yes the 1982 movie line up was chock FULL of great and legendary films. when you hear the list run off, its truly amazing. we havent seen such hits in any one year in quite some time.

I took your advice and ordered today the 25th anniversary boxset sound track . already own the film and this is one of my favourite movies .so happy to find your channel and have truly learned lots of stuff.

blade runner blues is a song i can literally listen to forever....so melancholic,and atmospheric....listening to it in the rain will make you feel like a blade runner

You forgot that the movie The Fifth Element was Bruce Willis was also inspired by this movie.

9 minutes in, and I can already say, amazing review, Oliver, as always. Another thing to mention: I've at one point kept rewinding the scene where Roy dies and we hear the music continuing on; Never have I ever cried so hard at such a scene. But once again I can already tell you're hitting the nail *perfectly*. I've had similar thoughts like you when I first saw it, but now thanks to u, I'm gonna give 'Blade Runner' another watch, now with a new perspective on it. Thank u, Oliver. ;D THIS VIDEO DESERVES A MILLION VIEWS!!! SPREAD THE WORD! Ever since I've saw that scene (this was before I read more about the film and its themes), I'vs always felt the reason why Roy wanted to extend his life is because he was afraid of death; We've all had that similar feeling, I did as well. That I really liked, the theme that maybe robots are more like us, and that the Replicants and humans have one thing in common: human feelings.

Blade Runner, Mad Max 2, and The Thing, all being released in the same year is insane. Like the influence of all three of those, what the hell. Why did everything just come together that year, and why did it not seemingly take like half a decade or more to know it.

I be freeze-framing Boy Batty at 37:32 and I dunno...Boy's left eye just look WEIRD to me. If you wanna zoom-in and go frame by frame you'll observe that his eye has a bizarre shapeshift in which his iris has become a straight line. The actor, Rutger Hauer, did that to subliminally convey the alien nature of his Replicant character. (All Hollywood actors are 'BioDigitals' who flash these subliminal shapeshifts in their eyes in the picture shows.)

What a movie! Absolute Classic!

"Holden" has top notch on screen charisma and should get more praise. Thanks. this film is the best.RIP Phillip.RIP Rutger.

Thank you for highlighting the many talented individuals involved in this powerful film, from script writers, to model builders (opening scene of L.A.), the soundtrack, and many others, and of course the brilliance of Ridley Scott and acting by Rutger Hauer and the visionary book by Philip K. Dick. The rather lackluster sequel only illustrates how great this film was.

Cool storyline, beautiful environment , awesome music, precursor to the cyberpunk genre....definitely my favorite movie of all time.

I never liked the idea of Ford being a replicant. I feel like it undermines the point of Roy's death and what he says. To me Ford being human realizes that replicants can have emotions and care about their life and death like humans, and up till that point he only saw them as mindless dogs that needed to be put down. The unicorn is a nice red herring and adds some more thought to the themes of Blade Runner but to me its nothing more then that.

I actually like the original where the dove flies into the almost daylight, I felt that it showed that even in the dystopian world, there was sometimes daylight, dark hope etc...

Blade Runner is my favorite movie of all time (not including all the differ versions) and I hope you make a retrospective of George A. Romeos Day of the Dead from 1985 thanks ;)

The music/ soundscapes in this movie are phenominal. One of the first things I noticed back in the 1980s watching it. When I got my first stereo VHS machine it took it to the next level. Byw, Pris didn’t locate Sebastian by accident. They got the info about Sebastian from the eye engineer and knew they could get to Tyrrell through him.

No sci fi movie feels as real as bladerunner

Great Review! R.I.P. Rutger Hauer :(

you've done a man's job sir. i was just putting a thing on facebook tonight (earlier on) and was gushing over the soundtrack, and how BR was a brilliant mix of audio and video. then came onto youtube to look at some clips to maybe post, and stumbled over this. BR is my fave film of all-time, my dedicated home theatre is themed around BR only, I enjoyed this video, many thanks. Have a better one...p.s. seems like 20 people are idiots !

Don't know why, but I got chills down my spine during intro. Nice review!

Best soundtrack ever,Vangelis and Ennio Morriconne (speĺling),are the greatest.

You have outdone yourself, sir. This review was everything I had hoped it would be, and more. Thanks!

Thank you for doing this, Oliver! I put this movie on at least annually when the rest of the family is out of the house, cranking up the Vangelis and reveling in the atmosphere. You're right about seeing something new at every viewing. Keep up the extraordinary work!

@32:00 the blue sky and green forest, I always took this as that he made it off-world with Rachel. In that context it makes perfect sense to me.

Brilliant work as always, Oliver.

I feel confident in saying this is my favorite movie of all time. Some close contenders.....Empire Strikes Back, Alien, Apocalypse Now, Clockwork Orange, The Matrix, The Shining. But this is just exquisite.

A masterpiece and seminal movie! ! A multi- layered, deeply nuanced work.. Lecturers say this movie is studied in philosophy classes n dissertations of post-graduate students. It blew me away the first time I saw it. The genius score of vangelis just sucks you in, enthralling, mesmerising, haunting. All the performances are flawless. Never been bettered.

It is a true masterpiece in every meaning of the word. It is not a flawless film but it is a perfect film. Tops my list of all time favorites.

Fantastic job! I love this movie. I actually had to do a paper in college comparing this movie with the I works of the philosopher Descartes

I think another reason Ford's son dubbed his dialogue, is that as you get older, your vocal cords also age. Harrison now doesn't quite sound like Harrison from the early 80s. You ever play that From Russia with Love video game? It's good a young looking Bond, but with old as fuck Sean Connery voicing him. It's really weird

Great retrospective! I'm surprised you haven't covered Walter Hill's The Warriors yet

I'm blown away by your reviews. You add an extra dimension in your perspective of the the films for the viewer to think about. You are very thorough too. Movie Reviews in print just cannot compare. 5 stars

The movie stayed with me when leaving the cinema at that rainy night in 1982 trough the reflections on the wet streets of the neonlight city. That's because the slow pace of the movie sucks you completely in the gloomy film noir. The voice over didn't struck me as odd at the time since it was also used in Apocalypse Now (1979) and in the TV series I was watching at the time Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997-1998) but it certainly can do without. The movie with the Vangelis music is a masterpiece which is also shown in architectural design classes.

Hey Oliver, I've just discovered your channel and subscribed having watched a few of your reviews. I'm finding a bit of a problem, though: having watched some of your excellent retrospectives, I find the desperate need to dig out the Blu-Rays from my collection and watch the actual films again! So now I'm off to watch the Final Cut. Keep up the good work.

RE: 32:00 "B-roll footage from The Shining" I had actually read in "Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner" that it was "The Shinning" who borrowed this ending footage, but I am not so sure.

Phenomenal review. I have enjoyed nearly every single retrospective you have posted. I only envy that I was born a decade before many of these movies were created, and didn't have the personal insight and experience of seeing many of these films/games at the time. Your personal perspectives on how you came about many of these films is also welcome, and I usually never bother with those aspects in other videos. Blade Runner is a technical, philosophical and film marvel. Even after more than 30 years this film reminds me so much of how I saw New York City as a child looking through the glittering cityscape to see much of the urban decay that laid underneath. Thank you for this production and please continue with your amazing work!

3 years remaining

I've often heard theories about Deckard being Gaff's replicant. - Gaff's use of a cane suggests an injury: perhaps one that sidelined him as a Blade Runner. -Gaff may of been too great of a Blade Runner to have out of the picture, so they clone him with Tyrell Corporation to make Deckard have his memories and believe that he is Gaff (much akin to Rachel believing she is Tyrell's niece.) -Gaff is usually cold and rude to Deckard, perhaps out of jealously due to Deckard replacing him. -Deckard is never allowed to drive a police vehicle, and Gaff is the only one who drives him around (and is usually a dick about it.) The origami is also a major key in this theory: -In the scene where Bryant convinces Deckard to go after the Nexus 6 replicants, Gaff creates a origami of a chicken because he knows Deckard is afraid to take the job up, just as he would. -When discussing about visiting Rachael, Gaff creates a matchstick man with an erection because he met her before: and knows that Deckard will fancy her. (These are open to interpretation, but would help support the theory of these men being related.) The final origami is perhaps the one that can't be interpreted any other way. In the film Deckard has a recurring dream about a unicorn. At the end when he goes to escape with Rachael, Deckard notices that Gaff was in his apartment and spared Rachael's life. During their rush out to the elevator Deckard notices an origami on the ground (Gaff's calling card) and sees that it is a unicorn: meaning that Gaff knows about Deckard's dream. Gaff's final words to Deckard are albeit heartwarming, but very cryptic: "You've done a man's job." During a making of documentary he also follows up with:"But are you sure you are a man?" Keep up the wonderful work Oliver! Love your channel and look forward to seeing more of your quality content.

Great review - as always! I agree with you and others 100% who love Vangelis' soundtrack(s). I always loved Vangelis' music. I actually got my first break into the music business as a synthesizer programmer back in the early 1980s, before becoming a full-time musician/composer. I instantly fell in love with and was hugely inspired by Vangelis' soundscapes and his gorgeous signature analog synthesizer textures, often combined with other keyboards (say, grand piano, Rhodes etc.) and percussion. Vangelis never was cheesy (unlike some other well known "synth guys" I shall not name). His synth sounds and effects are clearly all hand tooled, finely crafted and polished, never sounding like stock out-of-the-box sounds because they aren't. The Blade Runner score has that floating quality to it and everything fits perfectly. No ill-matching sounds, not even the saxophone during the romantic scenes in Blade Runner - which I actually like a lot. Vangelis never went for being "cool" or "trendy". Some people seem to have a problem with that. I definitely don't. I am also a huge fan of Vangelis' extensive collaboration with singer Jon Anderson. Fantastic music!