I’ve spend some time in past AFI articles talking about the genre movies that make it onto the list. Something just as interesting is the movies that aren’t a single genre, but two genres, perfectly merged together, making for something more interesting than the sum of its parts.
Here, a film noir and a sci-fi movie met, fell in love, had some sort of agreement, made sweet love, and gave its baby to the world.
This baby receives love, criticism, and everything in between, but it created something new, inspiring many movies after.
Of course, the baby I’m talking about is 1982’s Blade Runner, written by Hampton Fatcher and David Peoples and directed by Ridley Scott.
The movie asks the question, what does it mean to be human?
Of course, this is a profound question, and it can only be asked in this way when the sci-fi elements of the film offers an alternative like the replicants, and the noir elements offer something as dark and as gritty as shady characters who may be more or less shady than these “fake humans.”
Rachael perfectly fits in with this question, as she’s a replicant who thinks she’s human. This then leads down the rabbit hole of what actually makes a human a human. Is it our genetic makeup? Is it something more? And if humanity is a certain set of principles, would those who are regular flesh and blood who don’t have those principles be less human than a robot who does?
Ok, these are high questions, but that’s what Blade Runner inspires
The ending where Roy dies and Deckand survives, however, does place an extra value on humanity, and it makes it easier to see instances in history where people acted the most human or least humane.
I so often focus on the writing aspects of these films, but this is not Blade Runner’s main strength, nor do I think it’s even wanting to be its main strength. It wants to be a visual showcase, so it would be remiss for me to not talk about it.
Like Sunrise, this movie wants to be stared at.
And it so perfectly mirrors the genres of the film, the beautiful sci-fi future married to the dark, gritty, ugly noir elements.
From the flying vehicles behind Deckand’s gross diner to the beauty and grossness nearly of every environment, it’s obvious why this picture stays with people forever.
So in the cases of Silence of the Lambs and Chinatown, a genre becomes more than itself, but in the case of Blade Runner, two genres make something more than itself.
And as this artistic experimentation, there are different versions of them getting it just right. From the terrible original voice over leaning more into the noir, and a happy ending, leaning more into traditional sci-fi, this movie took a bunch of tries to become the version it wanted to be.
But with that we are awarded with one badass sci-fi noir love child.
Thanks for reading!
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