Notice: This is a review of the book that inspired the original movie (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), the movie itself (Blade Runner), the anime following that (Blade Runner: Black Out 2022), and the sequel to the original movie (Blade Runner 2049).
So, starting off with the book, the novel has good potential but ultimately squanders it. It's depiction of a post-apocalyptic dystopia is certainly captivating but it really does take time to get going in the start and suffers from several unnecessary plot twists. I mean, what was the point of the spare police station apart from just making the plot more roundabout and why was that police officer Phil Rhes revealed to be an android only to turn out not to be one (apart from showing the shoehorned similarity between androids and humans)? Also, why was he dismissed from the plot after just a few chapters and why was he not given the reward for killing those two androids which Deckard received instead? How can a police station exist on one end without the other knowing of it and vice-versa? How have officers from the two organizations not ever investigated the same case? How is the police station android-infested when there is only one android is outed as having a good status? How come the organization is controlled by androids when they have a life-span of 4 years and this guy just came here a month ago? That whole part of the plot, though cool while it unfolded, was superfluous and stupid in retrospect. It was just a cheap means of keeping up the excitement and subverting the reader's expectations. Another problem with the book was how it had ideas that felt out of place and unnecessary, like the whole Mercer empathy box ordeal or the bit about the dialing your mood thing. Yes, I understand they help flesh out the setting but they don't exactly blend well with it, especially considering how many themes there are and how irrelevant they seem with many of them. I cannot tell you how jarring it was to see Jesus (I mean Mercer) come out of thin air for no reason and help the protagonist because he might do evil but it's for good... Speaking of which, how anticlimactic of a show-down was that? I can excuse how fast the first three androids were killed since the plot was still thickening then and the audience didn't know what was happening but once we established both the protagonist and the antagonist, who by the way was a man who not only was strong and cunning as well as the one who orchestrated the whole thing but it was said that the other androids died only because they didn't obey him, why was there such a rush to end it all? I mean, with all the hype that villain got, he was dispatched so fast. It was like, three shots, three deaths. Bullshit! And then get some irrelevant stuff about finding a real toad that is not real at all. I understand the thematic significance of that but in going for an ending that at once is not conclusive, good, or bad, the result was very lukewarm. I also understood Deckard's development as a character but did not much like it. This bit is really a matter of personal taste: he was too close to a straightforward hero for me and not gray enough here. What I did not understand, however, was the inclusion of J. Isidore who served the plot in no way except for at the end and even then it wouldn't have made a difference if he hadn't been there since Deckard would have checked the building regardless. It is good that the author bothered to show the life of a special rather than just saying they exist but that doesn't excuse the character's uselessness. Other than that, there was too much emphasis on the pet ordeal, to the point it lost all semblance of subtlety. The book has its low points and its high ones but overall they cancel each other out. Final verdict: 5/10.
The movie is such an upgrade to this overall premise and plot. Deckard is morally gray (the rape/sex scene being one of the primary factors), characters do not come on and go as much here, the androids are given more screen time and, thus, their deaths have more impact, the atmosphere is mesmerizing, and the villain... My my, the main antagonist of this movie is reason enough to watch it, considering his overwhelming charisma, self-awareness, intellect, and grayness (it is even debatable that he is more morally pure than the protagonist), not to mention that he is proactive and pursues a goal other than mere survival, which makes him even deeper. Also, the deaths being more brutal added realism to the whole ordeal, making each death feel as though they actually happened. They were not treated as video game bosses like in the book or like things to kill for the sake of action like in the anime. This realism bled in especially to the last action scene which has such a nice anti-climax to it that one is not left wanting more. The ending speech is of course one of the most memorable segments in recent cinema history. Even the character of J.F. has a contribution to the plot. Of course, like anything, the movie's not perfect. For one, it's way slower than it needs to be. For another, the setting is far less fleshed out compared to the book - though I must admit that I much prefer this to the idea of a dying Mars, which is only mentioned in passing and serves only to add gloom to the whole ordeal. But the biggest flaw of all was how Deckard was hunting androids who were already nearing their death, something that was not the case in the book. Why bother with them if they are not causing havoc and will die anyway in a week or two? Seems superfluous if you ask me. Regardless, it's a great piece of science fiction and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't get bored after two slow scenes. Overall score: 10/10.
The anime is shit. It's just action action action with a simple plot and even simpler characters. It butchers the best scene in the movie by trying to replicate it. So, the cast is flat, the story is simple, and the whole thing is unsatisfactory. Also, you can feel the franchise losing its grit and becoming typical female empowerment as an sex bot gains independence and can suddenly kick ass even though that's not in its programming. Yeah, that seems totally legit. Also, the main cast are comprised of a black man, a women, and another guy who admits they are so much more pure. Hmmm, I wonder what the political undertones of this anime is... I am compelled to say its director did not even watch the original fully, let alone reading the book. Still, it does have one saving grace in the form of the black guy's backstory which was very interesting and added to the setting a sense of cynical resignation which was lacking. Overall: 2/10.
And now, for the disaster that was the sequel. Oh boy, did they fuck this up! The first half was fine and all, with the exception of the hologram girlfriend who was as superfluous to the plot as the mood changers in book (but I could overlook that), with the plot about the android giving birth peeking my interest quite a lot. However, it soon turned into shit for a variety of reasons. One is that it became too much like fanfiction. I understand that they had to tie this to the first movie somehow but why did it have to be through Deckard and the android having sex? It felt so forced and stupid in the long run. And why is Deckard suddenly this tragic figure who leaves his daughter just to protect her? He was a bastard in the first movie who shot first, asked later, raped, didn't care, but, oh no, we cannot have such an offensive character now amongst the good guys so let's neuter him why not? Also, the relationship between him and the android was a romance? Since fucking when? He didn't care at all about her until she was close enough to rape and he was drunk enough to go through with it. They were in love. He even remembers what color her eyes were. BULL-SHIT! And it's still trying to keep up the ambiguity as to whether Deckard is an android? It was established in both the original movie and the anime (as well as in the sequel) that Nexus-6 types have a life-span of 4 years, something that only changes with the introduction of Nexus-8 types and that's way after Deckard. And the main villain here... He's not a real person, he's a cartoon, that's what he is. He kills newly born androids for the sake of some sadistic ritual while talking slowly and quoting the Bible. But of course he would be evil... We can't have a good character quote the Bible in this atheistic age of ours. Christianity is simple not in vogue nowadays. His intentions were also stupid. When Roy Batty pursued immortality and freedom, you could understand him and get behind him. What the hell does this guy want? A biological android? Why? What difference does it make? Why does he want it apart from "just becuz he's evil"? I dunno. The movie doesn't know either! The plot is also so much more convoluted than it needed to be. The first movie was simple in that regard so that there could be more emphasis on characters and themes. But who cares about that when we can have a true blockbuster with plot twists around every corner, am I right? TWIST: Androids can give birth. TWIST: The main character is the chosen one. DOUBLE TWIST: No, he actually isn't. WOW, what great writing. It baited its audience so it must be good. And, by the way, what were the odds of the MC, to whom the false memories were implanted, would be assigned to this particular task? That's not convenient in the least... Also, considering how important a task this was, why didn't that retard of a woman assign more than one officer to it? Hmm... Certainly not due to incompetence on the part of the script-writer! And that's not even the only retarded thing that woman does. Okay, let me ask you this, you are a police officer and you are cornered by an android way more powerful than you who says she will kill you. What do you do?
A) You try to run.
B) You try to fight.
C) You call for help (which will come quickly since you're in a police station).
or
D) You don't do anything and die.
Well, the correct answer is D of course. FUCKING LOGIC! By the way, why are there so many female characters here in positions of power? Jesus Christ, just how much pandering can something have? The main henchman of the eeeevil villain is a female, the leader of the bullshit cult that came out of nowhere is a female, the police chief is a female... Put these women back in the kitchen already! That's where they belong. I mean, did you see how the android killed people with her satellite just so the MC could continue his investigation but could not bother to follow him after he disappeared through the same sattelite instead of attacking the police chief and endangering not only herself but the reputation of her corporation as well? And why couldn't she just conduct her own investigation? The damn company was better equipped than the police force for crying out loud. And she also leaves the protagonist alive after attacking Harrison Ford's mansion despite hating him and having no use for him. This is not exactly helping better my opinion of women as action heroes, you know... There is a death scene here as well which is a bastardization of the one from the original, because of course. It's not like originality is a thing, am I right? But even that pales in comparison to the porn scene where the hologram has sex with the protagonist by using a prostitute and their arms kept detaching so it looked like he was porking a pagan goddess. I can just watch Buddhist porn online if I want to, thank you very much. You don't need to shove it down my throat. It was also unnecessary and did not serve the plot but at this point that goes without saying. Also, the movie doesn't actually end. Yes, that's right, a revolution doesn't take place, the bad guy is not defeated, there is no goddamn resolution!! The first movie was slow too but at least it was self-contained. But who wants that when you can milk a franchise endlessly? Fuck quality. Those suckers will watch it no matter how many parts we make it. MONEY MONEY FUCKING MONEY. No, thank you very much, I've had more than enough. Fuck this and fuck the director and crew and fuck you too if you liked it. This is a disgrace to not only Blade Runner but to cinema in general. 0/10.
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I wrote a reply, but my computer crashed (an actual bluesreen of death! haven't had one for a long time), so I won't go through all the points I'd made, but I will say, I like that there is a person now and then who is willing to call a spade a spade, instead of using snowflake mentality.
Just for that, I am following and hoping you do well.
PS: I had agreed with most of what you write.
Thanks a bunch. It's such a pity that your computer crashed though. I would have been really interested in reading your reply.
This is the best I can do - sort of after the event.
.
I had a flashback re a point I made.
I am in my seventies, (you needed to know that to understand what I am saying). During my younger days, I was ridiculed for reading science fiction and I'd say at least 90% of the sf movies were stupid and badly made (we had cinemas that offered for the price of a ticket, a double-feature, plus a horrible cold drink. You could stay in the theatre all day if you wanted).
It was still rare to see a decent sf movie when Bladerunner came out. I had read the book and that provided me with some identification with what I was seeing. Movies always change the story it is based on, so where I would have noticed something is different, I would have ignored it. Anyway, I felt I was there to enjoy myself, not to be a film critic.
As quality (in books and movies) improved, so did I expect more from each of them, but even then, I could never critique a book or movie as you can, for I do not think in segments of logic, when I sit to write (as with this comment), it is as if I jump off a cliff with the first word I write and then let my fall take me wherever it does (rarely, I end up soaring, but, it is so rarely...)
The kind of Anime and manga I love is not what you would watch, mostly I fell in love with it when I saw my first Ghibli movies and some other sort of romantic sf stories. I guess they are not deep enough for the real fans, though how anyone can say Nausicaa is not deep I don't know.
That is all I can recall of what I had said.
ciao
I see. Thanks for sharing. I would like some recommendations from you if possible and I have some recommendations for you as well, based off of your stated preference. You might find ACCA 13, Haibane Renmei, Serei no Moribito, and Rakugo to your taste (there are also House of Small Cubes and Aru Tabibito no Nikki if you want short anime).
Thanks. I'll revert in a day or two. Will also check out what you suggest.
I have a really rotten memory - you can't imagine how it feels to wake up with the first verse or two of a poem running through my mind and I rush to type it (I leave the pc on all night just for this) but as soon as I write the first line, the rest are either playing peekaboo with me or rush off to some more exotic mind.
I hold that the words that come to me do not belong to me and if I do not do them justice, they'll go in search of a mind more receptive and talented than mine. However, while I am writing, they are mine. Afterwards they belong to all those minds who enjoy or grow by them.
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