Blade Runner: How it defined the Sci-Fi Look
Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer compete in this Epic Film Noir
Oct 23, 2009
One can talk endlessly about Star Wars and what it did for the science fiction genre of film and, one should give it all the credit it deserves. When it hit the big screen back in 1977 it spawned a fanbase and thus a franchise so big that it, in essence, set the standard for Sci-Fi movies that followed. It also paved the way for directors to try their hand at a genre that, until 1977, was a stale and unpopular one. So yes, Star Wars had a positive fallout for Sci-Fi, however it was not the only pioneer of the genre.
Humans and Replicants:
Another movie, directed by Ridley Scott, arrived on the big screen in 1982. Based on Philip K. Dick's novel; Do androids dream of electric sheep?, it too, like Star Wars, included rising star Harrison Ford in its cast. This movie was not to make as big an impact as Star Wars in sales or as a franchise, nor did any movie trilogy until Lord of the Rings in 2001. It did however give science fiction something far more important; a blueprint. Blade Runner; Scott's film noir following the life of Rick Deckard as he hunts illegal androids, was a failure at the box office, but since then has become noted as a classic. The dark futurism depicted in this movie has become synonymous with Science-Fiction, and rightly so.
Unique and Ground-Breaking:
The alien worlds found in Star Wars were unique, yes, but as long as one had an imagination, even a childlike imagination, then an alien world was possible. The imagery in 2001: A Space Oddyssey is also epic, but again, set in space, where anything was possible. Blade Runner, however, tackled something far more difficult; a near-future city on Earth. It had to look believable and had to be grounded in reality. What they achieved was exactly that. The setting of Blade Runner defined the look of futuristic cities for all sci-fi movies to come, even for the franchise that started it all: Star Wars. Where would Coruscant be without the Los Angeles dystopia of Blade Runner?
Cyberpunk/Noir:
The neon lights, crowded streets of humans and odd, but believable, costumes provided enough information that this city was in the near future and based on some sort of twisted reality, while the flying cars, advanced technological buildings and androids adhered to the science fiction element of the story. The movie effortlessly fuses elements of film noir with a science fiction setting (a future noir if you will) and succeeds. The many ruined buildings, overcrowded streets and torrential downpours are features that are also commonly seen throughout the many science fiction movies that followed both the original Star Wars trilogy and Blade Runner, including, as mentioned before, the newer episodes IV, V and VI of the Star Wars franchise.
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe:
It is difficult to find a science fiction movie that does not take some inspiration, be it small or big, from Ridley Scott's visual masterpiece. Just as every director who attempts a science fiction movie can thank the Star Wars franchise for giving them that chance, they can also be thankful to Blade Runner for making that job a little easier even if it does breed a lack of uniqueness. To conclude, the imagery set by Blade Runner has simply become an institution in Science Fiction film-making.
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