The Future’s Not Quite Here Yet

Twenty-five years ago today, a film was released that was set in what is now a not-too-distant future and dealt with issues not too dissimilar from many of the issues we face today. It was a complex, powerful, and visually stunning early work from a director now known for producing works of similar magnitude. It starred a hero we associated with lighter, if not more classically heroic, roles. It dealt with life, death, rights of liberty, and self-knowledge.

The first time I saw it, I didn’t get it. It’s a tough movie to watch, because you have to put thought into it, even though you feel like it should be a popcorn flick. But, as I’ve taken the time to wander through it again and again, it’s grown on me, and it should be on everyone’s “Movies to Watch” list, and it does need to be seen more than once (in both its original theatrical release, as well as the director’s cut).

The film? Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner.


Quick thought: Blade Runner is set in 2019, which is a scant twelve years away. It doesn’t seem like the future is that close, nor do we seem any closer to the things that Scott showed in the film… Hmm.