5 Reasons Why Blade Runner Is The Greatest Sci-Fi Movie Of All Time

Blade Runner was considered a critical and commercial flop when it was released in 1982. Over time, it developed a cult following and took its place among the pantheon of great science fiction films. Here are five reasons why it is not just one of the greats, but the greatest science fiction movie of all time.

1. Vangelis’ Mesmerizing Ambient Electronica Soundtrack

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Vangelis' soundtrack creates a haunting atmosphere right off the bat. During the opening credits, Vangelis’ use of singular, lonesome notes punctuated by a rumbling sound, almost like quick spurts of thunder or a door slamming down an oversized hallway, foreshadow danger ahead. From the first wide shot of Los Angeles in 2019, Vangelis' cinematic synths establish a futuristic world. Their eerie refrains underscore the film’s core issue of what it means to live in a world with AI creations who feel emotions.

2. The Incredible Art Direction

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The neo-noir world of Blade Runner is completely immersive. The viewer is transported to a dark, rainy LA throbbing with a neon glow. It exists in the future, but feels retro thanks to the noir lighting and detailed 40’s-style costumes. The world is dark, wet, and smoke filled. Smoke continually billows out of street grates, adding to the dystopian vibe. This dim LA is periodically lit by flying cars and jumbo ad screens puncturing the environment with corporate ads advertising off-world colonies, leaving no doubt that corporations, not governments, rule this world. This point is underscored by the the giant Tyrell Corporation pyramid, which dwarfs everything around it.

3. The Film's Prescient Message

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You’d be hard pressed to find a film that better explores the meaning of what it means to be human and what our responsibilities are to AI creations, especially if they think and feel as humans do. In the world of Blade Runner, Replicants are genetically engineered beings, not technically human, so killing a Replicant isn’t called execution, it’s called retirement. Yet, the Blade Runner Rick Deckard finds family photos at the Replicant Leon’s apartment, signifying Leon feels a familial bond with his fellow Replicants. In the original release, Deckard ponders this discovery via voiceover, “Leon's pictures had to be as phony as Rachael's. I didn't know why a Replicant would collect photos.” The Replicants emotional lives are revealed again when Roy and Pris reunite at JF Sebastian’s apartment. Their attraction is animal, physical, visceral. It’s warmer and more full of love than any of the human interactions witnessed in the film.

Blade Runner was prophetic in its exploration of how we treat androids who have feelings. In 2013, a robot was created who could mimic falling in love. That robot had to be shut down because it got a little too possessive of the objects of its affection. Recently, Facebook shut down robots after they invented their own language. These examples are small, but as AI technology develops, there are sure to be more significant issues. We'll need to think carefully about how we deal with increasingly emotionally complex AI in the future.

4. The Film Is Provocative

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Blade Runner doesn’t spoon feed you answers. Rather, it raises questions you’ll be thinking about long after the film is over. Questions like: What does it mean to be human? If no test can distinguish between an organic human and an artificially engineered human, does that make the genetically engineered human’s life less valuable than organic human's life? Is it wrong to use artificially engineered humans as slave labor? What if our memories are just implants? How do we know our memories are real? What are the moral implications of implanting memories and allowing Replicants to believe they are human, but then “retiring” them when they are no longer useful to humans? Deckard hints at this dilemma after he hunts the Replicant Zhora and “retires” her, “The report would be routine retirement of a Replicant. Which didn’t make me feel any better about shooting a woman in the back.”

5. Roy Batty’s “Tears In Rain” Monologue

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Seriously, has there ever been a better death speech captured on film? According to legend, Rutger Hauer improvised a good deal of it. Despite the fact that Roy and Deckard are engaged in a brutal game of cat and mouse at the end of the movie, Roy chooses to save Deckard. This final act of compassion underscores Roy’s humanity and morally elevates Roy over the corporations and the Blade Runner who seek to kill him. Moreover, this brief but powerful monologue highlights the fundamental tragedy of human life; our experiences are fleeting and die with us when we die. In the end, we are all forgotten.