Movie Review: Blade Runner (The Director's Cut)
Rate This Article
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that BLADE RUNNER is at times, a very
violent film with graphic and slow motion depictions of people
being shot in the head and chest multiple times. The last 20
minutes of the film are particularly violent. There are two
instances where sex is implied. The main character witnesses
(implied) bestiality in a strip club. There is brief nudity
when one of the strippers showers. Drug and alcohol use is at a
minimum; however, there is some drinking and smoking by the
principle characters.
While not technically clones, the plight of the replicants in BLADE RUNNER can be useful in spurring conversation about the ethics of such a science. Replicants look and behave exactly like humans. ("More human than human" is the slogan of the Tyrell Corp.) Yet, should they be treated as such? After watching the film, parents can talk to their children about what standards are used to justify the treatment of people or things that are perceived as inhuman; whether they are created by us (as in clones or artificial intelligence) or not.
Common Sense Media Review
BLADE RUNNER is set in dystopian Los Angeles, circa 2019.
Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former Blade Runner, is
recalled from retirement to exterminate a gang of rogue
replicants (a type of human android). Replicants were invented
to perform slave labor on off-world colonies. Law forbids them
to live on Earth. Despite their artificial intelligent makeup,
a glitch has allowed them to develop human emotions and a lust
for life. The longer they live, the more powerful their
emotions. Unofficial replicant leader, Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer)
leads a pack of them to earth to find and convince their maker,
Tyrell (Joe Turkel), to invent a way to extend their five-year
lifespan. As they become more desperate to find Tyrell, they
grow weaker. Grappling with an intense love for model replicant
Rachael (Sean Young), and yet, bound by his duty to uphold the
law, Deckard must rethink his views on what it means to be
human, as he hunts down and kills his android nemeses.
Based on the short story, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by legendary sci-fi author, Philip K. Dick, BLADE RUNNER is a deeply philosophical, yet violent picture. While it may come across as an action/adventure science fiction film, the movie is, in actuality, very slow-paced and visually dense. When it premiered in 1982, BLADE RUNNER bombed at the box office. Critics decried its unnecessary voiceover and inconsistent Hollywood ending. Audiences were alienated by its lengthy pace. As rumors circulated of studio interference, a cult following emerged seeking Director Ridley Scott's original ending. The director's cut confirmed their suspicions in 1993 when the film was re-released, this time without its original voiceover and cheesy finale. After well-deserved acclaim, BLADE RUNNER (THE DIRECTOR'S CUT) is now considered one of the greatest science fiction films of all time.
Families considering viewing this film should avoid the original like the plague; instead go with Ridley Scott's original vision. Children in their mid-teens with a strong interest in the science fiction genre are more likely to enjoy this film. However, it is not appropriate for teens under fifteen.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
