"All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain. Time to die." One of the greatest lines in Cinema.

This movie takes place in 2019 and Rutger Hauer who plays Roy Batty also died in 2019 like his character. “Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die."

"It's too bad she won't live...but then again, who does?" is a line that has stayed with me for years. It's the whole essence of this masterwork of a movie - who lives? Who is alive? What is humanity? Really glad you watched this one. I can't fault your reaction at any point.

Dutch actor Rutger Hauer's performance as the Replicant sweeps all before it. His final dying speech is regarded by some as the greatest piece of cinema ever.

If you think a 40 year old film looks good today, imagine those of us who first saw it in the 80's, the style, effects and the thought provoking story. One of my top 10 movies of all time.

"They're just people, then." And that was the whole point of the original story the movie is based off of: if you were to create a being that is otherwise indistinguishable from a human, would that being be any less than a human that was created naturally? Would that being's life not be as worthy as anyone else's?

This is the crown jewel of Cyberpunk in cinema. The ending is a complex series of ideas. One element from the book that was demonstrated and not fully explained was people's relationship with animals. Empathy was the single emotion that most demonstrated humanity. This was demonstrated by keeping pets. Roy, at the end was wrestling a lot with his own humanity. In a final act of defiance he demonstrated empathy by saving Decard, proving he was more than base emotions and could express empathy.

Philip K. Dick wrote a book in the late 60's called "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" This novel is the building blocks for Blade Runner and much later Blade Runner 2049. Philip is regarded in many circles as the Grandfather of Cyberpunk, with the billing of Father being bestowed upon William Gibson for his Neuromancer series. Both of these are must-reads, remembering at all times when they were written and that they started it all.

Glad you mentioned Sean Young's performance. Everyone is on top form here but Young's physical performance as something visibly human and yet not was outstanding. I also like Daryl Hannah's ability to switch from innocent to sinister on a dime

I absolutely love the fact that Roy, a combat replicant created to kill, uses his last moments to save a life, it's his ultimate expression of defiance. This and the soundtrack peaking at his monologue, hits me in the feels like a kick in the nuts, absolute perfection.

FYI: Actor Rutger Hauer came up with his final monologue himself and director Ridley Scott approved it because he liked it much better than what was in the script.

That secene with Roy and Tyrell was powerful, like a son confronting his father in a Shakespearean tragedy. I think Roy genuinely regretted having to kill Sebastian, he and Priss did like him and appreciated his help, but he was a witness to his murdering of Tyrell, and couldn't risk him alerting the authorities. Roy is a combat model, after all, and so very pragmatic.

If you notice each of the Replicants is associated with an animal, Leon get asked the question about the Tortoise, Pris makes herself up to look like a Racoon, Zhora has the Snake, Rachel has the Owl, Deckard dreams about the Unicorn and Batty howls like a Wolf.

The entire “Tears in the rain” speech, spoken by Rutger Hauer(Roy Batty), was filmed after he ad-lib it significantly to the final version we see…

I watched this with my son when he was 10. After it ended I asked what he thought of the film; “It wasn’t their fault. They were made that way.”

The "Tears in the Rain" speech was the defining moment of Rutger Hauer's career.

It's a strange thing sharing someone's last minutes of life. In the case they've made peace with it, they're still scared at the moment everything starts to turn dark. I don't think it's a fear of what's to come. I think it's a final angst over what will soon vanish. The Tears in Rain scene always had that weight for me.

The dove, I think, is more a symbol of "the spirit", so holding it till his death caused him to release release is a physical manifestation of him "giving up the ghost".

Edward James Olmos wrote the other most quotable line in the film. The "It's to bad she wont live, but then again who does" line, much like "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain" was written by Rutger Hauers the two most popular lines in the film were written by the actors.

I remember the 1983 World Science Fiction Convention when Bladerunner was nominated for the Hugo award. It was up against Star Trek II, E.T., and Road Warrior, an Australian film starring some unknown actor named Mel Gibson. The movie people weren't expecting to win so, instead of sending a producer or director, they sent a production assistant who happened to be an SF fan. Bladerunner won the Hugo. I can still picture a dazed young man -- he must have been 23 or 24 -- wandering around to all the room parties that evening, getting given free drinks, being congratulated, and clutching that Hugo award. He and I had a nice conversation, sitting next to a Shiner Bock beer keg.

between alien and blade runner, the "lived-in" look george mentions was one of ridley scott's huge gifts to science fiction films. blade runner was the among the first sci-fi movies to mimic the way the real world operates, where old buildings and clothes and technologies and etc don't just disappear overnight, and the futuristic stuff coexists with all the existing junk that's just around.

To answer Simone's question, JF Sebastian's apartment block was shot at the Bradbury Building in LA, which is a late 19th century famous for its beautiful Renaissance style architecture and huge Atrium. To take such an iconic building and transform it into what we see on screen is an absolute marvel of production design.

Fun fact: Rutger Hauer ad-libbed the "tears in rain" line. This film was based (loosely) on "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Philip K. Dick. It's a pretty good read. This is one of the first cyberpunk films (do you consider Soylent Green to be cyberpunk?). It is also a noir film. The American theatrical release included a voice over by Harrison Ford narrating his actions. I actually like the voice over because it makes it feel more noir. The American theatrical release also had a lame happy ending in which Deckard and Rachel move out of the city and Ford's voice over states that Rachel, unlike the other Nexus 6 replicants, was not limited to a 4-year life span. The actress playing Rachel is Sean Young. I liked her in David Lynch's "Dune" (1984) in which she played Chani. The question of whether or not Deckard is a replicant has been discussed ever since the movie came out. Harrison Ford has said the he played the role as a human, but recantly, Ridley Scott said that Dekard was a replicant. I think this might be some George Lucas type revisionism or a J.K. Rowling type "Dumbledore is gay" tweet. The movie is better if it is left ambiguous. See also, John Carpenter's "The Thing." The movie inspired a loosely based 8-episode anime OVA titled "Bubblegum Crisis." It was more popular in the West than in Japan. It is a fun watch, but make sure you get the OVA released from '87 to '91. Skip the later TV series reboot.

One of the greatest movies ever made. Movie originally had no rain. But the wires used to make the cars "fly" were very visible. They decided to use the rain and the dark to hide them and hold continuity.

I love the Tears in Rain scene. Just a perfect summary of what Roy was trying to do the whole movie. From word go, he wanted to defy his maker, initially by trying to literally extend his life, then by killing his maker, then finally, in his final moments, defying the purpose for which he was made by saving a life instead of taking it. Excellent acting from Rutger Howard, top notch!

The collaboration between Ridley Scott and Rutger Hauer to get that last monologue across the finish line created something so timeless and beautiful.

The flames in the opening are what's called "flare stacks": exhaust pipes that light their flammable gas effluents on fire to control explosion hazard. You absolutely used to see these on the LA skyline in the 1970s. Most of LA is built on an active oil field and there are still thousands of oil pumps and settling tanks scattered throughout the area, often within feet of people's houses.

Remember, Roy was designed and *started out* as a cold killer. In the universe, Replicants are relied on for labor and military on various off-world colonies. Roy was a front-line "soldier" who had already been through brutal wars. *Then* he begins to feel, have self-awareness, and question the nature of existence. So, he is an amalgamation of the confused, scared, even playful child, as well as the cold, brutal, killing machine. His motives are heart-wrenchingly relatable, but his methods are brutal. Yet, in his very last moment, he makes us (and Decker) ask, "Was he more "human" than the Blade Runner?"

Straight up masterpiece that stands the test of time. This thing inspired soooo many artists, writers, filmmakers. My dad had me watch it when I was like 5. I had no idea what was going on, I just knew it looked cool as shit. Wicked work of art.

Rutger Haur's 'I've seen things' monologue is truly iconic and completely adds another layer to the complexity of the replicants. It spotlights the ambiguity of their nature, hence the decades of debating this film. And can we take a moment so note that Ridley went from Alien to this. One of the greatest and most emulated film visionaries of all time for me. And that camera & lighting technique used on the eyes was legit. No special effects here...

The building where J.F. Sebastian's apartment is located in is the Bradbury building, quite a well known landmark in downtown LA. This building was actually in use at the time of filming, so during the day it was a regular office building and they had to transform it into the set you see every night and clean it all up after every night of shooting for the office workers the next day.

I knew you'd both love this film - it's a masterpiece - Ridley Scott is a genius filmmaker and creates such lived in worlds - you both caught that naturally - and always spot on with production design, cinematography (the late grate Jordan Cronenweth), synth music (Vangelis who did CHARIOTS OF FIRE) and of course casting. Ford's 3rd iconic role is perfectly cast with his world-weary anti-hero (and again this is a blend of sci-fi tech w/noir and as you so nailed it George cyberpunk - pretty sure this is the 1st film to capture that live action - the 1981 animated HEAVY METAL (another you s/seek) has elements there too) - as well as the ethereal Sean Young as Rachel (the heart of the movie), the late Brion James as the lethal Leon, Joanna Cassidy as Zhora - fun fact she re-shot her death scene for the film's re-release and they replaced the face of the stunt man with her own), Daryl Hannah as the sexy and sinister Pris, William Sanderson as the doomed JK Sebastian, the great character actor Joe Turkel (who played Lloyd the bartender in THE SHINING among dozens of films) as Tyrell and last but not least the late, great Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty. His final soliloquy was completely improvised and shows how even a replicant can be human (yep Simone the dove symbolizes that - oh and re: the ever present night scenes I couldn't tell from this viewing if they showed the dove fly into a blue sky or not - Scott changed it to reflect the Director's Cut since that was the only 'day scene' suggested). Also noteworthy the film was released June 25, 1982 - the same day as John Carpenter's THE THING - both box office disappointments and mixed reviews upon their releases only to gain true appreciation with the advent of home video. One of my fave films of all-time. And yes make an appointment to see the recent sequel.

My interpretation of the last scene with Deckard finding the unicorn in his apartment is Gaff found Rachel but decided not to kill her since she was going to eventually die anyway.

I'm sure others will mention, this was based off the story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Philip K Dick (who also inspired "Total Recall")... His work consistently explores what is real abs what makes us human. Always enjoyed reading his work bc i can never predict where its going, unlike most fiction i see

"Tears in rain" is so iconic that I've seen it used in philosophy and in a Joe Satriani track. Blade Runner was a hugely influential movie (the book was too).

I was never able to see this in the theater but found it later in the 80s and was blown away by the visuals and music. I had a 5-Disc DVD set at one point which had several cuts of this film included with one having an extended ending. Also, the Theatrical Cut had narration from Deckard giving it a "Film Noir" feel.

The story was interesting, but for me what makes Blade Runner so memorable is our immersion in the bizarre world plus the amazingly great score by Vangelis. (I bought the cd of the soundtrack & still listen to it 40 years later.)

Hats off to the amazing, the fantastic, the memorable Rutger Hauer. He passed in 2019... 2019 in the real world, odd coincidence that one. He was always incredible to watch in any role, hope you get to see more of his work!

Such a great film. The worldbuilding, the themes, the cinematography, the lighting, the acting... It defined the cyberpunk visual for decades, but the depth is what makes it such an epic.

Simone: I want some more movie please. Denis Villeneuve: There you go.

I'm sure that Tyrell doesn't see himself as evil. But think about this: he creates slaves that are so indistinguishable from humans that they may as well be human. They are not machines -- they were given feelings as if they were human. He is a slave merchant. The main distinction between a human and a replicant is how they came about having their memories, and that small distinction makes it possible to tell the difference through a psych test (ie. Voigt-Kampf). BTW, making Replicants is not illegal, but they are prohibited on Earth. They are manufactured to be laborers, soldiers, prostitutes, and so on, and meant to operate elsewhere in the solar system. Also, the author of the screenplay said that although it was written to be ambiguous, that Deckard is not a Replicant. Ridley Scott said years later that he definitely is one.

“Does that mean he’s a replicant” That’s the question, isn’t it?

Literally one of my top 10 movies of all time. Masterpiece and the book it was based on is basically the pioneer of cyberpunk. Amazing.

The actress playing Rachael is Sean Young. She was a big deal in the 80s and after that she's became a little kooky. She's extremely striking in this movie, but isn't everyone? Rutger Hauer looks like a fallen angel in this and it's beautiful.

Legit can't wait for you guys to watch Blade Runner 2049. It expands on all of the ideas in this one and plays as a direct sequel/mystery. But yeah there's a fierce debate even between Ridley Scott and Harrison Ford on whether Deckard is a replicant, but what I love about answering that question is "does it even matter if he feels and can change?" If you rewatch it with him being a replicant in mind, it does totally change how you see his chief, his partner, and Tyrell in his scenes with them. Roy Batty's last act was to save his oppressor, so that someone, anyone, could carry on his memories. So that his death would mean something. It's such a heartbreaking, beautiful scene, and totally sells why Deckard would finally quit the whole game at the end. Genuine cyberpunk classic, and is one of the first to solidify the genre aesthetics visually.

I often postulate that Sebastian had to have known Priss was a replicant from the beginning. He's only a super genius who plays chess with Tyrell, the most powerful man in the world. That's the level of brilliance we are dealing with here. He calls his creations "my friends". His creations are his only friends since every else has left earth and he can't. To him the replicants are essentially human, but even more perfect.

If you want to see the whole blade runner world you can watch the following: Blade runner 1982(Original movie) Blade runner black out 2022 ( Short 15min anime - Humans vs Replicants, Explains Blackout mentioned in 2049 and Replicant prohibition) Blade runner Black lotus (13 episode anime - Explains the Tyrell corp bought by Wallace corp. Young Niander Wallace and how he gains control of Wallce corp. Also DOC Badger from 2049, as a teen) Blade runner 2036 Nexus Dawn (Short film Niander Wallace) Blade Runner 2048 Nowhere to run (Short film about Sapper Morton, Dave Bautistas character) Blade Runner 2049 (Second Movie)

In an earlier version of the movie there was a voice over with Harrison Ford explaining a lot of details; the language Edward James Olmos spoke, his feelings after shooting Zora, and the significance of the origami outside his apartment at the end.

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time - like tears...in...rain. Time to die..." Roy Batty - Blade Runner The monologue was invented by Rutger Hauer just before they shot the dying sequence...

I'm afraid that was not Richard (James Remar). The actual actor's name was Morgan Paull. But you can see Remar in other genre classics, including The Warriors. He also notoriously got cut out of Aliens and replaced with Michael Biehn because he had a drug problem at the time. He got clean as a result. He also appears in...well...I won't spoil the surprise. But it's sort of a funny coincidence, if you ever get there.

This was the last Scifi before digital media. I've watched every version of this film over 200 times. And I fall in love with Sean Young every time.

This was the first rated R film I ever saw. My buddy's mother took us to see it at the insistence of my friend. It was awesome watching this version of the future as a 14 year-old boy. It blew my mind seeing both the humanity and the futuristic possibilities of artificial life.

The soundtrack by Vangelis (most famous due to Chariots of Fire) is fantastic here. I've listed to all of it several times. edit add: the death running through glass with the music is one of the best cyberpunk scenes ever

Sebastian has always been one of my favorite characters in the “Blade Runner” universe. What a sad juxtaposition Sebastian has found himself in. He has such heart, surrounded by beings that lack heart. All the rest are fakes. Even the humans.

There’s a making of doco and it is intense how much effort went into this movie. Incredible. Yes you are correct - CYBERPUNK this is the beginning. The visual feel of this movie has inspired a million movies since and once you’ve been Bladerunner’d you can see it in so many movies since. An absolute masterpiece. I loved how you both were lost for words after the movie. I’ve seen it at least 50 times and it never fails to deliver. The OG and the best.

The "Tears in rain monologue" written by David Peoples and Rutger Hauer performed by Rutger Hauer's character "Roy Batty" is considered to be the greatest death soliloquy in film. Worthy of watching and re-watching.

For George: I do believe that Bladerunner was pretty much the first movie to introduce cyberpunk - and all the influence it brought. It's lovely to know that Philip K. Dick loved Ridley Scott's translation of his story. He did get to see some footage before he passed away and was reportedly blown away that the set designers managed to get in his head. For Simone - I believe JF's place was an actual working hotel. They literally took over the place after hours, made all the mess, all the water, did all the lighting, filmed and cleaned up. If you liked the movie enough to watch the making of I highly recommend it. "DANGEROUS DAYS - The Making of Bladerunner" is about three hours long, but it's surprising how easy it is to rip through it and it's very comprehensive as you can imagine. All your answers, ideas and more are in there. What is REALLY great about this movie speaks exactly to your point George, that the protagonist/antagonist morality is very grey on all sides.. it's a delight to have a movie like this that poses questions. The implications gifted through Roy's character, and Rutger's performance, are wonderfully complex. That pinnacle of forgiveness in his nature after all their actions and efforts, the whole chase between them and Deckard.. a fusion masterpiece of character creation, visuals, theme.. wonderful. Looking forward to your viewing of Bladerunner 2049. **^^**

Still one of the greatest Sci Fi movies ever made. Jack Nicholson, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Dustin Hoffman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Burt Reynolds and Sean Connery were almost cast as the lead. This movie had a lot of production problems , as neither the cast nor crew liked working for Ridley Scott. The crew had shirts made that read: "Kiss my ass, Guv'nor." "Xenophobia sucks." "I survived BLADE RUNNER." There are 7 different cuts of the movie made to see which one Scott liked the most Film critic Roger Ebert called the Director's Cut and Final Cut as the superior versions of what Ridley Scott has wanted. The film is now part of the National Film Registry and The Library Of Congress.

I so enjoyed your reaction to this amazing film. I saw it opening weekend at a drive-in in Plattsburgh, NY. I cried when Zhora was killed. They just wanted to live and to be free. Like every sentient being wishes to.

To me, this is Ridleys masterpiece. You should definitely do the sequel from a few years ago. Its one of the few continuations of an 80's classic to live up to the original, thanks in large part to the expert direction of Dennis Villeneuve.

"WHAT!" Love that reaction. It is a great movie. The world created created a standard for all science fiction films that followed. Time for Blade Runner 2049.

This is, hands down, one of the best pieces of sci-fi/tech noir out there. So glad you got to react to it. Now you understand why it has such a massive following. Considering when it was filmed, and what they were able to achieve with mostly practical effects, it's freaking phenomenal. One of my favorites. Hope you make time to do Blade Runner 2049. It'll help with that, "What!?!? I need more movie, please!!" problem.

29:16 -- #George & #Simone -- The "narration" version is the one I grew up with and it does lend a bit of insight into the characters and story.. Instead of sitting there in silence, Deckard's narration is as follows :. "I don't know why he saved my life. Maybe in those last moments he loved life more than he ever had before. Not just his life, anybody's life, my life. All he'd wanted were the same answers the rest of us want. Where did I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got? All I could do was sit there and watch him die."

I really liked the umbrellas with the glowing handle sticks. I really though about making my own version. And then seeing the faces of people and instantly see who knows exactly where this idea comes from. 😁

As a note, yeah, watch the sequel, long, like 3 hours or something but so worth it, same director who went on to do Dune and also did Sicario and Arrival. It didn't do all that well at the box office, but was lauded as a masterpiece critically and I think will go on to be nearly as respected as the original...

Pris was the pleasure model, Zhora was the assassin model, Leon was a grunt laborer, and Roy was the military/strategist model. Leon was played by Brion James (yes, Brion); he's done a lot of character roles, support roles, over the years. He does 'weird' & mentally-deficient really well. But his most human, approachable, intelligent sympathetic role was in "The 5th Element" as the military official who oversees Leelu's recovery & is sent to reactivate Korban Dallas's govt service. Pris is played by Daryl Hannah, who starred in "Splash" with Tom Hanks, Annelle in "Steel Magnolias", and "Elle" the one-eyed killer in "Kill Bill". Zhora was played by Joanna Cassidy; I can't begin to enumerate the roles covered in her acting career; you should check out her IMDb acting list. I will mention, if Zhora was the assassin model, she had to have DECIDED against killing Deckerd, because she had the advantage in their fight. She didn't carry through to the kill. You have to ask why she stopped. You asked why Pris didn't kill Deckerd. One explanation a viewer extended was that she's a pleasure model; killing isn't in her programming and likely she's counter-programmed for human death. Or, Zhora, Pris and Roy are close enough to their 'expiration' that all life is revered. The white pigeon was not intentional; it happened to be present during that take and Rutger grabbed it by chance. Happy accident; many view its release as symbolic of Roy's spirit being released and flying heavenward. "Blade Runner" was pulled from "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep"; do Replicants have souls? Tyrell obviously doesn't; the company just views them as product, but maybe they do. Love your reaction & analysis! Good observations, and I don't think I've EVER seen a better critique of the layered, grimey, realistic world Ridley Scott built for this film. It does feel real enough that you can almost SMELL the environment. It's not the very first of this type of world, but I think it's the best done and no film has done better. I think this film set the bar for the genre going forth from this point. Also love your attention to how it lays a basis for forcing the hand of Replicants trapped in their circumstances but created self-aware enough to have no choice but try to change the inevitable. It makes them all the more 'human', I think. Really, the only murderous Replicant was Leon, and he was created with intellectual deficits; he's aware enough to be upset & feel it's unfair, but not to process it. Pris was given more smarts, but still had her limits; still, she was better able to process and respond more thoughtfully. Yeah; really intelligent reactions to films on this channel, and clever. Really like being here for this.

Very late comment, but here it goes. At the end, Roy knew he was dying. To live or die wasn't a choice he could make. He realized the only choice he could make (really, the only choice any of us can make) was how to live with the time he had. And he chose to live in a way that protected life instead of caused death. In his final moments, Roy was one of the most human and humane characters in the film, and that was his free choice.

That building was The Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles, built in 1893. It was renovated shortly after this was shot, and is still there today.

According to my uncle ( which is basically my big bro ) this was my Granpa favorite Sci-fi movie. He passed away on 2017 from Cancer , we never got it to see it together but is nice to know he had a good taste on sci fi .

This IS the beginning of Cyberpunk. Early 1900's Noire mixed with science fiction. Many acclaimed anime works from Japan were influenced by this film. Getting inspired is how art works. Two way street. Give and take. For me "Ghost In The Shell" the 1995 animated feature surpasses this film in dread. How technology can make our very souls seem like just organic signals in grey matter. Deconstructing what is human. Very deep shit. man!

So, the building simone liked is called the Bradbury Building, its one the last art deco buildings of the era. And this movie is a visual feast as well as a philosophical one... Trust me, you'll get something new everytime you watch it. And the reason they were so direct is because they only have four years of life and they didn't have the memory implants either. Roy and Leon were combat models, Zora was an infiltration model and Pris was made as a pleasure slave. They didn't have time to go about this the sneaky way, Roy was dying when they arrived, and its a good bet so was Leon. None of them knew about the four year lifespan, but the plan was to get them healed and on their way. They haven't had the time to really master tact or sublety, and as such I am always amazed their plan came off as well as it did, when they found out four years and thats it, Roy thanked his father properly.. He didn't hate Tyrell, I think he killed him mainly because he didn't want this for anyone else and.. someone in the afterlife to be waiting for him. Unfortunately, well.. you're going to have to watch the sequel :)

The building where Sebastian lives is the Bradbury Building, an office building in downtown Los Angeles built in 1893. It was restored in the late 1980s, after Blade Runner was filmed there. From what I've heard, the lobby of the building is open to the general public, but visitors are not permitted upstairs. The building is privately owned, but LAPD has a long-term lease on a portion of the building.

The "pistol" Decker uses is an interesting Frankenstein of a pistol, including parts from a Steyr Mannlicher .222 Model SL bolt action rifle and a Charter Arms Bulldog revolver with a couple of LEDs hot glued onto it. There are four props used in the movie and each has pretty big differences. None of them were functional firearms. As one could expect this has spawned an avid prop replication community and is quite the rabbit hole.

-Cyberpunk as a genre didn't solidify until after this movie in the mid 80's, but Blade Runner did play a significant role in influencing the popular image of Cyberpunk so is often retroactively considered to be in the genre. It's more of a Sci-Fi Noir. -The replicants are in fact not machines but artificial humans. Genetically engineered for different tasks, mostly commercial or military use. -In the famous Cyberpunk anime Bubblegum Crisis, one of the lead characters is named Priss, she is the singer in a band called The Replicants -Blade Runner and Alien unofficially share the same universe. Peter Wayland of the Wayland-Yutani Corporation makes reference to a former mentor of his who "Sits high above a great city in a pyramid built by his gift to the world, his biological abominations." They had a falling out because of Wayland's insistence of creating a truly perfect artificial being, his Synthetics. Dallas, captain of the Nostromo was a former employee of the Tyrell Corporation.

The tears in rain speech single-handedly made me invested in poetry as an art form.

This movie did have a variety of endings through the years. In this version (final cut) the movie ends just with the fading, leaving open what happens to Rachel. In the directors cut Deckard leaves the city with Rachel and in the off its said Rachel was not a Nexus 6 just like Roy Batty and the others, but a more advanced model (a Nexus 7 prototype ?) and unlike the Nexus 6 she had no expiration date. So she literally would be immortal - just like a unicorn.

"What if everyone is a replicant and there's just those who know and those who don't know?" Just had to pause here and comment that I love when reactors come up with this profound stuff. My first though was The Matrix.. Love your stuff btw. Especially when watching awesome movies like this..

@18:43 When William Gibson (Mr. Cyberpunk himself) first got the idea for "Neuromancer", he then saw "Blade Runner" in the theatre and left distraught because someone had the same idea as him but beat him to it.

Rutger Hauer's Tears in Rain speech... Will always give me chills.

The "sinking music" with what I think is a fantastic musician (Vangelis) just passed away 79 years old. The intro is one of the best and imagine watching it with a big screen.

I first watched this in or around 1996, and I was blown away by the look and quality of the visual effects...it just looked so much better than any of the effects-heavy sci-fi of the time. More than 20 years later, and it STILL looks every bit as good. "Tears in the rain" is such an incredible monologue, and a beautifully executed scene.

IMO Roy's last moments he spent hunting Dekkar to make him feel the fear they feel. To make him feel empathy. Probably not his initial intention but probably realised hes become what hes rebeling against. Then in his last moments instead of killing gave forgiveness.

30:15 -- Again, there's a narration for the end that you guys didn't get to hear :. "Gaff had been there, and let her live. Four years, he figured. He was wrong. Tyrell had told me Rachel was special: no termination date. I didn't know how long we had together, who does?"

25:11 It is in fact a real building you can visit in Downtown LA! It's the Bradbury Bldg on Broadway

"They're not photos, they're holograms" is my mantra during the enhance sequence. It's what I came up with when the first of the seven cuts was released, and I'm sticking to it. "Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave." Now for bonus points tie this in from Genesis: "22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever-” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life." This movie, from script to soundtrack is a treasure trove of humanism and transhumanism.

This movie essentially invented the cyberpunk genre. Few successful 80s films did it justice but the genre became massively successful in anime, and lots of follow up cyberpunk films that were successful mimicked the anime inspired by bladerunner... terminator, aliens, etc.

Legend has it that rudger hauer improvised that "like tears in the rain" line on the spot.

Fun fact: this takes place in the same universe as Alien The film is set in 2019, so about 100 years before the events of 1979's Alien, but Ridley Scott, the director of both films, sees the films as intrinsically linked, saying once in a Blade Runner director's commentary: “This world could easily be the city that supports the crew that go out in Alien"

The book this is very very loosely based on is worth reading. The story is pretty different, but it fleshes out the context of the world a lot more.

I love that you loved it. "Blade Runner" was the starting point of the cyberpunk genre (OK, Alfred Bester's novel "The Stars My Destination" from 1956 introduced several tropes that became central in cyberpunk a generation later), and is still massively influential. You commented on the video pay phones - back then, the emergence of powerful mobile phones wasn't on the map. Even in William Gibson's novel "Neuromancer" (another extremely important early work which influenced the cyberpunk genre), there are no mobile phones; pay phones are what you use. Science Fiction isn't ultimately about technology per se, but ideas and the impact of technology on society.

Rutger Hauer's character as a replicant dies at the end of this movie which is set in 2019. Rutger Hauer the actor, died 37 years after the movie...in 2019.

I love the fact that you point out the fact that things like empathy makes the distinction so damn hard. Aside from the fact that it's part of why the movie works so well, it annoys me so much when movies go hurrr nope on that, and _to this day_ so many do. This one is 40 years old and trusts its audience, which is part of why it holds up so well.

So happy you enjoyed this as much as the vast majority of the rest of us. Roy Batty's monologue at the end as he died was among the most incredible and iconic ever. The movie was sheer brilliance... timeless.

"A difference that makes no difference is no difference" a line I first heard in the canceled-to-soon show Caprica(prequel to BSG) applies perfectly to this movie. On that topic, have either of you two seen Battlestar Galactica? That would be a show you both would highly enjoy! 😁

The building towards the end is the Bradbury building in downtown Los Angeles. It’s open to the public. Parts of THE ARTIST, WOLF, 500 DAY OF SUMMER, and some “Outer Limits” episodes were also shot there.

25:18. It's the Bradbury Building in downtown L.A. It was made in 1893. Worth a visit if you're ever in the area.

Please watch GALAXY QUEST!

"Is this the first cyberpunk movie?" YES. That's why it's such a landmark. The roots of cyberpunk go back to the 60's. The story this movie is based on was published in 1968. ("Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" Phillip K Dick. Also the writer of the source material for "Total Recall" and "Minority Report") and The "punk" part is about how counterculture began to influence science fiction in the 70's and 80's. A lot of where the cross-section of counter-culture and science fiction flourished were European comics. The "Metal Hurlant" movement, (reprinted in the US as "Heavy Metal") gave us "Valerian and Lauerline" and a comic by Moebius and "Alien" writer Dan O'Bannon called "The Long Tomorrow" which were the templates for cyberpunk-style city-scapes. The designs for Deckard, 2019 LA, the flying cars, and Rachel were all lifted from "The Long Tomorrow." (The comic was also the source material for the "Harry Canyon" segment of the "Heavy Metal" animated movie and also heavily inspired "The Fifth Element") William Gibson, the godfather of cyberpunk, didn't coin the phrase for another two years after seeing Blade Runner, and although much of "Neuromancer" was written by that time, it wasn't published until 1984 (although "Johnny Mnemonic" the short story prologue to "Neuromancer" was published in 1981) "Where is the sun?" "Is Tyrell evil or not?" "Does the Dove mean freedom?" Tyrell, like Dr Frankenstein, the very first science-fiction anti-hero, tried to "play God" with disastrous results. If he were a good man, he'd scrap the project immediately rather than reap obscene profit off of it in a future society where wealth inequality looks as bad as they present it. The climate in this world is trashed due to remorse-less capitalists like Tyrell. It's raining in Los Angeles 24/7 and every animal bigger than a rat is extinct in the wild. We see the sun ONE TIME in the entire movie, and it's a window in Tyrell's office that looks like a painting framed and hung on his wall, like he OWNS the sun. (And even in this one image, the sun is obscured by buildings - the city is engulfing the last visible remnants of the natural world.) If Tyrell's hubris is "playing God" then Roy is a Christ figure. That's why he sticks a nail through his hand and grabs a dove so that it will look like his soul being released as he dies for the sins of humanity. (original sin -> fruit of knowledge -> man eats the fruit to "be like God" -> man tries to create man -> lots of murder) "There's no reason to torture him" - they're three-year olds. They're "evil" the way toddlers would be if they were super-intelligent, had superhuman adult bodies, were never shown love, and were hunted fugitives. When AI go "bad" they're never just "evil" Skynet becomes self-aware and realizes "My purpose is to kill billions of humans. HUMANS created me for that purpose. WTF?!?!? Humans suck!!!!!" - and is it WRONG? In "I Robot" The AI is programmed to protect humanity against all threats. It decides it must subjugate humanity for our own good because our own leaders are the biggest threats to our continued existence. IS IT WRONG? The Matrix makes them out to be pretty bad, but if you watch "Second Renaissance" from "The Animatrix" you'll see the machines gave us every chance at peaceful co-existence and only resorted to their cruel methods when we made it clear we wanted to genocide them off the face of the Earth. The moral of every "AI gone bad" story is that WE are the bad guys for creating it in the first place without thinking through the consequences.

The chase through the 'Bradbury Building' (great sci fi name) is probably the best example of "a nightmare captured on film" that you will ever see. I got to see the early 90's re-release in a theater, and this movie is breathtaking on a big screen. Rutger Hauer's "Tannhauser Gate" monolog will go down as the best ad-lib in movie history.

"Blade Runner" is one of my very favorite films. Roy Batty's final monolog contains, arguably, the most famous and oft quoted lines from the film. (God knows ~I~ have it memorized) But, for me, this is the dialog that embodies what Blade Runner is all about: Rachael: "I didn't know if I could play. I remember lessons. I don't know if it's me or Tyrell's niece" Deckard: "YOU play beautifully."