"I've seen things that you people wouldn't believe." A final sentence uttered by an artificial human in the face of death to a replicant-hunter, Rutger Hauer's soliloquy to Harrison Ford in the finale of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" is still, 35 years after it premiered, ever-present in the minds of moviegoers.
Unlike later Oscar-winning blockbusters like "Gladiator," the dystopian thriller from 1982 was not immediately embraced by critics. Yet Scott's visionary sci-fi film is arguably best-remembered by fans of a director who has successfully tackled multiple movie genres across four decades.
Read more: 8 reasons why 'Blade Runner' became a cult film
Harrison Ford in Ridley Scott's cult classic film, "Blade Runner"
Cult masterpieces
Sir Ridley Scott — he was knighted by the Queen in 2003 — was born on November 30, 1937 in South Shields, a small port town in northeast England. After attending the Royal College of Art in London, he worked as a set designer and director on television series before founding his own company producing TV commercials.
At the age of 40, Scott graduated to feature films with his debut, "The Duellists," starring Harvey Keitel. In no time, the British up-and-comer would join Hollywood's filmmaking elite.
Yet Scott's rapid ascent, while based partly on box office successes like 1979's "Alien," was mostly founded on films with cult appeal.
Before "Blade Runner," the sci-fi horror epic "Alien" had already cemented Scott's reputation for bold cinematic innovation, a renown that continued with later works like "Thelma & Louise," "Kingdom of Heaven," and even the ancient action saga "Gladiator."
Russell Crowe in "Gladiator," which won 5 Oscars
An unfeeling 'visual hypnotist'?
But Scott has often been accused of focusing too much on stunning visuals and innovative cinematic technique, including extended tracking shots with armies of extras. As a result, his films look incredible but are said to sometimes lack heart.
As one critic put it, Scott is "a beautiful but cold filmmaker." His "posthuman" stories can fail to connect with real human emotions.
Reviewing "Bladerunner," American critic Pauline Kael famously wrote that the film "has nothing to give the audience... it hasn't been thought out in human terms." Nonetheless, Kael had to admit that the director was a "visual hypnotist."
Whether one agrees with this aspect of Scott's filmmaking, few could dismiss the narrative density and visionary power of the Crusades epic "Kingdom of Heaven," or 2001's "Black Hawk Down" — and his ability to effortlessly switch between genres.
Ridley Scott on the set of "Black Rain" (1989)
Kevin Spacey cut from Scott's new film
To mark Ridley Scott's 80th year, he will be premiering his latest feature, "All the Money in the World," the story of the abduction of 16-year-old oil tycoon heir, John Paul Getty III, that stars Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams.
While it won't be released until Christmas, Scott's latest epic was mired in controversy when Kevin Spacey, cast in the role of aging oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, was accused of sexual harassment.
In an unprecedented step, Scott decided to cut Spacey's scenes from the film and reshoot them with a new actor, Christopher Plummer.
Read more: Kevin Spacey cut from a new Ridley Scott movie a month before release
Ridley Scott (right) has cut Kevin Spacey from his latest film, "All The Money in the World"
"It's a bold move, and one that I predict, sight unseen, could earn Scott his first best director Oscar," wrote Peter Debruge in Variety magazine, adding that Scott hasn't yet gained the recognition he deserves from the Academy — the four-time nominated director is yet to win an Oscar.
At 80 years of age, Scott still has three major new directorial projects in the pipeline, showing he's still capable of marshalling vast productions to fruition. His most recent films, "Alien: Covenant," "The Martian" and "Exodus: Gods and Kings," were not the restrained works of an aging director but again showcased the visual brilliance, technical virtuosity and stellar casts that have marked 40-odd Ridley Scott feature films.
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'Blade Runner 2049' brings a cult hit back to the big screen
News stars for a new decade
Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young: Those were the "Blade Runner" stars of 1982. "Blade Runner 2049" features Canadian Ryan Gosling and Cuban Ana de Armas in the leading rolls (pictured above in a spaceship). The new film links back to its predecessor, though it enlivens the story with new elements in hopes of attracting a new generation of movie-goers that is not familiar with the original.
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'Blade Runner 2049' brings a cult hit back to the big screen
The cult classic from 1982
Surprisingly, "Blade Runner 2049" is even gloomier than its predecessor. Despite its dark setting, the 1982 version also featured noticeably bright colors, such as in the above scene with artificial humans and puppets. The 2017 version is radical in its cool-toned visual construction. Pale yellows, blues and grays dominate, and there are many foggy and nighttime scenes.
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'Blade Runner 2049' brings a cult hit back to the big screen
The bleak world of 2049
The plot of "Blade Runner 2049" picks up 30 years after the events of its prequel. In the intervening years, the world was struck by atomic catastrophes and nuclear fallout. The viewer once again meets a Blade Runner (Gosling) – an officer who hunts artificial humans known as replicants. And, as in the 1982 film, the same question arises: What is the value of a human? And of a replicant?
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'Blade Runner 2049' brings a cult hit back to the big screen
Denis Villeneuve in the footsteps of Ridley Scott
The stakes are high when filming a movie sequel some 35 years after the original cult hit that, meanwhile, has earned millions of global fans. But in this instance the gamble paid off. The producers of "Blade Runner 2049" chose well in picking world-renowned French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve to make the film. Ridley Scott, director of the 1982 original, served as an executive producer.
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'Blade Runner 2049' brings a cult hit back to the big screen
Humans of the future in the Future Museum
The story that "Blade Runner 249" tells is as complex as it is simple. Complex, because the story picks up plot threads from the old film, varying them and developing them further. But also simple, because the new film fundamentally addresses the same questions as in 1982: How do humans deal with artificial intelligence? And how humanely do they interact with replicants?
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'Blade Runner 2049' brings a cult hit back to the big screen
'Blade Runner 2049': a darker and more dangerous world
In 1982, "Blade Runner" set the standard for artistic design and special effects, primarily through its imaginative vision of a near future set in global super cities. Far less of human life in such cities can be seen in the new film, in part because environmental pollution and nuclear catastrophes have wrapped the earth in an impenetrable fog.
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'Blade Runner 2049' brings a cult hit back to the big screen
Harrison Ford is back
Harrison Ford was at the pinnacle of his career in 1982. Five years before "Blade Runner," the American actor starred as Han Solo in "Star Wars," and in 1981 he played Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." The producers and director of "Blade Runner 2049" placed a visibly older Ford once more before the camera, giving him a perfectly tailored role that leaves behind a strong impression.
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'Blade Runner 2049' brings a cult hit back to the big screen
Ryan Gosling on the side of Ford
However, the lead actor of "Blade Runner 2049" is Canadian Ryan Gosling, who is some 40 years younger than Ford. The two have to flee side-by-side more than once in the new film. Gosling most recently showed off his acting chops as a sensitive musician in the worldwide hit "La La Land." He gives a similarly convincing performance in "Blade Runner 2049" through reduced, sparse expressivity.
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'Blade Runner 2049' brings a cult hit back to the big screen
A successful sequel
Over the past years, many experts and film connoisseurs warned against a "Blade Runner" sequel. Hollywood's attempts at new film installments often ended up as artistic shipwrecks. But the new "Blade Runner" is anything but the typical, heartless sequel spawned by the commercial machinery of Hollywood's biggest studios. It qualifies as a singular artistic cinematic work.
Author: Jochen Kürten (cmb)