Griffin- Adam Savage's "Blade Runner"

In Adam Savage’s article on “Blade Runner,” his favorite film, he dissects the film’s technology and mise en scene to show the timeless merit of the movie. He maintains that despite more advanced and sophisticated sci-fi films like “Matrix” and “Star Wars” that came after, “Blade Runner surpasses anything that’s been done since.” Movies in this genre rely heavily on special effects and CGI for their mass appeal, so how can “Blade Runner” still shine as a movie superior to its more technologically advanced descendants?

Ridley Scott was resourceful with the technology available to him, like model mastery and motion control, using it to create a world in which the viewer feels very much apart and grounded. These techniques might not seem appealing to filmmakers today but the older methods cannot be forgotten in favor of newer devices. All of the technology in “Blade Runner” serves the greater purpose of the story, and the narrative, the most central device in any movie. The very story itself cannot be obscured or neglected to special affects, which this film avoids.  “Blade Runner” is timeless and successful because the character arch of Rick Deckard is complete and the themes followed through. The technology that creates the dystopian megalopolis of the future allows the viewer to inhabit the setting intimately, but our focus remains on the profound conflict of what is human and who has the power to give and take away life. Sci-fi films of today would   do well to remember “Blade Runner” and mimic its ability to dazzle with CGI and the like while also being able to communicate a story that resonates in the real world.