The Correctness Round Table : A New Blade Runner Movie
There was a huge announcement last week that caused ripples of excitement, terror, joy and disdain throughout the Geek Community. Ridley Scott would be making another film in the Blade Runner universe. No word on whether it’s a a prequel, a sequel, or otherwise with Harrison Ford’s participation being called very unlikely. When we heard the news, we figured it definitely called for a round table…
THE NEW BLADE RUNNER PROJECT….THOUGHTS?
Admin_Rock
Well, It’s a bit of a joke that we’re discussing a new version of Blade Runner, as there have been 74 different versions released at this point. Do I like Blade Runner? Yes. Is it my favorite movie? No. Do I like answering my own questions in the style of Robert Evans? Indeed.
The problem I have is that Scott will almost certainly push the Deckard is a replicant issue. It’s dumb. The way I see it is this: If Deckard is a replicant, the story loses most of its point. The irony is that he’s killing these “people”, who have hopes and dreams, with little regard. He’s lost his own humanity (but not because he’s a replicant). If you make him one for real, it’s the story of a rep hunting other reps. BFD.
I’m more intrigued by the Alien prequel Scott is talking about. Though, this is Scott, we’ll be lucky if we get a movie out of him in this decade.
TBINNS
This could go either way.
On the side of good is Sir Ridley Scott’s involvement. However…he did direct Robin Hood…which is just awful. I mean , really awful. I was at a drive in for the first time in years and it took all of about 20 minutes to kill my nostalgia buzz, leaving me with two more long tedious hours to get through.
But I digress.
I think this CAN work. If Vangelis is on board…if you get a great sci fi writer (What’s Warren Ellis doing these days?) if you film panoramas and certain action scenes in full Imax the way Nolan did in Dark Knight, if they cast it carefully, I think that it is something worth doing.
On the other hand, if they add 3-d in post, simply make it a reboot with a younger hotter cast,(Under no circumstances should Ryan Reynolds be a Blade Runner) try and dumb it down, or if it falls victim to any number of things that studio interference can cause , it will be a very expensive disaster.
So I’m cooling my jets, checking the “intrigued but not overjoyed” box, and hoping for the best while expecting the worst.
And for the record…Just because they CAN make a Blade Runner movie with bright shiny computer special effects….doesn’t mean they SHOULD!
Intern Benji
Seriously? You people are still talking about this boring neon mumblefest all these years later? You know there’s a revolution in Libya right? Jesus Christ. Unless Ridley Scott is making a film called “Report to the Box Office and I’ll Refund your Money for that First Tedious Piece of Shit Blade Runner Movie.” I really don’t give a rat’s ass.
Fuck Ridley Scott and his dumb ass human robot whatevers.
CUB REPORTER KEITH
I’m not against it from the outset, mainly because I read and enjoyed KW Jeter’s Replicant novels that merged Blade Runner with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep into one world.
Hollywood has always been the land of ‘everything old is new again’ (The Maltese Falcon is a remake), and if they have to go back to the well on Blade Runner I’m glad a) Ridley Scott is involved and b) it isn’t a remake.
The only thing that will probably be diminished is that any prequel/sequel may definitively answer the question “is Deckard a replicant?”
One of my all-time favorite directorial genius stories is that Scott went into the film believing Deckard is a replicant, but told Harrison Ford that he wasn’t. It’s a subtle thing, but to have Ford never doubt his own humanity gives an edge to the performance.
Blade Runner designer Syd Mead said the flying cars were for the very wealthy and law enforcement. So cheer up, you have this world of no flying cars instead of that one where they exist but you can’t have one.
Blade Runner takes place in 2019, at the rate Scott works that seems like a good year to release the follow-up.
Blade Runner is considered such a classic now, but it barely made its $28-million budget back when it came out in 1982. I hope I’ve helped them out the 4 times I’ve bought it. I’ve bought it on vhs, 3 cuts on dvd and now blu-ray. And I’m not even counting that my blu-ray set has 5 cuts of the film.
NOTE: many, many photos of Sean Young included in lieu of a paid vacation for Cub Reporter Keith.
ROBBIEROBTOWN
It is a scientific fact that when we revisit a fictional universe , the new product is vastly improved. Examples of impressive and heartwarming successes include: Star Wars I-III, Indiana Jones IV, Jurassic Park II and III, The Neverending Story II (is there a III as well?), and Transformers (all the new films).
Not convinced? Need more examples of incalculable improvements to the original material? What about My Girl II and III, The Gus Van Sant shot-for-shot remake of Psycho, The Smurfs (In 3d at last! Finally, something to bring some depth to those characters. Something to literally bring depth to those characters), The Steve Martin Pink Panther films, Predator II, or Final Destination 1-5 (Final destination 5 spoiler alert: Someone dies by scraping against the bottom of a barrel)?
How about The Silmarillion, which was not at all an awkward, overwrought Ent-Moot of a novel? I am sure there were a lot of fans of Elven poetry who wished that they could read way more poems without the annoyance of a coherent or compelling narrative interrupting their scansion.
Since the cancellation of Family Guy, and the subsequent triumphant return, the storytelling has been logical and involving. At no point since the return of this show have I ever felt that I did not care about the charaters, nor have I ever felt that the writers were too occupied dangling their own penises in meat grinders to write an actual story. No, I would not wish for you, our dear audience, to get the slightest sense that I have any objections to that show.
Once one has examined this hot, steaming pile of evidence, one cannot possibly help but yearn for the release of the new Blade Runner film. Not only that, but if you review my evidence, you will note that the original creators of this corpus of awesome are frequently involved in these continuing stories. If Steven Spielberg or George Lucas can’t fail, how could Ridley Scott?
We nerds must herald the continuing saga Blade Runner like the Silver Surfer would be herald for Galactus. Prepare for your mental planet to be eaten and shat out! Blade Runner rises, like a phoenix from the asses. Huzzah!
Well there you have it…We are ambivalent at best. And Benji is kind of a dick. Care to join the discussion? Comment away, oh ye the Correct.
