Blade Runner at 25: Why the Sci-Fi F/X Are Still Unsurpassed
I worked on Star Wars Episodes I and II, on the Matrix films, on AI and Terminator 3; yet 25 years later there are ways in which Blade Runner surpasses anything that's been done since. Watching the theatrical release DVD at home with PM reminded me of Scott's genius for creating stunning effects with simple technology.
It's written by Adam Savage ("Mythbusters"). I guess one could throw in the obvious archaeo-connection with Harrison Ford. He was in his absolute hey-day then, with Star Wars, Bladerunner, Indiana Jones, etc. all coming out.
You know, this is a movie I've never quite gotten that into, but it still gives me powerful memories of the 1980s. Apparently, the biggest controversy involving the film is the director's cut vs the theatrical release. The latter apparently added the voice-over by Ford and a happy ending. I've only seen it a handful of times, but it's really quite spectacular. It owed a lot to both Star Wars (the original) and Alien in that The Future was pretty grimy and, as Savage points out, "lived in". It's the sort of future most of us can identify with. The sound track is really neat, too. I've been meaning to buy the DVD and will look for the director's cut myself.
There's one other big controversy that has supposedly recently been settled, but giving that away would be kind of a spoiler.
A note on Alien: I read the book first and it scared the crap out of me so I didn't go see the movie figuring it would be a letdown. I saw Aliens before I saw the original. I prefer the latter as a movie, but that's a minority opinion I'm sure.