Under the Influence: Blade Runner

 If only Los Angeles really looked like this.

Just how influential is this film? Let’s start by taking a look at its impact on the science-fiction genre itself; specifically the sub-genre of cyberpunk. People debate whether Blade Runner is a true cyberpunk (I think it is) but what can’t be argued is the fact that the film laid out the blueprint for the genre. The term “cyberpunk” originated in 1983 as the title of Bruce Bethke’s short story, but it's William Gibson's novel Neuromancer that's the most famous early work of the genre. That came out in 1984. Blade Runner was released in 1982. See what I’m getting at? Here’s what Gibson had to say:  

"About ten minutes into Blade Runner, I reeled out of the theater in complete despair over its visual brilliance and its similarity to the "look" of Neuromancer, my [then] largely unwritten first novel. Not only had I been beaten to the semiotic punch, but this damned movie looked better than the images in my head!”

Dystopian megacity. Dreary skies. Pollution. Neon ads. Industrial high-rises. All visual staples of cyberpunk first seen in Blade Runner. But aside from that, Blade Runner also helped shift the aesthetic of sci-fi’s to a much darker area. Look at the films that followed: The Terminator, Aliens, Brazil, The Running Man, Videodrome... The list goes on and on. And on a quick side-note, let’s not forget the film’s also one of the leading examples of neo-noir (film noir updated visually, thematically, stylistically, etc.) and arguably what really pushed the genre into wide-acceptance.

Blade Runner even had an effect on the technology seen in sci-fi flicks. Technology isn’t so much a savior anymore as it brings about the industrial nightmares of these future worlds. It becomes more sinister and plays out on a smaller scale than a movie like Star Wars. Sound like an idea you’ve seen in more recent works? The replicants also directly influenced how robots and bioengineered beings were portrayed. Instead of sleek metallic exteriors they now resemble humans, like the Terminator, and strive to feel and understand human emotion.

The visual style of Blade Runner was so influential, that Christopher Nolan had the entire crew of Batman Begins watch it before filming. The Matrix trilogy, along with other cyberpunks like Robocop and The Fifth Element, are other films Blade Runner’s visual style can be seen in. Even Duncan Jones, director of Moon, has stated his next project, Mute, is a Blade Runner inspired piece. 

Blade Runner also helped shape the career of Harrison Ford. His performance here, coupled with Witness a few years later, proved he was more than just a Han Solo or Indiana Jones type. He was a leading man capable of playing the dramatic scenes when the script called for them.   

And on a smaller note,  Blade Runner and Heaven’s Gate were the first films to ever be re-released as a director’s cut. Nowadays so many films roll out a director’s cut on DVD we kind of take it for granted. A couple of main points to the director's cut were the removal of the god-awful studio imposed happy-ending with Deckard's voice-overs, and the integration of another unicorn sequence. It really allowed us to see Scott's true vision for the film and changed the dynamic of Deckard's character with the "is he or isn't he a replicant debate" (he is). I’m not even going to get into a breakdown of all the other different cuts of the film. Let’s just say I think Ridley’s version is the best.

But Blade Runner’s influence stretches far beyond the film world. Numerous video games have drawn from it. I’m talking about games like Manhunter, Shadowrun, and Final Fantasy VII. Even the creators of the smash hit Mass Effect admitted their synthesizer-heavy score was directly inspired by Vangelis’ score for Blade Runner. Remember Tom’s piece on the lack of memorable themes in modern films? Not the case with Blade Runner. I’m sure countless musicians look to it for inspiration. And in a quick shout out to the anime and manga world, cyberpunks here can all give some thanks to Blade Runner. Akira, Battle Angela Alita, and Ghost in the Shell just to name a few.

While I’ve spent all this time talking about  Blade Runner's impact, I think it’s only fair we talk about what inspired it. Staring off generally, a big influence on Blade Runner is something I already mentioned – film noir. The narrative and visual styles of the genre are seen everywhere in this film: hard-boiled detective, shadowy figures, disenchantment, etc. Beyond that, there are two works most closely associated with Blade Runner’s style. The first is Fritz Lang’s 1927 masterpiece Metropolis. The dystopian vision of a megacity filled with moral injustice and technology running off the rails was clearly on the minds of all the filmmakers. And we can’t leave out Heavy Metal magazine (Métal Hurlant before it came to America). The artist Moebius was a huge influence on William Gibson and Ridley Scott. Mobeius’ “A Long Tomorrow” in particular has many parallels with Scott’s film. Ridley apparently wanted Mobeius to work on Blade Runner but he was under contract at the time.

I realize I haven’t even touched on the story-telling of Blade Runner. The noir-like mystery beautifully weaved throughout. Or the poignant themes of death and immorality, memories, genetic engineering, and the rise of technology. How about the religious motifs? Roy and the other replicants as Lucifer-type fallen angels. And let’s not forget the push towards character driven sci-fi’s with deep internal conflicts. These ideas and conventions have popped up time and again post- Blade Runner  and it goes to show you just how much influence this film really has had. You can write an entire thesis on its impact.  Many have. 

The bottom line is that  Blade Runner is a timeless film that has had a profound impact on so many levels. And like all the greats, it will continue to inspire for years to come.