movieguru

If you have never seen the movie Blade Runner before, can it still be enjoyable by the first time viewer or is it too out of date that it should only be viewed for nostalgic reasons?

Troy Stiffler

Yes. But it is still a relatively calm and quiet movie. Really anything older than 25 years old has an entirely different rhythm. Movies like the MCU have added so many story beats so you never lose anyone's attention.

Mike86

I’ll say this and I’m not happy to admit it. I’ve tried to watch the film on two separate occasions. Both times I fell asleep, and I feel like it was around the same part (I don’t remember exactly where). I feel like I should like it. It’s 80s sci-fi, stars Harrison Ford, and is directed by Ridley Scott in his prime. It’s just never clicked with me though. Someday I hope to force myself through it just to say I’ve actually seen it.

TheAllPurposeNothing

While I think the Vangelis score is definitely of its time, nothing else really yells 80s to me.

So it really comes down to the viewer and how they feel about films with a more meditative tone. A good barometer might be how they feel about films like Interstellar or Arrival.

movieguru

I've felt the same with Dune .I felt since it was sci-fi, I should like it. Tried to watch it a few times years ago and just couldn't get through more than half an hour of it. The plot of that one seems very complicated though.; don't know if Blade Runner is the same of more straight forward.

movieguru

I've never seen Arrival but I've seen Interstellar. I thought the plot went all over the place and never really made much sense. The writer and director seemed like they were trying to make something artsy and intellectual but failed.

Count Dooku

I don't think it is accessible as "just entertainment" to a casual viewer -- someone who just wants to watch what someone else says is a good movie.

Despite the fact that the movie was set 40 years in the future (from when it was made), it is a 40 year old movie. To be appreciated, the viewer has to be able to contextualize what they are watching. This is not something everybody is willing and able to do, as anyone who has struggled to get people to watch b/w classics from the 40s knows.

Also, I think understanding where BR is coming from artistically requires some familiarity with the film noir genre and an interest in dystopian sci-fi. Just because someone enjoys the sci-fi/action entertainment produced today does not mean they are going to be in sync with BR.

I'm not saying BR is at the level of Citizen Kane, but in 1983 you couldn't just plop someone down in front of CK and expect them to "get" it, and you can't do that with BR today.

TheAllPurposeNothing

Didn't mean it as a direct comparison. It was more about the idea that they are all contemplative science fiction films vs action spectacles. That said, I think a lot of Blade Runner naysayers feel the same way about that film that you feel about Interstellar.

I personally feel that both BR and BR2049 are much more successful films on that level, however. Your mileage may vary.

cultshock

I feel the same way. A sci-fi movie with Ford and directed by Scott sounds like a slam dunk for me, and after enjoying Alien so much I was sure this would be great. But when I first saw it as a teenager and the one or two times I've watched it since, it's never clicked with me. And that annoys me, I feel like I should like it, and several scenes are great, but as a whole film it's never connected with me and it makes me sad.

wendersfan

I feel pretty much the same way. There are things I love about it and things that just bore me. And I've seen, AFAIK, all the different versions by now.

But to answer the OP's question, I see no reason why someone in 2020 who's never seen it wouldn't enjoy or appreciate it.

DWilson

I've watched the film several times, and I enjoy it more each time. Of course, each time it's been on the occasion of another edit, another version of the film. I still haven't been won over by 2049, though I commend the effort. I think if you're a student of Film or of Science Fiction, it's required viewing, but you have to be able to appreciate its context and its flaws, as well as the debate it manages to stir. It's a cold film and not easy to emotionally connect to.

Noonan

I also have never seen this one for some reason. For us in that boat, which version should we dive into?

Why So Blu?

I think the is a masterpiece but not easily accessible to the layman. It's cerebral, science fiction noir, and a slow burn. Not for everyone.

dex14

The Final Cut.

movieguru

What is the difference between versions?

dex14

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vers...f_Blade_Runner

tonyc3742

I've watched it a couple times. My wife had never seen it.
We watched it together a couple months ago - she said it was slow and boring.
I couldn't disagree with the first part.
And the whole

was a little more awkward now than it was when I first saw it.

I like it, and watch it every couple years, but sometimes I feel like I have to work at liking it, if that makes any sense. And sometimes it's more a feeling of "a film I should watch".

Nick Danger

It's one of my favorite movies. But as for whether it's watchable for modern viewers, I'm not really the person to ask about widespread tastes. I also like many B&W, 4:3 movies.

I discussed Bladerunner with a roommate in the early 1990s. Or I tried to. He didn't get any of the nuances. To him it was just another cop movie, Hawaii Five-O in the future. So it wasn't very accessible when it was new.

IBJoel

I watched it as a teenager (13-15) in 2002-2004. I was definitely used to faster-paced stuff (this is when the Star Wars Prequels and Matrix Sequels were coming out), but still very much enjoyed it. I think it's really helped by creating a specific mood: rainy, retro cyberpunk city. I should probably rewatch it this November...

orangerunner

It's hard to say but for a 40-year-old movie it still looks very modern. When you watch Blade Runner 2049 it doesn't feel like there was nearly 40 years between the two films, especially when you compare a sci-fi film made 40 years before Blade Runner (1982).

tonyc3742

Absolutely - it looks cool as hell. Beautiful in 4k. I love the set design, character design, lighting, score, etc. Always have. Future noir, creepy dark, a little oppressive. Its pace is much more measured, and it relies more on atmosphere, than most modern box office hits.

Josh-da-man

I tried to watch Blade Runner when I was a teenager. Rented it on VHS; don't remember if it was the DC or the TC, but it bored the shit out of me. It seemed like it was all shadows and people in trenchcoats mumbling.

Ended up buying it on DVD (snapper case version) to give it another shot, and finally watching it in widescreen with good colors, I was blown away.

Probably helped that I was a little older by then, and had gotten into William Gibson and cyberpunk in the meantime, so I was not only more mature, but also able to pick up on a lot of the stuff going on in the movie.

milo bloom

It’s hard to say but I would definitely say you would need to make sure the person knew what they were getting into.

It is absolutely an amazing film but you can’t go in blind.

johnnysd

It's a Howard Hawkes comedy compared to the slogfest of the sequel.

B5Erik

I'm actually a little disturbed by what seems to be the ADD generations.

A movie doesn't have to be fast paced or action packed to be entertaining. I saw comments about Marvel's Netflix shows that I found disturbing, too. It's as if the last two generations are overstimulated or something, thus they're abnormally easy to bore.

Kind of sad, really, that thoughtful, intelligent movies are dismissed out of hand as slow and boring.