Last night we watched the Sci-Fi classic Blade Runner. Blade Runner was recently named by a group of the nations top scientists as the world's best science fiction film. Now, I don't know that I'd go that far, but I would most definitely put it way up there, maybe even in the top ten.

The film stars Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, a Blade Runner. A Blade Runner is a cop that is responsible for retiring replicants (aka killing). Replicants are basically genetically engineered people. They are not androids, as they are biological. Basically the replicants have run amuck since they've discovered that they were designed to live for only 4 years (to keep them from developing emotions). Rutger Hauer stars as the villain, but he's much more than that. Near the end of the film you really begin to sympathize with him, as all he wants is to live. Well, he also enjoys killing, but we won't hold that against him. Daryl Hannah is also wonderfully creepy as Pris, Rutger Hauer's pseudo-girlfriend.

Blade Runner is Ridley Scott's follow up to his 1979 thriller Alien (Blade Runner is circa 1982). It's really evident that this was his next film as the lighting and overall look of the film is very similar to Alien. While the look may be similar to Alien, it is a very different movie with a very different direction (as you don't really feel anything for the aliens...). What I think makes this film great is that its much more than a sci-fi film. In some ways its a love story between Decker (Ford) and replicant Rachel (Sean Young) - who doesn't know she's a replicant. She was given memories before she was "activated" so she thinks she's lived for 30+ years. Decker falls in love with her but knows he is supposed to, by law, destroy her. As the film ends he decides he can't destroy her, and even though his pseudo-partner Gaff (Edward James Olmos) makes it clear that she must die, he leaves with her, presumably to take her somewhere safe (although its clear from earlier in the film there is no such place). If you haven't seen Blade Runner you should, it's a great film and deserves all the accolades its received.