Why do you think Blade Runner is a cult film?

[QueenLarifa]

Hello everyone, just like to know why you all think that Blade Runner is a cult film and why you all love it so much?!!

[Thanatos]

Do you want the short or the long answer?

To me it was a dream come true: novel by Philip K. Dick, directed by Ridley "Alien" Scott, visuals by Syd Mead, music by Vangelis, acting by Harrison "Indiana" Ford... I still recall 25 years later the thrilling sensation of being in an (almost) empty theatre hearing those hovercars, the subdued music and the voice off: "you don't advertise for killers in a newspaper"

As with every cult movie it's harder to explain the reasons to those not "in the know"

[tangaloomababe]

Having Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer is a great start. Rugter's portral of Roy Batty was brilliant. Visually it was and remains an excellent movie.

[iansales]

The reason Blade Runner is a cult film is because it is very popular among a small group of people. It flopped at the cinema on its release, but did a great deal better on sell-through. Lots of cinema critics and commentators have also praised it, and this has only enhanced its reputation. But a lot of people - the vast majority, in fact - still don't see its appeal.

So there you have it: critical appreciation, near-obsessive liking by a small group of people, and everyone else can't understand it. Hence, a cult film.

[gully_foyle]

Also because it was a layered film, and even though it was not true to the novel it still carried that Dicksian internalisation. It was also something different to the sci fi fare being presented. It was new wave cinema sprung from the mind of a new wave author (see New Wave SF). True, it does not have a wide appeal, but it is recognised as more than just a sci fi movie. In an attempt to make school a bit more interesting, Bladerunner was added to the year 12 english curriculum in one of our states. Don't know if it stayed on, but it was recognition that there was a lot in this movie to analyse and explore.

[DeepThought]

Originally Posted by iansales

The reason Blade Runner is a cult film is because it is very popular among a small group of people. It flopped at the cinema on its release, but did a great deal better on sell-through. Lots of cinema critics and commentators have also praised it, and this has only enhanced its reputation. But a lot of people - the vast majority, in fact - still don't see its appeal.

So there you have it: critical appreciation, near-obsessive liking by a small group of people, and everyone else can't understand it. Hence, a cult film.

Well put iansales . My favorite movie of all time. Lost count of the number of times I've watched it and read PKD's novel (though loosely based). The pivotal scene; the confrontation between Roy and dekard towards the end of the movie is just chilling "...Time to die"...

Neil Gaiman's Sandman and the Anime Cowboy Bebop are similar cases IMHO.

Cheers, DeepThought

[iansales]

Gully, PKD wasn't a New Wave author - he was an influence on the New Wave, but he didn't belong to it himself. And Ridley Scott certainly wasn't a Nouvelle Vague director.