Above: Scenes from Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott, 1982
It’s now November 2019, the time frame in which Ridley Scott’s classic science fiction/noir film Blade Runner takes place. Released in the pre-futuristic days of 1982, the film follows Harrison Ford as a policeman whose job of hunting down and killing trespassing replicants – short-lived genetically engineered artificial humans built for off-world use only – makes for some grisly fun. And the immersive visual art direction done with practical effects using real models gives the film a style little equaled even in today’s CGI-burdened cinema. Coupled with the film’s all pervading atmosphere of persistent rain and stylish wardrobes, who would not want to pay a visit to this imagined dystopia? Speaking of dystopias, urban cultural essayist Colin Marshall has put together a smart little video about living in the city of Blade Runner’s Los Angeles. Watch it below.