Blade Runner: the franchise

[Christopher]

I liked 2049, but I don't think it's going to be terribly relevant in predicting or assessing 2099, which is coming from a different group of people.

Okay, that's reassuring to know. Although Blade Runner sequels in general have been hit-or-miss. I think I only liked one of the short films they made to lead into 2049, and I found the Black Lotus animated series mediocre (with surprisingly bad CGI for something so recent) and gave up on it after the first episode.

My concern is Ridley Scott's level of involvement, given how unimpressed I was by Prometheus and Covenant.

I'm not sure he's ever really done a good film other than Alien and Blade Runner.


As for why replicant hunters are called blade runners, I always just figured it was a slang term for an assassin, someone who runs down and kills their prey. Perhaps it comes from the Japanese influence on BR culture. One of the Japanese words for "assassin," shikaku (刺客), literally means "stabbing/pricking visitor," which comes close to the sense of "blade runner." Maybe the "runner" is phonetically influenced by ronin, literally a wanderer or drifter, a masterless samurai working as a blade for hire.

 

[Set Harth]

I think I only liked one of the short films they made to lead into 2049

Which one?

 

[Christopher]

Which one?

The anime, Black Out 2022.

 

[Set Harth]

I was thinking that would be the one.
The Bautista one was ok. I think the one I disliked most was the Jared Leto one. Partly because the audio seemed awful.

 

[Steve Roby]

As for why replicant hunters are called blade runners, I always just figured it was a slang term for an assassin, someone who runs down and kills their prey. Perhaps it comes from the Japanese influence on BR culture. One of the Japanese words for "assassin," shikaku (刺客), literally means "stabbing/pricking visitor," which comes close to the sense of "blade runner." Maybe the "runner" is phonetically influenced by ronin, literally a wanderer or drifter, a masterless samurai working as a blade for hire.

Except that blade runners are not masterless, they work for the police department.

I've never bothered trying to come up with an in-universe reason for the name. Hell, maybe the in-universe reason is the same as the real world version: someone saw a copy of the Nourse or Burroughs books and thought, yeah, blade runner, don't know what that means but it sounds badass, I'm using that.

 

[Christopher]

Except that blade runners are not masterless, they work for the police department.

As I said, I figured it was a vernacular term for an assassin that became a nickname for replicant hunters. It's obviously metaphorical, since they don't actually use blades.

 

[Tosk]

I think it's pretty obvious that the name comes from a government agency trying to force words to make an acronym that they already had in mind.

Bioengineered
Lifeform
Assessment
Detection and
Elimination

I'm too lazy to try and think of what runner might stand for so that part is just a word.

B.L.A.D.E. Runner. Boom. Sorted.

 

[Christopher]

I think it's pretty obvious that the name comes from a government agency trying to force words to make an acronym that they already had in mind.

Bioengineered
Lifeform
Assesment
Detection and
Elimination

I'm too lazy to try and think of what runner might stand for so that part is just a word.

B.L.A.D.E. Runner. Boom. Sorted.

Okay, that's clever. Although "Bioengineered Lifeform" for "replicant" is a sign that, to paraphrase Agents of SHIELD, someone really wanted their name to spell "BLADE." I guess they figured "Rade Runner" wouldn't mean anything, except perhaps to Scooby-Doo.

They're runners because they're field agents, the ones who go out and run down the quarry.

 

[Set Harth]

Assessment

(though Assesment is intriguing in its own way)

 

[Tosk]

Assessment

(though Assesment is intriguing in its own way)

Thanks, fixed.

 

[JD]

One might say that about several of Ridley's longer movies.

Which is a little ironic when you consider that the Kingdom of Heaven director's cut, which is almost an hour longer than the theatrical, is generally considered to be much better than the theatrical. I've only seen the director's cut, which I really enjoyed, so I can't really compare the two versions myself.

I'm not sure he's ever really done a good film other than Alien and Blade Runner.

I've liked quite a few of his movies that I've seen, Legend, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, and The Martian. I didn't realize until I just pulled up his filmography that he did Alien, Blade Runner, and Legend all back to back, that's a pretty good run.

 

[Christopher]

Oh, I forgot Scott had done The Martian. That was pretty good. As for Legend, the director's cut was just okay, visually stunning but with mediocre writing, and the theatrical cut is much weaker. I don't think I've seen any of the others.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Which is a little ironic when you consider that the Kingdom of Heaven director's cut, which is almost an hour longer than the theatrical, is generally considered to be much better than the theatrical. I've only seen the director's cut, which I really enjoyed, so I can't really compare the two versions myself.

As someone who originally hated Kingdom of Heaven after seeing it in theaters but then shifting to loving film after the director's cut came out, I can confirm that the differences between the two versions are night and day. I always list the film as one of the prime examples of director's cuts improving theatrical releases (along with, of course, Blade Runner).

I've liked quite a few of his movies that I've seen, Legend, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, and The Martian. I didn't realize until I just pulled up his filmography that he did Alien, Blade Runner, and Legend all back to back, that's a pretty good run.

I would add American Gangster to that list.

(I'm in the minority on Prometheus, Covenant, and, yes, Robin Hood but I can live with that)

 

[John Clark]

As someone who originally hated Kingdom of Heaven after seeing it in theaters but then shifting to loving film after the director's cut came out, I can confirm that the differences between the two versions are night and day. I always list the film as one of the prime examples of director's cuts improving theatrical releases (along with, of course, Blade Runner).

I thought Kingdom of Heaven was ok at the cinema - but yes, compared to the director's cut, the theatrical cut really is nowhere near as good.

It's also one of the ones I think of when mentioning the director's cuts being an improvement.

 

[Christopher]

It's also one of the ones I think of when mentioning the director's cuts being an improvement.

I've seen it said that that's a recurring pattern with Ridley Scott movies, though I'm only aware of it being true of Legend and Blade Runner. (Did Alien get a director's cut?)

 

[John Clark]

I've seen it said that that's a recurring pattern with Ridley Scott movies, though I'm only aware of it being true of Legend and Blade Runner. (Did Alien get a director's cut?)

Alien did, though the difference is relative negligible (if I remember correctly) compared to Kingdom Kingdom. I'm not sure if it ends up being slightly shorter and there just being some scenes that were different.

 

[Mage]

I can't believe none of you mentioned The Duellists! It's a pity that I am aware one of the people discussing Scott right now has me on ignore otherwise I think this person would realise how many great movies Scott actually made.

 

[John Clark]

I can't believe none of you mentioned The Duellists! It's a pity that I am aware one of the people discussing Scott right now has me on ignore otherwise I think this person would realise how many great movies Scott actually made.

While the title rings a bell, I haven't seen it (and I think mentally, I was thinking it was a western). - Just wiki'd it and it sounds like something I want to try and find to watch.

 

[Mage]

While the title rings a bell, I haven't seen it (and I think mentally, I was thinking it was a western). - Just wiki'd it and it sounds like something I want to try and find to watch.

You will not regret it.

 

[Steve Roby]

The Duellists is on my mental list of movies I'd like to see, though I've read mixed reviews of it.