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I agree that the book title is great, but I've never understood the fawning over the movie. The art design is great, but the movie script turned a contemplativ

I agree that the book title is great, but I've never understood the fawning over the movie. The art design is great, but the movie script turned a contemplative story into a generic thriller with a unique aesthetic.

mrkstu 1y ago
Hardly generic- it is somewhat generic after what has come since, as there has been so much cheap copying of the original.
- DonHopkins 1y ago
  Yes, a definite instance of the "Seinfeld is Unfunny" Effect. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeinfeldIsUnfunny https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeinfeldIsUnfunn...
  - TeaBrain 1y ago
    In Blade Runner's case, the art design is superb. As I mentioned in my parent comment, that's not what I referred to as generic. The script though is what is generic and ham-fisted compared to the novel. It's also not a case of that meme, as I was comparing to the novel, and to earlier films which it is derivative of while taking just the skeleton of the plot from the novel.
- TeaBrain 1y ago
  The art design, which is the most influential aspect of the movie, is superb, but compared to the novel, the movie's script is that of a generic thriller.
bookofjoe 1y ago
That aesthetic had me riveted to the screen from the first minute to the last.
bawolff 1y ago
Its mostly hailed as a great artsy movie, that general audiences find super boring. I think its asethetic & art design is what its hailed for. Nobody hails bladerunner for its pacing. Its hard to be good at everything. Being really good at one aspect is enough to get people to fawn. I disagree on the contemplative bit. I think both are quite contemplative but in very different ways.
- coldtea 1y ago
  >Its mostly hailed as a great artsy movie, that general audiences find super boring You make it sound like some obscure arthouse. It's one of the most influence movies of all time, art design and worldbuilding wise. It just didn't catch on at the box office in its time. Way more serious and slower paced movies have been big hits, so it's not being "artsy" that's the problem. Sci-fi wasn't much of a win with adults at the time, and unlike Star Wars this was an adult oriented movie. >Nobody hails bladerunner for its pacing. You'd be surpised.
- zorked 1y ago
  Blade Runner passed the test of not making my children pick up the phone while watching it. Very few movies do that.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - pomian 1y ago
    We should make an hn movie list like that. Movies our kids watched to the end....
- jzb 1y ago
  I can't speak to what audiences find boring now -- I know that I watched it as a kid when my attention span was not at its peak, and I found the pacing to be just fine. (I did see the much-panned version with the narration first.) I've re-watched it quite a few times and find new things to enjoy each time. The aesthetic is hugely influential, but it also has a fantastic cast and superb acting. The soundtrack is also perfect. The love story between Deckard and Rachel is ham-fisted, I will grant that, and if I were giving notes I'd say we need to see more of the backstory for the replicants. But IMO it succeeds far better than the book.

mrkstu 1y ago

Hardly generic- it is somewhat generic after what has come since, as there has been so much cheap copying of the original.

DonHopkins 1y ago
Yes, a definite instance of the "Seinfeld is Unfunny" Effect. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeinfeldIsUnfunny https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeinfeldIsUnfunn...
- TeaBrain 1y ago
  In Blade Runner's case, the art design is superb. As I mentioned in my parent comment, that's not what I referred to as generic. The script though is what is generic and ham-fisted compared to the novel. It's also not a case of that meme, as I was comparing to the novel, and to earlier films which it is derivative of while taking just the skeleton of the plot from the novel.
TeaBrain 1y ago
The art design, which is the most influential aspect of the movie, is superb, but compared to the novel, the movie's script is that of a generic thriller.

bookofjoe 1y ago

That aesthetic had me riveted to the screen from the first minute to the last.

bawolff 1y ago

Its mostly hailed as a great artsy movie, that general audiences find super boring. I think its asethetic & art design is what its hailed for. Nobody hails bladerunner for its pacing. Its hard to be good at everything. Being really good at one aspect is enough to get people to fawn. I disagree on the contemplative bit. I think both are quite contemplative but in very different ways.

coldtea 1y ago
>Its mostly hailed as a great artsy movie, that general audiences find super boring You make it sound like some obscure arthouse. It's one of the most influence movies of all time, art design and worldbuilding wise. It just didn't catch on at the box office in its time. Way more serious and slower paced movies have been big hits, so it's not being "artsy" that's the problem. Sci-fi wasn't much of a win with adults at the time, and unlike Star Wars this was an adult oriented movie. >Nobody hails bladerunner for its pacing. You'd be surpised.
zorked 1y ago
Blade Runner passed the test of not making my children pick up the phone while watching it. Very few movies do that.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- pomian 1y ago
  We should make an hn movie list like that. Movies our kids watched to the end....
jzb 1y ago
I can't speak to what audiences find boring now -- I know that I watched it as a kid when my attention span was not at its peak, and I found the pacing to be just fine. (I did see the much-panned version with the narration first.) I've re-watched it quite a few times and find new things to enjoy each time. The aesthetic is hugely influential, but it also has a fantastic cast and superb acting. The soundtrack is also perfect. The love story between Deckard and Rachel is ham-fisted, I will grant that, and if I were giving notes I'd say we need to see more of the backstory for the replicants. But IMO it succeeds far better than the book.