How Blade Runner’s Opening Scene Introduces a New Kind of Human
Four decades since it was originally filmed, and seven different versions later, the influence of Ridley Scott’s
Blade Runner (1982) still pervades the science fiction genre. It’s a neo-noir detective story where a bounty hunter, Deckard (Harrison Ford), stalks the android remnants of an off-world revolt, but the startling visuals, Vangelis’ iconic score, and the beguiling android performances are all discussed more frequently than the film’s screenplay, co-written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. But a fantastical world is only as interesting as how we’re guided through it, and the film’s opening sequence perfectly sets up not only the characters and world, but establishes the power dynamics of our characters, telling us what kind of people our heroes and villains are. In just five minutes, we make the first step on a journey that will ultimately reveal the true nature of this new kind of human.