Blade Runner Resources
Websites
There's nothing quite like an official 30th Anniversary website to get the party started.
Trivia? Check. Technical specifics? Check. A list of cast members? Check. They've got the full scoop on Blade Runner at the Internet Movie Database.
Originally, critics gave Blade Runner some pretty mixed reviews, but the reviews on this site are mostly positive re-appraisals. Get some contrasting opinions—get challenged.
If you're curious about the specifics of how replicants are made or how the Tyrell Corporation works, this is the place for you. It's pretty comprehensive, and it covers the greater Blade Runner universe beyond the movie.
Books
This is the book that started it all. Of course, the filmmakers went in a fairly different direction from Philip K. Dick's book—but the basic plot is more or less in place.
K. W. Jester, This dude, a friend of Philip K. Dick, wrote a few sequels to Blade Runner after Dick's death. This is the first one.
If the prospect of reading contemporary academics' opinions on Blade Runner makes your heart race and your mouth water, you'll probably like this book.
The title is kind of self-explanatory: it leads you through the process of creating this sci-fi classic.
Blade Runner naturally lends itself to a philosophical investigation, given that it deals with Big Questions like "What makes humans human?"
Computer Games
This game was created for forgotten consoles like the Spectrum and Commodore 64. The game creators didn't get rights from the movie to use it as the game's basis, so they had to call the replicants "replidroids" instead. We're kind of into that.
In this 1997 PC Game, you're a blade runner named Ray McCoy who needs to track down replicants who have been murdering animals (a crime in this world, since most animals have died out). It's a mouse-click game where you search for clues and solve puzzles.
Articles and Interviews
Roger Ebert eventually came to appreciate Blade Runner more than he originally did in his basically negative review from 1982. This one's a positive review of the revamped Final Cut of Blade Runner.
Kempley is a Blade Runner fan: her review celebrates the movie's visionary qualities, arguing that it depicts the consequences of humanity attempting to attain godhood.
Scott, Blade Runner's director, gives us the lowdown on his new cut of the movie, talking about what he left out and added.
In this interview from 1982, Scott dishes on his artistic influences in Blade Runner, and the interviewer makes some perceptive comments, as well.
This is a super short article, briefly filling in the reader on the potential Blade Runner sequel.
Time's film critic, Richard Corliss, offers a glowing 30th anniversary appreciation of Blade Runner.
Video
This original trailer gave audiences a little taste of the techno-monstrosity landscapes and amazing artistic design of the movie.
This is the trailer for Ridley Scott's souped-up 1997 cut of Blade Runner—complete with the famous unicorn dream sequence.
The Blade Runner segment starts at 19:15. Ebert liked the special effects but didn't care for the story. Siskel's review was even more negative: he called it a "waste of time."
This film critic really likes Blade Runner—and he explains why.
Mark Kermode also made this documentary on Blade Runner.
Scott discusses the film's main character and he admits he's actually supposed to be a replicant himself.
Hauer (who played Roy) deeply loves Blade Runner, considering it his best movie. He talks about how he came up with his own, now famous dying lines.
Scott and Ford may or may not be in the process of not getting along with each other.
Audio
Immerse yourself in the mystical soundscapes of the famous Greek composer's score.
This podcast episode discusses the potential Blade Runner sequel, which may or may not be made sometime soon.
This is a particularly notable track from Vangelis' score—it mixes film-noir and private-eye blues with an electronic feel.
Scott goes deep with NPR, discussing the ins and outs of what may well be his masterwork.
Images
Since Blade Runner came out before the CGI revolution, all of its amazing scenery was made by hand.
This is the headquarters of the Tyrell Corporation. And, yeah, technically it might be more like a ziggurat than a pyramid—you got us.
Actually, this does look like present-day New York, or maybe Tokyo.