Tears in Rain: A Few Thoughts on Seeing 'Blade Runner' on the Silver Screen

Written by John Edward Betancourt

I distinctly recall the first time I was able to sit down and watch Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, simply due to the fact that it was a cinematic viewing experience unlike any other. After being raised on a steady diet of Star Trek and relatively positive science fiction, it was incredibly jarring to see such a dark, dystopian future present itself to me and after many, many viewings it remains one of my favorite films thanks to its daring design and bold storytelling.
 
Yet, despite my love of this motion picture, Blade Runner is another film that I had not experienced on the big screen and thankfully once again, the Alamo Drafthouse swooped in to save the day and solve that problem, because last night they hosted a special screening of the ‘The Final Cut’ of the film, presented in magnificent 4K and well, there was no way in hell I was going to miss my opportunity to finally see this cinematic masterpiece on the big screen at last.
 
Now the first thing I noticed when it came to seeing this sucker in a theater, was how incredible the visuals look on a forty-foot screen. The decadent yet decomposing world of 2019 was simply breathtaking and for the first time ever when watching this film, I felt completely and utterly sucked into this world. But while it was stunning to finally this see this place in glorious high definition, the true draw of this event came by way of the surprises I found within the story because I’ve finally figured out the magic of seeing films like this on the silver screen…the nuances of the performances are brought to the forefront. 

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​Now, in saying that…it’s a foregone conclusion that this motion picture has a heavy focus on humanity, specifically in what it means to be human, and the value of life but I never truly appreciated how the actors enhanced those themes through their performances. Take Deckard for example. Up until last night, I never noticed just how badly ‘retiring’ Replicants rattles Deckard, until I noticed the nuances in Harrison Ford’s performance. You can see it eating at him in key scenes of the film and spotting that gave the character new life on the screen.
 
Plus, I had never picked up on the childlike qualities the Nexus Sixes exude in this film until this viewing. They know they are grown adults, that they are gifted and strong, but every little thing we take for granted, including emotions, eludes them on a regular basis and it was refreshing and stunning to see that, especially when one considers the philosophy and thought that goes into such an incredible twist and it also allows for the audience to sympathize with these poor beings on a whole new level.
 
If anything, watching Blade Runner on the big screen allowed for me to truly appreciate every nuance of this film, and it was wonderful to watch it with such a diverse audience. There were some younger folks, who like me, had only caught the film on home video and were now able to appreciate the majesty of this story and there were other folks in the audience who had clearly seen the film back in 1982 when it was originally released, that were simply looking to enjoy a good old-fashioned trip down memory lane. Either way, what a magical experience this turned out to be and once again I thank the Alamo Drafthouse for indulging cinephiles everywhere with incredible screenings such as these. 

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