#roy batty

...I'm not explaining or apologizing. Just stating fact.

Managed to organize some thoughts, so here goes:

It's the irony of things that got me. Batty, in his quest to be 'human' along with fellow replicants, kill how many people to be able to get to earth. He also has low empathy sense, he killed his creator brutally and does kill Sebastian too, or maybe he's reserving it for just himself and fellow replicants. The thing is, I mostly got to feel him as a human when he, instead of taking vengeance on deckard, chose to save his life. That he died holding a white pigeon that he doesn't actively harm, and so flies freely after, it gave a sense of enlightenment and freedom somehow. His soliloquy was apparently edited by the actor, and he delivered it beautifully. It's haunting in a way, the short lifespan and how every moment experienced will soon be lost, the line itself "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain". For Deckard, the human himself, he's kinda more emotionless than any of these replicants, it's also reflected in his job. That he's someone who 'retires' them, implied hunting dog. The way he's also going after them, he did not hesitate at all, as soon as he confirmed they're one, he's on their trail. His conversation with Rachael, you can see how he treats her in the beginning when he had an inkling she was not human. He straight up said to her face, not much caring what she felt. In a way, he meets Batty in the middle, it's implied he runs away with Rachael at the end of the movie, much as I think the 'love story' incredibly dubious as hell, he does gain a sense of empathy for replicants, enough so that he lets himself fall for one.

Continuing the line of how this story is really full of ironies, it's pretty much from the very start. That men made replicants as close as possible to human image and intelligence yet not treating them humanely. Replicants, the group of nexus 6, that go to earth when humans are trying to get off world, I think batty said something about angels descending or falling(?) to the guy who makes eyes in that icy storage place. The use of the word 'retirement' instead of what it really is, an 'execution'. The replicants desperation for life, each second precariously bringing them closer to the end, dying an inhumane death. Leon wanting those pictures, dies trying to retrieve them, shot at the back. Zhora, hunted through a street of people, runs through glass even though it is inevitable (I truly thought deckard made a mistake and she was actually human, the scene being slowed dragging out her death). Pris, I don't even.. and Batty, somehow the most peaceful (that was a whole thing idk what he was doing with his hand there). Is it not also a reflection of humanity, desire is part of it after all, how hard these replicants cling to life no matter how close death is at their doorstep? Their corpses won't probably even be treated like humans, they'll likely be dissected for study or torn apart for their parts (not entirely sure how this works, correct me if I'm wrong).

When Batty goes to talk to his maker, there's also something about how Tyrell's building looks like a pyramid and he lives at the top of it, there's some aspect that's religious or symbolic about that. I'm getting sidetracked, there's just so much to talk about. Anyways, Batty actually tried to negotiate, he calls Tyrell 'father' and mentions god, a reference to God's creation of man perhaps, a parallel to how Tyrell made him. The scene felt like an act of absolution somehow, Tyrell tells him he was made with the best that they could and Batty even confesses how he's done things he knows are questionable just to get here. And at the end of the whole conversation, there's a sense of resignation, like he already knew some of the things and was just clarifying it from the top source itself. Tyrell's death is then brutally performed on screen (I'm not forgetting it anytime soon) and kills Sebastian next, it's telling that it's done offscreen, he was insignificant pawn, amidst all this. I feel the need to dissect that conversation more, I'm trying to analyze from memory so I'm not really accurate on some stuff, it's packed with a lot of metaphors.

There's the whole "what makes man but memory" except they don't have much memory, so they can only cling to what little they have and try to make more, which is already deemed to be impossible. So the best they can do is treat every second like it's their last moment, it's just tragic all around. They have memories though, scant as they may be, wouldn't you say that makes them human enough? There's also Rachael, inserted with tyrell's niece's memories, what does that make her, where does the line start and end, between Rachael and the memories that were inserted into her. They're made with the likeness of man in mind, it's hard to explain the ethical dilemma all over the place here ugh. Might have to expand on this one too.

Man can't even eat his noodles in peace now. Can't even quit/retire in peace.

It's a last century movie indeed, their idea of futuristic involved floating cars (yes I watched back to the future). Harrison Ford looks really young, I know it's 4 decades ago. Oh whoa, half his age at 40, I thought he was in his mid thirties.

Their goal of expanded lifespan makes sense now. There's something really sad about this, humanizing replicants but not really treating them as human. Him telling her straight up tho, duude

Sebastian noooo, pretty sure she's a replicant, oh the sex worker one, clocked it

A unicorn, will we also have a unicorn in blade runner 2049? it would be kinda funny. What was that about???

The Chinese here and there are frying me, nice to know Asians survive, there's a Chinatown too. They got the neon lights with this punk. I was also not expecting the boobs on my screen

That whole street chase actually had me feeling a bit claustrophobic considering how cramped this chase was. Rachel gone rogue what? Oh Rachael, she's built differently isn't she? The actress is so pretty., curly hair. Whoa whoa whoa whoa romance? That's... dubious consent buddy wth

Sebastian and his death flags . Right in front of him really? He gonna die or nah? There's some symbolism with the whole chessboard. Oh tyrell will die then. To meet your maker, I feel like I heard that quote before. This conversation is tense. Oh gods, oberyn flashbacks, rip Sebastian, called it.

Run deckard! Howling, unhinged naked man chasing you a rain leaking victorian dystopian building, wth am I even saying. That's crazy, climbing a building without support. Is this gonna be a rooftop fight, oh gods a 'long live the king's scene, or not. The hell is you in your shorts for boy, you're shoes still in your shoes too, what the pigeon on your hand (the pigeon being white mean something?)

Oh, Roy's end monologue was actually delivered quite emotionally. This movie somehow brings up the question of what exactly makes one human. These replicants being desperate enough to try to extend their lifespans and yet, dying a tragic death. I mean, considering they came from off world, what's out there? It doesn't really sound as promising as those advertisements, it might just be endless war, for these replicants to risk death coming..

I like how each place is personalized, Sebastian's whole space empty with only his creations as company, deckard's scattered things, the room of that snake dancer, the opulence of tyrell's place, there's a characterization of sorts. You can even say that the replicants not actually having homes is symbolic. The visuals are actually good, music's pretty rad too, and it's even cooler to know that they were able to do something like this in the 1980s. Questionable love story though and that guy folding origami is as sus as ever, like how does he know? It's a sad story that is the gist of it. Is it just me or does it seem like these replicants seem more human than he is?

"The best of all possible replicants. We're proud of our prodigal son… glad you've returned. You're quite a prize."

ROY BATTY & ELDON TYRELL | BLADE RUNNER (1982)

"There were bad angels once… I make good angels now. Like you, Luv. God saw a bad batch and, rash and cranky, scrapped the whole project. We are not so short sighted. Just because some fell…"