15 Greatest Hard Science Fiction Movies Of All Time
2. Blade Runner
Long before Alex Garland delved into the world of androids and artificial intelligence came Blade Runner, Ridley Scott's timeless classic adaptation of legendary mind-f**k sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick's 1960s novel, Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? Blade Runner set the bar for dystopian science fiction, and few films have matched it.
Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard, the titular Blade Runner on assignment to take down a group of replicants who have arrived on earth and are creating havoc as they try to track down the head of the Tyrell Corporation in order to extend their lifespan. A visual treat which holds up in comparison to the best science fiction films being produced today, Blade Runner might have been a flop on its theatrical release but stands today as a masterpiece of the genre.
Fusing neo-noir elements with themes such as the nature of identity and mankind's fate at the hands of mega-corporations, Blade Runner asks questions about what it is to be human without sliding into heavy-handed polemics, with Rutger Hauer's replicant Roy Batty displaying more emotional depth and compassion (at least towards his fellow replicants) than most of the human characters who seek his destruction.