Hmmmm... The problem with trying to review a movie like this, which was made nearly 20 years ago, is that it becomes very easy -- with or without being consciously aware -- to unfairly rank it by today's standards. Although, with Blade Runner, even if it had just come out this year, I would have to say the visual effects and atmosphere are very good. Stack it up against today's movies, and many of the shots still stand out as awesome. I suppose that by itself is quite a feat.

OTOH, I found the the plot, when it was comprehensible, to be underwhelming in impact. So the guy's mission is to go out and kill a handful of androids (err, I mean replicants), which he does. Big deal. Oh, and he sort of falls in love with one of them. Again, big f-in deal. No twists, no real surprises, and if what I just said constitutes a spoiler, then sorry folks, there just ain't a whole lot of story to be spoiled here.

Maybe I've just been spoiled too much by watching movies like The Matrix, Contact, and Dark City (entirely possible, and very likely, in fact). I suppose it's also important to remember that a movie like this -- which, in its time, was groundbreaking (I'll take other people's word for it) -- may have paved the way for many of the more sophisticated films of today.

I can see how the visuals alone could easily have propelled this movie to its status as a classic. Maybe it's best to just appreciate things for their strong points, and overlook the narrative shortcomings.