The 2021 Oscars was filled with many exceptional moments. One moment that had everyone amused was Harrison Ford’s introduction to the award for Best Film Editing.

Editing can often make or break a film, and Ford brought his own flair to the introduction by reading out a list of criticisms of his classic 1982 movie Blade Runner.

Opening too choppy. Why is this voiceover track so terrible? He sounds drugged. Were they all on drugs? Deckard at the piano was interminable. Flashback dialogue is confusing, is he listening to a tape?

The actor listed a few more and ended his introduction saying, “These notes can help us understand why the editing process can often get a little complicated.”

While the criticisms were scathing, the crowd was brought to a fitting laugh by his delivery. Ford’s introduction speech was entertaining and eye opening at the same time, and many thought it was the best intro of the night.

Ford Presented The Award For Best Film Editing

After the Blade Runner star was done with his speech, he presented the award for Best Film Editing. The award went to Sound of Metal starring Riz Ahmed and Paul Raci.

Sound of Metal tells the story of a musician whose life is turned upside down after he begins to lose his hearing.

Criticisms Regarding Blade Runner

Blade Runner is one of the movies that influenced pop culture the most. From its futuristic neo-noir world to the exploration of human nature, its uniquely genre defining elements have inspired dozens of works all over the world.

But when Blade Runner originally came out on June 25, 1982, it was a critical and box office failure. And the issues with it were clear, too. As mentioned by Ford in his Oscar introduction, one thing that was picked on the most about it was the voice over among many others.

Precisely because of these issues, Blade Runner has had eight different cuts since the original released in 1982. The last of the eight cuts, the final cut being put out in 2007.

Each of these cuts had differences and tried to make the movie work in their own ways. For example, the director’s cut has the voice over by Ford removed entirely and the director’s cut and final cut having distinctly different aesthetics and visuals. 

However, regardless of the problems the movie has, it doesn’t change the fact that it is an important work in cinema that has shaped a plethora of other works.

And while Ford’s voice over might have been criticized, his performance is still loved by many, and he reprised his role of Rick Deckard in Blade Runner 2049.

Blade Runner 2049 came out in 2018 and won the Oscars for Best Achievement in Cinematography and Best Achievement in Visual Effects.