Is doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same result.

I have seen Blade Runner a lot. I did not care for it the first time. I did not love it times 2-4. I decided to see it again at the movie theater for the 5th time expecting a different result.

Call me insane.

Now to be fair, I did not hate Blade Runner; not the 1st time or the 5th time. I respect the film and understand the importance of it on other sci-fi films. The look, the mood, the action, all of those things make it a classic.

But I just don’t like it that much.

I really wish I did. I mean the name is pretty awesome: ‘Blade Runner’. It doesn’t have much meaning in itself, but the word ‘blade’ is cool. And being a ‘runner’ of ‘blade’, well, it just fits.

Maybe that is why I have seen it so many times; I really really really want to like it. It is still a culturally relevant film that they are now making a sequel for (that is getting all the raves by the critics) and it is a story even the crotchety Harrison Ford wanted to reappear in. So why don’t I like it?

Well, it is rather slow. It takes awhile to get going. Also it has more versions than Microsoft Windows: theatrical cut, directors cut, theatrical/directors hybrid cut, added scenes, different endings, narration, no narration, etc. Make up your mind Ridley! Finally it really wasn’t heavy on the sci-fi aspect. Sure there are robots and androids and stuff, but at its core it is a noir detective film. I am not 100% sure if that was the vision of Philip K. Dick.

Anyway, I do this type of thing often; try something over and over again aspiring for a different result. Whether is in dating someone, watching the Mariners play, or eating salad, I tend to keep trying it in hopes of getting the result I want. And at least those cases I mentioned, it simply doesn’t happen.

To be fair, trying something again does serve some purpose. There is an element of additional data collection you cannot fully achieve with just one iteration. Also the parameters of the situation alters over time (we get older, taste changes, better mood, etc), so it is not EXACTLY the same thing over and over again.

But almost all of the time, the results are the same. As it was with Blade Runner.

And I will definitely see it again thinking I’ll like it more than I did before. Am I crazy for thinking that?