Visually speaking, Blade Runner is one of the most groundbreaking films of all time. This is pretty much an objective fact. The film’s production design and special effects have been acclaimed by fans, critics, and academics since its release in 1982 – catapulting the neo-noir classic effortlessly into cult territory.

So, given all the accolades, how do you pay a worthy tribute? For Tumblr artist Dave McGowan, the answer is simple. Using nothing but the lo-fi painting tools of Microsoft Paint, the film fan has decided to replicate the movie shot-by-shot. Once complete, the results – which look like a series of uncanny, ‘Internet Ugly’ masterpieces – are then placed on his regularly updated Tumblr page, Blade Runner MSP. 

“I'm a huge Blade Runner fan,” he explains over email. “No other film has or could inspire me in any way enough to devote a blog of any kind just to that one film. The film chose the project.” 

McGowan, who works as a carer for adults with autism, claims to comfortably make “one or two” images a day after finishing work. However, he is still yet to reach the film’s halfway point. “If I have the day off and am on a roll I sometimes do enough to queue Tumblr posts for the next two or three days even,” he says. “But it's usually no more than about four images a day.”

Earlier this month, fans got their first look at the film’s 25-years-in-the-making sequel, Blade Runner 2049. The cryptic two-minute trailer gave very little away, offering just a glimpse of Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard, and some moody, ochre-soaked shots of Ryan Gosling. How does McGowan feel about the project? “I have almost no expectations,” he admits, adding that it will probably be “complete shit.”

Minutes later, I receive another email. McGowan has now watched the trailer. “I feel a bit guilty,” he writes. “It’s actually MASSIVELY BLOODY EXCITING!!”

Check out more of McGowan’s work on his Tumblr here, and watch the new trailer for Blade Runner 2049 here.