Blade Runner [Director's Cut]

Rating:
Summary: one of the best films in that particular genre ever!
Review: This science fiction film is in my opinione well made and balanced. It does portray the possibilities of a future... The music is fantastic, the acting is spectacular. It is simply perfect! Definitely 5*****stars

Rating:
Summary: Directors Cut Loses Something
Review: In comparison with the original theatrical release, this version of Blade Runner suffers considerably. While the removal of the voice over from Harrison Ford no doubt pleased Ridley Scott and the film critics, it lost a considerable amount of clarity. Attempts to make the film more artistically and aesthetically pleasing by the exclusion of the "Sam Spade" narrative results in the viewer wondering what is going on in a number scenes. Give me the original film any day.

Rating:
Summary: The Director's Cut isn't as good as the theatrical version.
Review: I loved the original Blade Runner. It's one of my favorite movies of all time, but the Director's Cut cuts out vital elements that contributed to me enjoying it so very much when I saw it in theatrical release. When Amazon gets their hands on the original version of Blade Runner as a DVD, I will buy it and use the Director's Cut as the drink coaster it deserves to be. But until the real thing comes along, this unfortunately, will have to do.

Rating:
Summary: Flawed classic from Scott and Ford
Review: There never will be a perfect version of this movie. The opportunity to create the original vision Ridley Scott had when he read Hampton Fancher's original script has been whittled away by time. So, this is as close as we can get. There are aspects to both versions of Blade Runner that would make for the "perfect " director's cut of the film. Although the narration was delivered in a stilted drone by Ford, it did add to the noir quality of the film. Without it, Blade Runner isn't quite the same film. Still, this version(which isn't truly the "director's cut"--that version is lost, or locked up in a warehouse on the Warners lot. See The Making of Blade Runner for more details) is superior in many respects to the theatrical version. The narrative, always eliptical at best, is both strengthened and made more ambigious with the inclusion of the fabled unicorn scene(by the way, the shot of the unicorn is from Scott's Legend, which is why the footage is so much grainer. The outtake was added to the film because the original unicorn footage was lost after the first preview when Scott had to recut the film). Is Deckkard a replicant? Scott thinks so, but others closely associated with the making of the film aren't so sure. This mystery gives the film a quality like that found in the best literature; multiple and complex ways to reintrepet a film. This, in many respects, is Scott's most complex film. Harrison Ford still hates it to this date which is ironic considering Ford gives one of his best "unaffected" performances. By the way, one of the remaining Spinners from the film(the flying cars) can be seen on the studio tour at Universal Studios Florida.

Rating:
Summary: Incomparably great film deserves a better DVD transfer
Review: The very fact that people still debate the removal of the narration, extra violence, and the happy ending, and the addition of the extra second unit footage and the dream sequence in the Director's Cut, is a testament to how well this film holds up after nearly 20 years. Personally, I prefer the Director's Cut because we know that the motivation for the changes came from the commercial process, not the artistic one, but I certainly understand that the voiceovers make this film much more accessible. The details and the density of the material make Blade Runner (in any version) a fascinating film; one can watch it a dozen times and continue to find new things. This is truly a movie-lover's movie and, in any incarnation, the film itself deserves FIVE STARS.

On the other hand, the DVD was mastered poorly in both respects, video and audio. Put simply, the video transfer looks "dull", the colours seem washed out and the colour separation and contrast are sub-optimal. There is some artifacting, which is particularly noticeable during the scenes which are filmed inside the Bradbury Bldg. where the sets are very dark (well okay, the whole movie is very dark!). Comparatively, the audio is even worse. The dynamic range is strangely exaggerated whilst the EQ is poor and it seems that whoever mastered it to surround didn't have the time and/or attention to really pull out the little aural details that can make a Dolby Digital mix truly shine; one would think that the spectacular sounds and music in Blade Runner would have deserved a careful and thorough cleanup and remaster to a 5.1/7.1 mix. Also, the reference level seems quite low.

I'm not trying to sound too analytical; I just wish that the folks who mastered 'Fifth Element' (my FIVE STARS on pure audio/video quality) could have worked their magic on Blade Runner. In any case, this film is one of my absolute favourites.

Rating:
Summary: DVD Missed opportunity
Review: This is one of those films that DVD was made for and yet this is (slightly) dissapointing. I am pleased to see that, whilst I am in a minority, I'm not entirely alone when I say that the 'Sam Spade' voice-over really made the film for me. What a shame then that the DVD format wasn't used to the full. The directors cut could have used both soundtracks on the same DVD disk thereby pleasing 'all of the people all of the time'.

Previously in the UK you could have the original on 4:3 video or the DC in widescreen. I've been yearning for the original in widescreen... sigh.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing look at synthetic life.
Review: This movie offers an intriguing look at souls. Are we merely the flesh that makes us or in the case of the replicants the synthetic flesh. Ridley Scott did an excellent job on this film.

Rating:
Summary: A feast for the eyes and brain
Review: Far beyond what so many sci-fi films have tried or will try to be. Visionary filmmaking by Ridley Scott that will never look outdated. The story, although a little hard to follow in some parts, makes you care about the characters - even the artificial humans. Other than Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford's role as a futuristic detective is his best. Watch it, rewind it, and watch it again. Scott took his time on this one and it shows.

Rating:
Summary: Directors Cut falls from height of original
Review: The Directors Cut without the voice-overs of the original movie does not provide the morality play characteristics of original. I have watched the original movie about 20 times and have been fascinated with the deepth of emotion that it brings to the screen with so little in the way of dialogue, but without the voice-overs much of this is lost. I watched the directors cut once and enjoyed the scenery but not much more. Amazon should find some copies of the original to sell.

Rating:
Summary: There are none higher
Review: Simply the best movie I've ever seen. Nothing is lacking. Ford, Hauer, and Young put in amazing performances. The direction is flawless. The sets and costumes are great, and the music perfectly fits the movie. The age of the movie amazes me as some the scenes rival the best computer animation of today. The writing is captivating and thoughful. You owe it to yourself to get a copy of this one.