Blade Runner [Director's Cut]

Rating:
Summary: Doesnt add much to the original, but loses the voiceover
Review: The Bladerunner future, that may be ours: the endless darkness and rain caused by climate change, the squalor, the poverty, the glitzy commercialism, the airships encouraing bottom dwellers to migrate to the "outworld", the out of control soldier androids.

Bladerunner is probably the most prophetic and underrated science fiction movie of the last twenty years. Defying movie goers expectations set at the time by the likes of Star Wars, Bladerunner is a dark, moody, sexy and cerebral science fiction fantasy set in a grim rundown future, where there are no clear Darth Vadars and Luke Skywalkers to scream a moral compass.

Consequently it did not do well in dawn of the new patriotism / feel good Reagan era in which it was released. But as the years go by it sparkles as near visionary, and certainly mythic in proportions. Truly Ridley Scott (of "Aliens" fame and most recently, "Gladitor") delivers his first masterpiece.

Enjoy the endless rain and darkness of a future Los Angeles, in the seedy future as Harrison Ford, putative hero is sent to track down a band of renegade androids who refuse to die as programmed. The dark flame shot city is so realistic you would swear it was done with computers, but no, this was renedred the old fashioned way with models and has yet to be bested, in my view.

Needlesss to say, the androids, although violent and confused finally develo more humanity than their creators in the ultimate Pinochio metaphor, and restore what is left of that in the bounty hunter Ford. Yet in the cruelest twist of all, Ford comes to question whether he is a human at all, or does he? You decide.

This director's cut does not add much to the original movie in footage length, indeed there are no new scenes. But it is what it loses that is key, the awful Harrison Ford voice over, meant to mimic the success of that found in "Apocalypse Now", is gone, trusting the viewer's intelligence to divine the plot and meaning. The uneccessary tacked on "flying away from the city" ending spelling out the future of the possibly doomed heroes, and "explaining" what just happened, is also gone, as it was foisted on Scott by a baffled studio.

(Interestingly, the Rockies type landscape that Ford was apparently flying over in the chopeed ending, was actually spare footage of the rockies from Kubrick's "the Shining," Kubrick was a freind of Scott.)

We recently learned from Scott that the final soliloquy of the Android leader, played by Rutger Hauer in his best role, was rewritten and reduced by Hauer at the last minute, as the studio goons waited to pull the plug on what they regarded as on over budget, doomed affair. It was done in one take, and sounds like Shakespeare.

Its a crisp, clean print and the wonderful Vangelis soundtrack glows in this restored version. A classic movie of all time, buy this, you will watch it over and over and see nuances you never saw before.

Rating:
Summary: Film Noir
Review: Blade Runner was definitely a film before its time when it was released into theaters in 1982. Most folks wanted the glitzy special effects that films like the Star Wars trilogy had in abundance. They cared little for any amount of substance that caused you to think beyond the box of popcorn in front of you. Then came Blade Runner....Theatrically, it was a flop. The box office take was low. However, people weren't just ready for it yet. It proved a "thinking" person's film and to this day has become a standard of its genre. My only complaint is the unavailability of the original narrated version. I enjoy the directors cut but there DEFINITELY needs to be a box set with both the directors cut AND the original version. Despite the darker (and more potent) ending of the director's cut, the film noir style of Harrison Ford's narrative gave this film a totally unique feel for a science fiction movie. It is sorely missed!

Rating:
Summary: Blade Runner
Review: The definitive version of Ridley Scott's sci fi classic ditches the voice-over narration and sappy ending, and it all culminates in a more satisfying watch. Released in 1982, BLADE RUNNER sunk at the box office, and who knows what to attribute it's commercial failure to, perhaps it was the material that's now been taken out? Regardless, it's a deserved sci fi classic that has stood the test of time to become one of the greats. From the huge sucess of ALIEN, Scott's third film as director is perhaps not as clever as it tries to be, but it is nontheless entertaining Film Noir with some terrific action set-pieces and Special Effects. Hugely influential on films like THE FIFTH ELEMENT, A.I ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and STAR WARS EPISODE II, Scott's vision of a neon-soaked Los Angeles is one of the many astounding and unforgettable images throughout the film. Harrison Ford is in superb form as the man sent to bring in a replicant cyborg. The cinematography is breath-taking, the special effects are great and Vangelis' original score is excellent. With so many good points it's hard to name them all, Blade Runner is a true classic. Less can be said about the lack of extras on the DVD, with nothing for fans. Still, there's talk of a re-release of the DVD with more extras. I'm waiting...

Rating:
Summary: Worth while DVD, needs improvment
Review: While I find many Director's Cuts to be an improvment to the origional, adding extra footage and effects not possible at the time film was shot. Now, if they included the origional Blade Runner with the Director's Cut in a two disk set, with the same sound quality, this will allow fans to be more objective.

In my opinion, while the sugary ending (a recycled scene from "The Shinning", I've heard) is not something I would miss too much, I found the film empty and silent without Deckard's noirish narration, which completes the classic draw of the film and is how it is best remembered.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely one of the Worst
Review: I foyted and out came this Ridley Scott dud. "Blade Runner" is for the unimaginative people who have nothing else better to do.

Rating:
Summary: More IS better!
Review: I give this version of Blade Runner 3 stars because the elimination of the narration by Harrison Ford, as the "Ol' blade runner," is to my mind a big mistake. It is not that the narration is crucial to understanding the movie, but it gives the movie a Sam Spade quality; Mickey Spillane meets the the 22nd Century. I very much like the deadpan delivery of the narration...very matter of fact. The narration adds texture to the film that the director's cut sorely lacks. I, in fact, am writing this following a search for the theatrical release on DVD. Though the video and sound are so much better on the DVD, I find myself watching an old video tape version because I want the lead character narration. More IS sometimes better. Give me more!

Rating:
Summary: Loved the original, but hate this Director's Cut
Review: The voice-over made the original movie comprehensible. It also imparted the film noir atmosphere of old black-and-white movies. Without Harrison Ford's voiceover, this movie is a mish mash of disconnected sequences. Nothing ties together. Get the original version on VHS if you can.

Rating:
Summary: A CLASSIC MASTERPIECE
Review: To put in perspective some negative reviews about this picture,one has to remember how sci-fi movies were made and ambiented, their colours and the stories canned in them, before this one. Only then one can truly understand the importance and historical impact of this masterpiece by Ridley Scott. This is a movie to be seen by all, including those not really into sci-fi. No serious pictures about the future of mankind made after this one, can escape the influence of the dark city portraited in Blade Runner. Not only some very original effects for the time, but also the mood that Vangelis provokes through his musical score, set the rigth place and time to unfold a moving tale about human and nonhuman misery and redemption. This is a place and time were humans kill replicants that were created by them to serve, but not to live on earth or live in full. Replicants that are not supposed to feel, love or despair. But they do, and how.
I can hardly think of a more stirring and moving scene in a picture, than the one in which the last standing "bad" replicant (portraited by Hauer)does not do what humans thinks a replicant would do (kill Harrison, the hunter that has just liquidated his beloved one) but instead teaches us all a lesson about the value of life and compassion. If the final speech
that he makes doesn't represent poetry in motion to you, then maybe you didn't deserve to see this wonderful art act.

Rating:
Summary: CIRCUIT TRAINING .....
Review: A STUNNING view of Los Angeles and its 'sometime' nocturnal denizens circa 2017 or thereabouts .... From the mind-blowing opening panorama of Angel City to the Ridley Scott's apprehensive conclusion - the viewer is transfixed by this epic sci-fi film noir. The Art direction alone is multi-award worthy, one is never never bored - even after numerous viewings, there's still something new - just there in [or partially out] of the frame.

Storyline? Robotic or human Terminator [Ford] hunting the 'Life-Deprived' superhuman replicants - and what an array - from Sean Young [a spectacular debut performance], Joanna Cassidy, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer to the 'humans' Edward James Olmos, J. Emmet Walsh - a curious journey along the lines of "Alice In Wonderland".

This version also provides one of the best excamples of "audio-direction' on DVD - the expert way soundtrack, dialogue and effects become separate entities.

Grand costume design - especially the Sean Young wardrobe - homage to Adrian and Joan Crawford.

The current 'Minority Report' is positively anemic by comparision.

This work closely resembles the vision of great D.W. Griffths - who would probably applaud loudly if he were still around.

Double-bill with "Fifth Element" - another rad mind-trip!

Rating:
Summary: Liked the Original Release Better
Review: I liked the old version, with the so-called "distracting" narration. The narration reminded me of the old film noir classics like Sunset Boulevard, Casablanca, or even tv shows like Magnum P.I. and provided more insight to the character. I liked the old ending better too. After all the night, and rain, you'll finally escape to the green country. However, I did enjoy the effects polish added to the director's cut. A remarkable special effects accomplishment for 1982, and even today.