Blade Runner [Director's Cut]

Rating:
Summary: See Ridley Scott's Vision HERE in the Director's Cut
Review: One reviewer mentioned this Director's Cut as a "3-Star film" because this version didn't have narration or a happy ending. I have seen many films in my day, but the one criteria of quality I NEVER list is a "happy ending." Furthermore, not only did Harrison Ford hate the harration, but Ridley Scott was forced to include it by the studio. The film MINUS narration is the film the artists wanted to make, and you get it right here.

If you want to see a film that more closely resembles the director's original vision, buy this version. This is the version the artists wanted to make. It's much better than the theatrical version, which had a tacked on ending to lull casual viewers into a warm-and-fuzzy mood. It also had an embarrassing voiceover by Harrison Ford that insulted anyone who was interested in all the subtleties of the film. (Imagine a narrator on "2001: A Space Odyssey.) This is the perfect example of how Hollywood can screw up a great film. Fortunately, we get to see how Academy Award winner, Ridley Scott, wanted the film to turn out. It is a masterpiece, and it belongs in every film library.

Rating:
Summary: Astounding Visuals. A Masterpiece in Sci-Fi Filmmaking
Review: Having heard Blade Runner was an impressive film, I went to the local video store to rent it. I wasn't impressed. I watched it again later that same year and I came to the same conclusion. Three years passed and I watched The Director's Cut on DVD in its original widescreen format. This time I saw Ridley Scott's vision.... A True Gem!

I'm my opinion, the directors cut is one of the most beautiful science fiction films ever made. This film doesn't require marration... what it needs is an audience willing to watch the film at its own pace while absorbing all the little innuendos. Spoon-feeding the viewer by use of narration, strips this film of its beauty, mystery, and elegance.

I strongly recommend The Directors Cut, and I would suggest watching it in widescreen (letterbox), for the complete effect. Pan and Scan does not do any film justice... especially this one! Don't decipher the script as it plays, instead let the imagery and story line flow and don't dissect what you have seen until the film credits roll up the screen.

Rating:
Summary: The original was better.
Review: In comparison to the original version, complete with Harrison Ford's voiceover, the Director's Cut doesn't really cut it. This is because the film is based on a book in which there is little in the way of the overt action required for a Hollywood blockbuster that would be competitive with the likes of Alien or Star Wars, and any deeper meaning is too obscure to be successfully conveyed in anything other than an art-house film.

Only the spectacular cinematography and the highly accomplished integration of its soundtrack has saved Blade Runner from the oblivion that it would otherwise have enjoyed, as has been the case for subsequent films such as Event Horizon, which rely too heavily on SFX to bolster a thin story line more suited to an episode of the Twilight Zone.

Blade Runner, in its Director's Cut guise, is simply an indulgence for nerds with the inclusion of the unicorn dream sequence to reinforce the idea that Deckard was an android - like I could give a Shatner. The so called 'upbeat ending' of the original is insignificantly different except as an exercise to harmonise the look of the film. And the dropping of the voiceover makes the longer interior scenes drag, as do those in Michael Mann's, Manhunter.

The original fails by virtue of the slack closing sequence in which Deckard and Batty race about through the upper floors of Sebastian's apartment building. This might have been reconciled by judicious editing, but as it is, in both the original and the Director's Cut, it saps the film of necessary momentum, and is slightly pretentious.

My feeling is that the original with a few editing tweaks would have been altogether a better move than what the Director's Cut tries to achieve; the modifications employed and their justification offensive and condescending to those, like myself, who enjoyed the film when it first came out.

Re-release the original, guys, and quit being so precious.

( One for the nerds: compare the closing scene where Batty plucks Deckard from the steel beam with the scene from Star Trek's 'What are little girls made of' in which the android plucks Kirk from the edge of the bottomless chasm. Uncannily similar - huh? ).

Rating:
Summary: A towering achievement of cinematic art.
Review: I saw this movie in the theaters almost two decades ago and till this day I still enjoy watching it repeatedly. Before there ever was Star Wars, there came a maverick, anachronistic director Ridley Scott who made this film. The movie received little recognition by the snobs of Hollywood, but over the past two decades the movie has far surpassed all expectations and grew into a cult status. In a way, the movie and Mr. Scott proved to be much ahead of their time.

Engrossing, philosophical, metaphorical, and with endearing love theme set in a world of futuristic time, Blade Runner will pull you into a movie experience like none other.

There are two versions to this movie: the theatrically released version with Harrison Ford's voice narration, and the current DVD version without the voice narration (director's cut). Although only the latter version is currently available it shouldn't be shunned, for it makes no real difference to the enjoyment of the movie. The movie is a towering, cinematic and artistic achievement by perhaps the greatest director and cinematic artist of our time, Ridley Scott.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie, poor DVD
Review: I have noticed that many of the reviews on this site pertaining to Blade Runner pine for the original theatrical release, in which the film ended in a cop-out, and had Ford drowsily trudging along in a half-hearted narration. I don't mean to insult anyone, but the "happy ending" went against the movie's intentions. You spend two hours in a dark, damp dystopian world and then all of a sudden you're in the sunny, pristine mountains? Please. Mr. Scott threw in that ending at the last moment to make the studio happy, a studio that was totally blind to his genius in the first place. A lot of people have also stated that the Director's Cut ending doesn't sufficiently conclude the movie, that is just "drops off", and has left some with an uneasy feeling. The point of this ending is to be ambiguous, to leave it up to you what happens. And don't even get me started on the narration. Yes, I'm sure a lot of people think it helped to explain the movie, but it also guided the viewer by the hand and "talked down" to the viewer like you're a moron. All the narration did was basically show Deckard (being a detective) discovered something and then said to the audience, "Look, I discovered something!" The lack of narration in the Director's Cut allows the audience to notice some of the visual keys they missed while following along with Harrison's groggy storytelling, and also illuminates some of the nuances that makes Harrison Ford a great actor. Aside from the bare-bones dvd (Warner Bros has a boatload of stuff lying around that could be on this disc as extras...two discs worth, in fact), this is an excellent film about humanity in a dark, corporate-corrupted world, and the director's cut eliminates the narraton and sappy ending which guide our hands like we're 6 year olds, and allows us to fully enjoy this film as a future noir. And if another, more comprehensive DVD ever appears with a Ridley commentary, allowing Mr. Scott to explain what he was thinking, then you people won't need a terrible narration and sappy ending to do so.

Rating:
Summary: this a great movie
Review: a must see for any scifi fan

Rating:
Summary: Just about the DVD itself
Review: Its a mixed blessing to have this title. Its better than not having the movie out at all on DVD. However this Bladerunner DVD version is in much need of an overhaul. I am sure it is one of the first DVDs ever released. So I do not fault it greatly for not having any extras...but they would be nice. And as I am a big fan of the directors cut, I don't miss the original narrated version...but having both versions on a newer DVD would be nice for the fans. The really important reason for a new version of the DVD is the print and video mixing are just barely tolerable. The contrast is blown out making the city effects sequences in particular look ugly harsh and grainy. That's really a shame as this film is all about creating an awe inspiring vision of a bleak future Los Angeles. And secondly, the widescreen version has a very thick black border surrounding the entire image cutting down on the already reduced size of the image making it all the smaller for people wanting to watch the film in widescreen. No doubt this smaller territory for the image causes the film to look less sharp, and more grainy. If you buy DVDs for the enhanced picture quality. Don't look for this DVD to deliver for you. Whether you love it or think it is slow and boring, Bladerunner is considered a classic in its genre and merits a better treatment. Unfortunately, I am sure the studios are making money on this staple title, so I think a revised version is a long time coming.

Rating:
Summary: The Blade in Blade Runner is a little dull!
Review: I could never make it through this cold, special effects driven film and I know why. It's is just plain uneven! The effects left such a major impact that the film never allows the script-if there was one to develop. Ridley Scott is known for this kind of style but he seems to have allowd a little bit of growth over the years, but this is an earlier work and it's so cold that you need a parka to watch it!! The first few times I fell asleep watching this "film" and going in I was wide awake. All the elments in this film just don't mold. There are some directors who meet the mediums of both style and substance such as Proyas and Burton. The film does have it's shinning moments but alas all that glitters isn't gold. I do give Scott credit the final scenes make the movie a must buy and it desrves to be an underground classic. But what truly makes this film a purchase is the atmosphere. The pitch black shadows only being lit by the neon lights of a long abandoned earth. The planet is now being used for criminals and the rejects. Harrison tracks down the robotic made criminals and kills them with an eagle eye vengance! But is harrison a robot himself? The film does have the romance and emotional depth but it is played in a sorta pseudo color film noir style! You HAVE to pay attention and even think ahead at times to keep up! Daunting? Yes! But mesmerizing, non the less!

Rating:
Summary: Trust the original vission
Review: "Blade Runner" is a story of redemption and hope, in a movie about what it takes to be "human".

Rick Deckard (Ford) is a retired cop. A "Blade Runner" who hunts down replicants who make it to earth, where they are not legal, and kills them. He is blackmailed into taking another job, to "air out" 4 Nexus-6 replicants who have hijacked a shuttle and taken it to earth.

If this movie has a downside, it might just be that it was far to subtle for "joe sports fan" moviegoers. A look at the reviews here on Amazon would seem to uphold this opinion. The ending of the director's cut IS a happy ending. It is amazing how many people who liked the movie don't get that fact.

Another subtle clue to what is really going on, (possibly a spoiler, but probably not noticed by most of those who have seen it) is that replicant's eyes glow red in some scenes. The first one is the owl at the Tyrel corporation. And this comes through much better on the DVD director's cut as well.

On Amazon's "Do you like it" scale I give this 5 stars, because it is one of my favorites. On the "how good a movie is it" scale, I give it 4, because it could have been better.

Rating:
Summary: I'll Wait For A Better DVD Version, Buy The VHS or rent
Review: I actually rented this before I decided not to buy. I already owned a VHS widescreen (the only way to watch this or any movie) of the director's cut and was interested in what the DVD had to offer. NOT MUCH! The sound track is no better than VHS and what little extras there are do not make it worthwhile. The studio must have felt it wasn't worth their time to put much work into the DVD version and it shows! Too bad!

As for the theatrical vs directors argument, all I can say is this. Some movies force you to think and pay attention while you watch (imagine that!). This is one of them. The movie is better without the constant droning of Ford's bored sounding narative. Maybe some of you are in love with his voice. And do they all have to have nice clean, happy endings. A great movie but with a limited "keeper" budget I'll pass for now.