Blade Runner [Director's Cut]

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed by Director's Cut
Review: I saw Blade Runner in the theater years ago and thought it was one of the greatest movies of all time. The characters were struggling with the meaning of humanity itself in a dark futuristic setting. But all the darkness was worthwhile because in the end things work out very well for some of the characters. I definitely would have rated this movie with 5 stars.

When I learned that the DVD version was out, I immediately bought it and watched it. When it was over, I was outraged. They cut the good ending. The Director's cut was NOT the same as I saw in the theater. Because they didn't have another ending to put in, this version has no ending. It just suddenly quits. They also cut the narration throughout which served to explain the movie. Because I had already seen the movie in the theater, I didn't much miss the narration until the end of the climactic scene near the end on the rooftop. The narration there in the theater version really added a lot.

My recommendation is that if you want to see a dark 3-star movie, buy this. However, if you are expecting the great 5-star movie you saw in the theater, DON'T BUY THIS. I very much disagree with the review by Jim Emerson that says the director's cut was better than the original theater version. The movie executives knew best that the narration was needed to give viewers the full import of what was happening. They also knew that most people want a happy ending.

I also recommend that Blade Runner fans petition the studio to release the theatrical version to DVD. I'd buy that one in a second.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Love Story - An Astonishing Vision
Review: Ridley Scott got away - finally - with sneaking the most expensive art films ever made past the gates of a major studio. Nevermind the bean counters originally deformed his vision with a silly voiceover and a copout ending, the Director's Cut restores his original vision.

As one reviewer has already pointed out, BLADE RUNNER addresses the nature of consciousness, the future of cities, and man's moral obligations to non-human life-forms in a lyrical and understated manner. It's also a great love story about the Feminine Principle surfacing in a beautiful android to seduce a jaded, numbed human back into his humanity (and there is a yet another twist to this at the end).

BLADE RUNNER has aged very well. Scott's and futurist Syd Mead's vision of 2010 LA is still way ahead of time, and the film dates as well as, say, Fellini's LA DOLCE VITA (1960), which was so original IT looks ahead of OUR time. Top it off with stunning production design (oh, the rain, the rain... the wonderful textured surfaces), remarkable acting (Sean Young, beautiful beyond words; Rutger Hauer, waxing eloquent as he fades) great sound design, and Vangelis' sublime score alternately twinkling and sizzling with faded hope and sexuality, and what we have is one of the finest speculative dramas ever produced.

Rating:
Summary: Prefer the Original
Review: There are alot of director's cut movies out and probably coming out in the future, but I have yet to see one that I like better than the original. I don't care if they want to show us how the movie would have been if the studio or other factors didn't change it. My complaint is that sometimes you can't get the movie on DVD as it was orginally released, the studio version. I liked the original version of Blade Runner better with the narration, it reminds me of the old film noir movies of the 1940's. This happened with another excellent film Manhunter. The DVD is missing some scenes that were in the version I taped from Showtime. The director's cut isn't any better either. There are several different versions of Manhunter on DVD, none like my VHS copy. I will buy Blade Runner when they release the original version. I hope they don't do this so real movie fans feel like they have to buy the latest cut of a movie they already own because they might be missing something. If they release the studio version of Blade Runner I will give it 5 stars. Mr. Scott is a fine director, I have enjoyed most of his films, but please release the original.

Rating:
Summary: One of the 10 best movies ever.
Review: I went to see this movie on the Wednesday after its release in 1982. There where about ten people watching it including me, which made me sort of regret going, but the style of the movie gripped me from the first moment. The Batty "shores of Orion" soliloquy at the end is certainly, for my money anyway, one of the best moments in movie history. The scene in which Rachel shows off her photos reminded me a lot of the pathos of the photo scene in "Das Boot" (1981) when the sub is sinking. I returned to see this movie to an even emptier theater which I thought was a real shame. For those who could not experience the movie in a theater, the DVD is the next best thing. This one is a keeper.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Sci-Fi Movie Ever Made
Review: I love this movie. "Blade Runner" is terrific especially in the Director's Cut. I liked the original theatrical version but I like the Director's Cut better. I especially like that "Tears in the Rain" speech near the end and the opening is out of sight. This movie will stick with you for days and days after you're done seeing "Blade Runner". Not bad coming from a movie originally from 1982. To this day, the dialogue, the beginning, the ending(the original version and the Director's Cut), the music from Vangelis, and everything else has stuck in my mind. I'm not obsessed with this movie if that's what you think. I'm just saying some movies will stick in your head after you're done seeing them on video or in the theaters. "Blade Runner" is one of them. The Director's Cut is awesome.

Rating:
Summary: why did you change the original?????
Review: The original work is in my top 10 movies of all time. BUT, the directors cut ruined the movie. They removed the inner monolog which help to explain ALOT of things in the movie. Plus the ending is bogus. It just ends and leaves you witb an uneasy constipated feeling. Lucky for me I have a vhs version of the movie to take of my Blade Runner withdrawls. If there is a God of movies out there, please release the original with the extra footage. Pllllleeeeeaaaaaasssssssseeeeeeeee.

Rating:
Summary: NO, no no noooooo.
Review: I cannot belive the number of people saying the film is worse without the voice over and stupid moronic happy ending. I don't want to insult people here but if you can't work out what is going on without the voice over then you really aren't paying attention. The delicious ambiguity in the is he/isn't he a Rep still has me confused (even though Ridley Scott said he was). Ford's acting is superb, you can tell what he is thibking just by reading his face. Unless the theatrical release has all the extras that are criminally missing from this DVD DO NOT purchase it in preference to the ditrectors cut. Scott knew what he was doing, Harrison knew what he was doing when he deliberatly managled the voice overs, everyone knew what they were doing apart from the studio execs.

Rating:
Summary: The Director's Cut of Blade Runner is better!
Review: I Love the movie "Blade Runner" because it's one of my favorite all time movies. I liked the Director's Cut better because it's more superior than the original theatrical release. I liked the fact that the Director's Cut of "Blade Runner" has removed the voiceovers and the "uplifting" finale. I already miss the voiceovers and the ending from the original version. This is one of Ridley Scott's best movies. The Director's Cut is in Widescreen format and I recommend it very much, especially for those who like Widescreen films.

Rating:
Summary: Not really cognitive questions; life....
Review: This movie is astounding; it is about love, and what it means to be human. Harrison Ford plays an essential role; but it is Rutger Hauer who makes you love and makes tears come to your eyes. When you see his vision and beauty, it etches itself on your memory; every moment of life, and every act and sight, falling short of beauty (and love) is compared, and found pale, and the need is to make it beautiful. That is, an inspiration toward life. Hauer is vibrant in this role. Nothing could be more moving than his performance in the latter scenes of the film. Just about every word, action, and facial expression is worth your attention.

Don't worry about ideas, or cognitive questions, maybe not even about "moral questions." It is deeper than that, and the only adequate response to poetry is poetry, or love. It will sing in your heart; and make you glad--though perhaps cry, but without regret.

To a man, every one of us crawling between earth and heaven. Here is the aspiration.

Rating:
Summary: Didn't need a redo
Review: Hey, you figure a director's cut, man it's going to be good. I mean the original version was one of the best sci-fi flicks I'd ever seen. This version was definately NOT needed. Too many nuances that there was just no way you are going to pick up were omitted when the voice overs were cut, that is unless you were a mind reader. The ending is so radically different, I was left wondering what Scott had in mind with this. My original version was on laserdisk and was stolen 2 years ago and since than, I haven't been able to replace it. Damn.