Blade Runner [Director's Cut]

Rating:
Summary: Controlling the vision
Review: This DVD is just another example of Ridley Scott's desire to deny the public the opportunity to choose. What's the matter Mr. Scott, afraid that if the fans were actually given the choice, they would prefer the original version? Your great artistic vision in the Director's Cut is just "pearls before swine"? I can't find anyone who doesn't miss the original version, but then I don't move in the same circles as Ridley. There is something to be said for both versions of the film, but I absolutely RESENT the lack of opportunity to ever view the original version again. With the dawn of DVD, I was *sure* I would finally have the chance. Sadly, I was wrong. Either version of this film is worth seeing, but we lost something special when the original version was buried.

Rating:
Summary: Directors Cut the only way to see Blade Runner (spoilers)
Review: It is laughable that anyone would prefer the original version of Blade Runner (i.e. the studio's vision of the movie.) The theatrical version represented everything that is bad about Hollywood: studio execs that were too stupid/pig-headed to trust a brilliant director's judgment; they assumed that the audience was too stupid to follow the story so they put in an insipid narration to lead the audience along by the hand, they thought that the audience would be upset or unable to accept the fact that maybe Decker was, himself, a replicant so they cut out the unicorn dream and worst of all they added on an "everyone goes home happy" ending which virtually ruined the dark theme of the whole movie.

Blade Runner, in the Director's Cut is a true Sci-Fi classic. Watch Scott's true vision of the film on DVD and hope that the original theatrical version has been burned, never to be seen again.

As for the original DVD, its content is a big disappointment. The picture and sound are good (though the soundtrack is only DD2.0), but there is NO bonus material. Hopefully this new edition adds some on-disk material in addition to the cards/poster/etc.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Science Fiction, Action-Packed and Thought Provoki
Review: Top-notch action packed sci-fi by the same director that made 'Aliens'. 'Blade Runner' is one of those rare films that mixes thought provoking science fiction with a 'film noir' edge. Along with 'Brazil', the most stunning, original and most probable vision of an apocalyptic future. The film is intoxicatingly heavy on atmosphere. Amazing special effects bring to life an apocalyptic neon-drenched futuristic Los Angeles. Filled with a unique brooding 'noir' atmosphere, a rare thing in sci/fi films. Even the memorable score is contemporarily jazzy. Harrison Ford had just become a star with 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'The Raiders Of The Lost Ark', just two and one year earlier respectively. This was a brilliant career move but unlike those two past films, the role of Deckard was no star-making machine. Ford's brooding presence really helps and he makes for a compelling and memorable Deckard. As with almost all great 'noir', the film has a private-eye/murder-mystery plot involving mutinying 'replicants' on earth who must be eliminated by the best of the 'Blade Runners' that happens to be Ford. Rutger Hauer and Darryl Hannah are great as two of the replicants. Based on the thought-provoking Philip K. Dick story 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'. The action-packed ending is a knock-out, this is really intense action not just 'cops and robbers' or 'good guys vs. bad guys' action this is real adrenaline pumping stuff. You really start to fear for Deckard and Rutger Hauer really seems like an indestructible superhuman force. This is what I most look up to when I see the film, I just think the ending is expertly shot and edited for maximum impact. The director's cut was released in 1993, making for a much better, adding a little more character development and a more dark and unsettling ending and eliminating Ford's tedious voice-over narration. This more unsettling ending loosely implies that Deckard himself may be a replicant hits you out of nowhere and leaves a memorable impact and one that you will think off for at least weeks to come. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 9!

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, DVD sucks
Review: This is one of the worst DVDs ever put out. WB should be ashamed of themselves. To make up for it, as well as take more money out of our pockets, they are finally doing it right. They are currently doing a new BLADE RUNNER DVD. It's set for release in 2001. It will have Ridley Scott's commentary as well as others. It will also have production design sketches, extra footage, etc... I highly doubt we'll hear from Harrison Ford since he has yet to bury the hatchet with Ridley Scott. Save your money. DO NOT BUY THIS DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible DVD of a great movie
Review: I don't know what the heck amazon is talking about but my Blade Runner DVD(ordered from amazon) looks horrible. I can't believe they gave it a 5 for video quality. One is more like it! Don't buy this DVD. Such a good movie, such a bad DVD.

Rating:
Summary: LA will Never look Like This
Review: In this highly stylized vision of Los Angeles some tie in teh early 21st century, Harrison Ford plays a 'cop' hired to track down androids who have returned to earth, seeking some way to make themselves immortal.

The movie pace is angonizingly slow, and the characters (human & android) are cold, almost dehumanized. LA is too sunny, too dry, and too laid back to ever be convincing as a rain-drenched, dark, brooding city run by brilliant, super-educated, highly focused, corporate/academic types.

Still, there is a lot for the Sci-Fi fan to like here. First, in The Director's Cut, the art direction is just astounding; the mood, feel, and look of future LA (more like future Singapore, or possibly New York, I suspect) meshes with the mood of the story perfectly. And the techie in me loved the gadgets and technologies portraryed in the film. As the 21st Centruy approaches, the fantastic technologies shown are becomeing more plausible and in some cases, actually look like they'll be realized in a few decades.

The visual effects here were done by Douglas Trumbull, who collaborated with Stanley Kubrick for the visual effects that wowed audiences in 2001: A Space Odyssey. While the story is more straightforward than that in 2001, the visual effects still make for a convincing and realistic portrayal of a likely future age.

This is not a film that will ever have broad appeal; it's too dark, too much atmosphere, too cerebral. However, it is one of those films that the hard core Sci-Fi lovers (the ones who liked <I>2001</I>, <I>Alien</I>, and other 'brainy flicks') will not be able to keep out of their collections, or off their DVD players. There is some disagreement about which is the better version of this movie, but personally, I preferred the Director's Cut; it sustains mood and ambiance better, and the ending is more intriguing--leaving open the possibility that the [presumably human] detective played by Harrison Ford is also a replicant. In a sense, that amibguity enhances and adds to the tension in this film--since there is a lot else that remains ambiguous to a viewer (probably one reason why fans enjoy watching this many times).

What keeps this from getting a 5-star rating is the crude technical job done in remastering (particularly the audio). It needs to be re-done in Dolby-Digital 5.1 "Surround Sound".

Rating:
Summary: A Dark Classic
Review: The video quality of Blade Runner is stunning. By far the best picture quality I have ever seen on VHS. I'm sure the DVD is even better, certainly more durable. The scenery and dark theme match well to create the mood of the movie, set in a dark, seemingly run down, futuristic Earth.

Harrison plays a retired Blade Runner who is sucked back into service to stop renegade replicants. Even with the movie's age nearing twenty years, Blade Runner is a solid movie even today. The Director's cut forgoes some voiceover work that bridged a few gaps for viewers that had trouble keeping up, as well as adding some cut footage.

Rutger Hauer does a commendable job as the leader of the band of replicants, who are gaining too much free will to remain docile. This is a classic movie that should be a definate addition to the collection of any Harrison fans, or Rutger fans for that matter.

No to be missed. Make sure to go for the DVD version to get the Dolby 5.1 surround that would "put the icing on the gravy" for all cinematic audiophiles out there.

Rating:
Summary: Essential DVD
Review: This is one of those classic movies that I will always have in my personal collection, be it VHS, DVD, or whatever comes next. I never saw this movie in the theater, and it's really a shame b/c one of the most stunning qualities of the movie is its dark, noir description of the future Los Angeles. The contrast with current LA is partiucularly striking if you've ever been there b/c one thing LA is NOT is dark. Harrison Ford delivers what I think is one of his best performances in this movie, and Rutger Hauer is a fantastic villan, particularly becuase of the character's vulnerability.

One comment about the Director's Cut versus the theatrical release: I would not have understood this movie without the cheesy overdub of Deckard's commentary. However, this version adds a crucial scene which changes the interpretation of the movie entirely. I highly recommend you watch both this version and the original.

Rating:
Summary: Please save your money
Review: Reviews of cult classics are tricky enough to begin with (never slam publicly on a cult favorite) but with the various manifestations of Blade Runner we have double the fun. That said...I like both the original and the directors cut. The directors cut demands more of the non-sci-fi initiated and puts many off. Rent the movie first if you are unsure and decide then. Now the real reason I write: this "special edition" DVD release is a terrible dissapointment. The "special extras" are not worth the money and when you compare the availabe features to any Criterion release...it is just sad and pathetic. This movie deserved more attention to detail - at the very least to help some viewers with the vague complexity of the story. Buy a tape for now and save your money for another release.

Rating:
Summary: Science Fiction Masterpiece
Review: One of the greatest (if not the greatest) science fiction films of all time, Blade Runner is a film to behold - Still just as powerful and visionary today as it was back then and that in itself speaks volumes about this film. Set in 21st century Los Angeles, Blade Runner creates a totally convincing world of neon-lit cityscapes peopled by strangely-clad urbanites, who seem more robot than human, and then pits Harrison Ford against a group of renegade replicants (androids that are almost indistinguishable from humans), who have escaped from an off-world colony. On its initial release the film's main attraction were the astounding visual effects, the complex themes contained within the narrative alienating the vast majority who saw it. Over the years, however, a cult has grown around Blade Runner, where it seems to have satisfied a need for "harder", more intellectual science fiction in the wake of Star Wars and its seemingly endless hybrids. Looking back, it is clear that Scott's film was years ahead of its time.

Culminating in a monstrous, violent, affecting and magnificent finale, Blade Runner stands shoulder to shoulder with the most ambiguous and visionary of films. An incredible experience on every level, though the impact is undeniably diminished on video, Scott's scarily prophetic tale appreciates substantially with repeat viewing. Even for those who ordinarily shy from science fiction, this is a must-see movie.