Blade Runner [Director's Cut]

Rating:
Summary: They may be different but they have their own qualities
Review: I really like how Blade Runner has an old fifties detective sense about it but is still set in the future. You notice this with the over voice provided by Deckard, but at the same time the removal of the over voice gives the movie more to think about. The unicorn vision was kind of creative because we all have our little random thoughts that come from the back of our mind, but it was a little corny. Even though it's not as appealing as a unicorn it would have made more sense for it to be a sheep since the story was based on "DO Androds Dream of Electric Sheep" where Deckard owns an artificial sheep. But even though there are these slight changes from the original, it is still a brilliant masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: No voice over. No cool ending. No options. No purchase.
Review: This movie just isn't the same with out Harrison Ford's hard-boiled narration. In my opinion that made this film's gritty Noir-Feel just that much better. Secondly, The ending is completely different, and completely drab. What happened to one of the coolest endings with Harrion Ford saying, "I don't know how much time we have...but then again who does?" and he drives off in a beautiful serene view with Sean Young. Instead we simply see Ford entering an elevator with Sean Young and slamming the door...WEAK! Save your money. This version isn't even worth renting. Without the narration, this movie feels 3 hours long. The ending leaves you feeling like...what? I'm not even going to mention the Unicorn. Ridley Scott should be ashamed of himself to force this version out to the people. The least the movie company could do was give you the option on the DVD to see BOTH versions....now there's an idea.

Rating:
Summary: The basic, no BS review of the DVD and Film
Review: First, BUY THIS DVD. If you bothered to spend the $ for a DVD player, this is the best first flick for your library. Okay second - get Matrix AND Blade Runner. Don't ask, just do it. Okay, now read on, if you REALLY want the gory details...

1. Video quality is great. 2. Sound is good. Maybe not audiophile $100K home theater good, but very good indeed for 99% of us. 3. The film is Ridley Scotts' cut. His vision. If you needed the voiceover (which was NOT originally scripted anyway, I understand), don't get this movie - you won't get the voiceover and you won't understand the film. This movie is a tablet for the viewer to write on - not as much as say, 2001, but there is a lot of room for the viewer to fill in "what's going on." The film requires active participation by the viewer to really shine. If you want formula that's easy to follow, rent Terminator or something. 4. The DVD structure SUCKS. No special anything. Only standard subtitles, scene jumps, etc. I agree with previous reviews slamming odd scene jumps. I would buy this disk again at FULL PRICE HELLO WB to get Ridley Scott commentary, behind the scenes, etc. C'mon - you KNOW there's all kinds of stuff floating around the WB vaults on this film! This was the biggest disappointment.

In short, buy it. Now.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent film given good treatment on DVD.
Review: I personally like the director's cut better. It is missingHarrison Ford's narration which, quite frankly, stated the obvious,and it removes the corny happy ending that distorts the overall tone of the film, which was supposed to be dark and dismal. It might also help you to know that a shot of Deckard dreaming of a unicorn was also included in the director's cut, hinting Deckard's existence as a replicant at the conclusion of the film. People say that editors have power over all, but "Blade Runner: The Director's Cut" is Ridley Scott's version. I'll have you know that Ridley Scott strongly objected to the version of "Blade Runner" released in 1982. The narration and ending was added in by Warner Bros. executives, hoping to get a better reception from audiences. Both the narration and the ending ruined the film's artistic qualities, and it ruined "Blade Runner" by preventing it from being the film it was supposed to be, which is a thinking man's sci-fi film. Better still, it is missing the bits of violence included on the original videotape release(a shot of Roy Batty pushing Tyrell's eyes back into his head), which I felt, ruined the overall enjoyment of the film. I was annoyed at the lack of extras on this DVD, as well as the sound, which is a standard Dolby Surround track. But the picture quality makes up for everything. Thanks to anamorphic enhancement, which allows an incredible amount of detail into the picture, "Blade Runner" now looks better than ever! I'm suprised people were dissapointed in it. I would give this DVD 5 stars, had they included extras of any kind. That annoyed me, yes, but the picture quality is stunning. I heard that they are preparing a special edition of "Blade Runner" for DVD. That would be great, although I am quite content with the existing version. I also heard they are preparing a special edition of Ridley Scott's "Legend". It was torture watching the American version, and would be more than happy to see Scott's vision of what the film should be!

Rating:
Summary: THE ORIGINAL IS A 4-STAR
Review: This "director's cut" illustrates why we have film editors. I very much like Harrison's voice over on the original and feel it helps the story experience for the viewer. The rest is only clips that was wisely left on the original cutting room floor. The only thing better about this video is the color quality. My copy has faded over the years and I now am searching for a DVD of the ORIGINAL cut.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as it could have been
Review: The BLADE RUNNER Director's Cut on DVD has a strange feature. On one side is a widescreen version and on the other side is the pan-and-scan version. Why? The two sides would have been better utilized with one side as a widescreen version of the director's cut and the other side as a widescreen version of the original cut with Decker's voiceover narrative. That would have allowed us BLADE RUNNER enthusiasts to compare the two versions and fan the argument on which is the better version.

I also agree with the reviewer that would've liked more of the extras that a lot of the better DVDs have nowadays. I have no idea what the Special Edition will be like. I just wish I knew about it before I got this one.

As for whether the film itself is worth owning, of course it is. BLADE RUNNER is now a classic. There's a reason why it's still a bestseller 18 years after its initial release in the theaters. I highly doubt THE MATRIX will be discussed at the same length 18 years from now.

Rating:
Summary: A terrible conversion...
Review: A hack DVD conversion of a classic movie. ¡°Plan 9 From Outer Space¡± had a better conversion than this. There¡¯s nothing good to say about ¡°B.R. The Director¡¯s Cut.¡± There aren¡¯t any extras on a DVD that should be filled with them, considering the richness of the movie and its cult following. Even the scene selections are inept. Perhaps my DVD is different, but the scene selections go in the order of 3, 7, 12, etc. Not only was this DVD put together by hacks, the hacks can¡¯t count. There¡¯s not even a still image from the movie on the DVD¡¯s main menu. Just a generic Warner Bros logo. The picture and sound aren¡¯t up to DVD standards either. The picture isn¡¯t sharp and the sound ¨Cwith the exception of the music and some special effects sounds- is often flat and has a ¡°1970¡¯s¡± toneless quality to it. It¡¯s almost as if it was transferred to DVD from videotape instead of the original negative.

The ¡°Director¡¯s Cut¡± is a confusing mess too. As far as I can tell, the only differences are the omission of Harrison¡¯s voice over, the ¡°flying to safety¡± footage during the end credits and a baffling inter-cut scene of a unicorn running through a forest from the movie ¡°Legend¡± while Harrison is idly playing a piano. Will someone tell me what a unicorn from a bad Tom Cruise movie has to do with airing out replicants in L.A. 2019? I miss the voiceover too. As I understand, it was originally put in because while testing the film, the audience couldn¡¯t follow the plot. With it missing, the scenes where it used to be are awkward because the characters are waiting for the nonexistent voiceover to end. And speaking of voiceovers, a Director¡¯s Commentary would¡¯ve been fascinating; but apparently WB shoved this DVD out before one could be made or Ridley Scott had better things to do.

On the plus side, Vangelis¡¯ rich score shines and is perfect for this leisurely paced movie. I have it on CD and strongly recommend it. The special effects are still strong and awe inspiring after all these years. They show their age only in the fact that there isn¡¯t any computer animation.

This DVD stinks. ¡°Blade Runner¡± has survived the years due to the devoted fans that have stood by it since it was originally buried at the box office by ¡°E.T.¡± This DVD is a slap in the face. WB and Ridley Scott should be ashamed of themselves. I hope both will wise up and come out with a ¡°Special Edition Blade Runner.¡± This version isn¡¯t even worth renting, much less owning.

Rating:
Summary: Over the landing threshold..... good news!
Review: Blade Runner is a great film as many of you allready know - a beautifully crafted work of great style, emotion and visual brilliance. All of you that were dissapointed by the lack of new material contained in the "Director's Cut" should look forward to the "Special Edition" which is being prepared for DVD with 8 minutes of extra footage and a remastered soundtrack! Can't wait - can you? Also on the way is a SE of Ridley Scott's Legend.

Rating:
Summary: The greatest sci-fi movie of all-time ...
Review: The music by Vangelis ... the atmosphere ... the story ... the characters. This movie is a masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: Better than laserdisc
Review: I have the laserdisc and for anyone debating whether or not to get this on DVD, I recommend it. The picture is a tad better, plus the not having to change sides makes it even more worth it.