Blade Runner: The Final Cut [4K Ultra-HD] [1982] [Blu-ray] [2017] [Region Free]

This is a review of the 'Final Cut'. I loved this film from the first time I saw it upon its original release, even with its then obvious inconsistencies. It remains my favourite science fiction film and I believe it is the best of them all. The 'Final Cut' addresses all the 'deficiencies' of the original (though see my comment about the book, further down), a couple of which were partly resolved in the 'Director's Cut': I will not be giving anything away by mentioning that the end of the pursuit of Zhora ( a very, very, sexy Joanna Cassidy gets my pulse racing every time I watch that dressing room scene), and the final appearance of the dove have rankled me in other versions. I have seen this film dozens of times, each time leaving a lengthy gap between viewings, yet I find something new in it on almost every screening and there's not a duff performance in sight - well, bar a couple of little niggles: The sound in the scene with the snake maker is still indistinct, and Taffey Lewis, the bar owner, commits the cardinal film sin of ever-so-briefly making eye contact with the camera, but that's it, no grumbles about anything else. The supporting actors who appear relatively briefly in many scenes are outstanding; I cite a favourite - Joe Turkel's performance as the refined genius Tyrell is outstanding, but then so is William Sanderson's underplayed-to-perfection 'J.F. Sebastian', a prematurely ageing geneticist whose only friends are those which he designs. Heck, they are ALL excellent. And then there is Roy Batty. Ah, Roy Batty; in my opinion, Rutger Hauer's finest moment, the part he was born to play and he plays it for all he's worth, creating one of the exceptional science fiction characters of all time and he eclipses Ford in every scene in which they appear together - some feat as I believe this is one of Ford's best performances. Edward James Olmos as 'Gaff' is superb with his sinister, creepy gait and certainty of purpose - he knows something, but what? Sean Young is perfect as the ultra-cool, but ultimately fragile, vulnerable, frightened 'Rachael'. What this film does is set up the Replicants as the baddies but, as the film progresses, one should start to feel a little uneasy because it begins to address matters that are oh-so relevant today (and, indeed, are timeless): Life, the quality of it, the prolonging of it, the RIGHT to one, to live it as one sees fit. It ultimately leads to a situation - for me, at least - where, although I wish no harm to befall Deckard, I am also rooting for Batty because all he is trying to do, in the way he was designed to do it, is LIVE; it turns out he is in many respects more human than the humans (Dr. Eldon Tyrell refers to this aspect is his meeting Deckard). Consider this: if the roles were reversed and the Replicants were actually human survivors of a slave system who'd come to earth to battle for their lives against the humans who rule them (now the Replicants in my scenario) under exactly the same circumstances then we'd have no trouble in seeing their cause as just and human and would be hoping they'd succeed in what would be a straight 'good versus evil' story. What a dilemma the scriptwriters gave us: to choose between each character's view of what's right and take sides, but it's almost impossible to because, as in life, we are watching 'innocents', pawns in the hands of the scientists, the police, and whomever is ruling the place, fighting each other when they should both be turning on what created this situation in the first place: science and big powerful business interests. The end of the climactic scene with Batty and Deckard is one of the most moving I have experienced and sums up the frailty and ultimate disposition of all life; it is heart-rendingly beautiful and I remember the sensation I experienced of what I can only term 'beyond silence' amongst the cinema audience at the time. I believe this was the last major science fiction film to have the special effects 'hand crafted', so to speak - in other words, not C.G.I. and it is all the better for it; the sets are superb. I enjoy looking for little 'nods' or homages paid to Scott's directorship and sets in other Sci-Fi films, and there are plenty to be had. Credit to Scott for finally giving us the film we should have seen in the 1980s. A last word on the film itself: After seeing 'Blade Runner', I read the book upon which the film is based, 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep', by Phillip K. Dick. The book, as per Hollywood-usual, is somewhat different from the film - notably Deckard has a wife - but I would urge you to read it before viewing the film; it's an good read and, importantly, it will give you knowledge that will explain much of the films visual effects and make sense of some of the dialogue: for example, why the earth is as it is; why there are huge advertisements of pill-popping Japanese ladies; and why the Owl is 'VERY' expensive. It is a slim tome and - for many, perhaps not all - an invaluable prop for ADDED enjoyment of the film. A word about the 'Dangerous Days' (D.D.) supplement. Normally I don't watch a 'how it was made' documentary as I feel it can spoil a lot of the dramatic tension, also it can lay waste to the the 'ooh' factor of the special effects in that it results in something wonderful and magical on the screen being reduced to wires and pullies in the mind, however, 'D.D.' is very interesting if only to understand how the film even made it to the screen in the first place. To sum up. This film can be watched at a superficial level and you'll be rewarded with a cracking good Sci-Fi film. Dig deeper and the existential questions come thick and fast - that's when you can watch it again, but this time possibly from a slightly (or greatly) differing viewpoint and it raises more questions than it answers - so you watch it again, and again...

Blade Runner seems to split the sci fi communtiy. At times it seems forgotten as Star Trek and Star Wars fans battle it out between themselves over which brand is dominant this little gem in my opinion sits at the top of the pile. Blade Runner paints a very different veiw of the future then the shiny clean edges of Star Trek. It is set in the year 2019 and follows the story of 4 robots or replicants as they are known and the cop or Blad Runner who is sent out to destroy them or as is explained in the movie to retire them. The replicants are stronger faster and as intelligent as human beings but they only exsist for 4 years and as such return to Earth to attempt to extend there life span. Harrison Ford is the blade runner of the title and is truly great as Deckard the troubled cop trying to get out but it Rutger Hauer as replicant leader Roy Batty who steals the show. From being hard villian at times to showing compassion for his team as Deckard dispatches them and the truly touching final scenes between Ford and Hauer on the rooftops his lines and delivery are amazing. As great as the characters are its is Scotts vision that makes this a classic to put it short the Blu Ray is breathtaking the visuals are stunning and clear. The detail is amazingly sharp. It is shot in a beautiful way the distance shots are great and the close ups just as good. On a personal note I believe this to be the best of Scott's sci fi work I found Alien just a little underwheling in comparison to this. Blade Runner is not a typical sit down unhinge your brain and wait for things to start exploding sci fi movie. It builds slowly and even the action is'nt rushed with lots of slow motion shots and fantastic angles. In closing this is a true classic and for the price an absolute steal. There have been many different versions of this movie but this is the final cut and that enough said. Buy it watch it and you will love it.

Classic movie. No problems. Arrived on time well packaged. Am verry pleased

This is a review of the 2-disc, Final Cut, Blu-Ray. I am not going to go into a full review of the film itself. I bought this version to replace my old DVD, which replaced a VHS. Needless to say, I am a fan of the film. I think it is too easy today to forget the impact the film had on almost all science fiction which came after it. Its vision of the future (actually supposed to be 2019!) was ground-breaking at the time. A world of dirt and squalor, of neon, of a world left to the poor underclass, whilst the rich found better places to live. Somewhere that had been left behind. The story seems fairly simple; replicants, used to do all the dirty work, are banned from Earth. If found, they are 'retired' by Blade Runner units. A small group have found their way back, and Deckard is tasked with 'retiring' them. He encounters difficulty, both physical and moral, along the way. For me, Blade Runner is one of the best films ever made. I have watched it many times over the years - in its many forms - but I think this is the best version, as the director intended. This version is almost perfect in every way. Visually, the blu-Ray offering is perfect, sharp and crisp. The only slight let down is the sound. It has been re-mastered in 5.1, and the music and general sounds are beautiful; well-balanced, crystal-clear and accurate. But the dialogue is slightly muffled in places; I have tried several different settings on my system, but without success. This is, however, a very minor point; the film is over 30 years old now, so it will be showing a little bit of age. If you are a fan, then this is the version to have; if you haven't seen it, buy it and experience this great film that influenced almost every science fiction film since!

(Spoilers) Our old VHS of Blade Runner, something we bought from a Charity Shop originally, was looking very dull and grainy, and so after hearing about the new DVD editions I decided to make a purchase. We do own a Blu-Ray player (on our Playstation 3), but marketing is very clever these day's. People automatically assume that an old film will magically turn into HD on a Blu-Ray disc... Oh how mistaken they are. Only new films that are "recorded in" HD will play as full HD. When an older film is remastered onto a Blu-Ray disc, the upscaling is minimal - it's impossible to just add extra lines to a piece of film. Please do save your money and stick to standard DVD's! Blade Runner is a quite simple film to explain, yet it's multiple themes and visual metaphors flowing throughout can just as easily make it complicated. The story see's local Cop Dekard (Harrison Ford) assigned to find and kill 4 "Replicants" on the loose in city. 'Replicants' are the product of the Tyrell company; a cyborg that in it's latest incarnation is almost impossible to distinguish from a human, aside from strength. The 4 mentioned have a history of crime and so they need to be 'retired' (killed) as soon as possible. With Dekard having a history of such tasks, he's the first man to be assigned. And Blade Runners? They're the name given to Cop's that specialise in killing replicants. The film ultimately progresses in a very steady approach, encountering themes of love, tackling isolation, and even male dominance over women. They're are so many things which are subliminally covered it's hard to under-estimate the genius of this film; in many respects, it actually better's its originally origin, which of course was from the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?". It's not only more complex, but is so much deeper, and for it's time (1982) is quite ground-breaking in it's approach to a vision of the future. This DVD contains "The Final Cut" version of the film; an 8 year project in which Ridley had the entire film restored, uncovered new scenes, and re-edited many shots. This is were we may get to the objectionable part of a review - how does it fare compared to the original? In my own opinion, I believe it works better were there are new scenes, but this isn't to say parts haven't been cut out. For me, the ending was quite a blow. In the original cut, Dekard and Rachel drove off up 'north' on a sunny, bright day with a wonderful landscape - all themes directly opposing the desolate world they previously lived in. Yet the ending on the Final Cut closes to the credits just after Dekard questions his humanity, when he picks up the Unicorn model off the floor. I was a bit disappointed, as not only was the ending theme tune speeded up, but faded in rather abruptly, compared to the more fitting and happier original ending. Some may find the original ending Cliched, but that's partly the idea - theirs nothing wrong with a happy ending. I feel 4 Stars is quite a fair rating, but it may come down to personal taste. If the DVD had the option of the Original Cut and the Final Cut, it'd be flawless, but I just feel that with the changes made, it's a bit deceiving if you were expecting an option. Unfortunately, it would had been highly unlikely to have had either version on the Disc, as the "Final Cut" has been mastered as whole film. Whenever other films have a 'Directors Cut', all the DVD does is either Skip or Play a particular extra scene, depending on what option you chose. Never the less, the quality of the film hasn't been battered, and it's latest restoration is testament to how an, originally, critically battered film has become universally valued over time. It's vision of a commercialised, corrupt, and dark future is becoming ever more questioned as time has gone on, and the camera work/colour composition is second to none. It's just a shame film makers don't go to the time or trouble to make a film of this quality these days. If 'Batman: The Dark Knight' was supposedly 2008's best film, I may as well just quit work right now.

Most people know the story of Blade Runner by now. It's one of the greatest movies ever. It wasn't a big sell when it came out but slowly became an all time science fiction classic and rightfully so. The movie was originally released in 1982 and was based on a story by Philip K. Dick. His 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? to be exact. It stars Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer in their best roles, features incredible music from Vangelis and was directed by the now legendary Ridley Scott. The story of Blade Runner is one that will be debated until the end of time. It's based on a Blade Runner called Deckard (Ford). He's charged without hunting down four replicants who have escaped their life as slaves and found their way to Earth. Their goal is to preserve the remaining life they have left and understand the emotional struggle as they grow closer to their inevitable doom. It's a story which appears very simple on the surface. But the more you dig into the film, the deeper it all becomes and is one of the more fascinating aspects of it. As I said above, I think it's easily Harrison Ford's best role. I love him as Indiana Jones and Han Solo, like every other nerd out there. But there's just something in Blade Runner that puts him above those other films. The same can be said for Rutger Hauer. I've seen him do some interesting movies and others that were down right terrible. But here, the man shines so bright that he actually steals the show from every other actor in the film. The other roles played by Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah etc are all very fascinating. It's like we're seeing only just a glimpse of what could have been so much more. But that's a part of the appeal of this film. It's not all what it seems. Some people might find the film to be incredibly dull and that's an opinion I can fully understand. This is by no means an action movie and is it very slow paced. It likes to take its time and do things at its own pace. It bothered me growing up, I can easily sympathise. But as my appreciation for more serious cinema grew, I found myself appreciating this film more. It's not just the acting or the story, but the love that went into the art. Everything from the sets, the vehicles, weapons, computers, music make for an incredibly mesmerising experience. This is all emphasised on this magnificent 4k pressing. The visual and audio elements are better here than they have been and it will should do nothing but stun anyone who sees it. The old bluray disc that I own was good, but this is a whole other level. The clarity and depth of the picture is breathe taking. The detail in all the large scale models, the effects work etc is extremely impressive. Especially for a film of its age. The 7.1 audio track is another highlight and something fans need to hear. If you've ever heard the Vangelis soundtrack, you'll know that it's a magnificent piece of work. But to hear this new mix of the film will really shock some. It's extremely clear, the tracks have been given this very spatial mix. Everything has a place, from the rain falling behind you to the spinners flying over your head. It's quite powerful but well worth having for those with surround sound systems. There's not much else to say about Blade Runner really. It's a classic, one that I would highly recommend to fans of science fiction and noir. It's been given a magnificent 4k transfer and couldn't be more of a must have purchase. Fans shouldn't even question it this purchase.

This 'Final Cut' Blu-Ray HD version of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner with Harrison Ford is superb. We all know the story by now, and most of us have seen various 'cuts' and flavours of it in the cinema, and on VHS and DVD and streamed, and heard about all the awards, etc. If you haven't yet,and are a fan of film noir and/or science fiction then this should be essential viewing. One of the many scarily prophetic bits in a film made in 1982 is that the polluted and overcrowded urban development shown in the film is already happening in various parts of the world. The remastered image quality is outstanding on a good full HD screen, however if you have a good 4K screen and player, then the large film format source (already remastered to 4K) is good enough that you would do even better to buy the 4K version of this. This is probably the last great sf film made without using digital special effects - they were all done with model sets, mattes and opticals. Amazing. The sound feels perfectly natural on my surround system, quite simply, we were there in the midst of the action. It is a bit quiet compared with many other films, but then we have a volume control. The second disc with the documentary telling the tale of how it came about and all the trials and tribulations attending its creation, the different versions with commentary (studio insisted) and without (Scott's preference as here in Final Cut), as well as showing how they did the special effects, was very well made, and caused me to be far too late going to bed after having watched the film (again).

great film so now I've got it on blueray + 4k.