Blade Runner: The Final Cut

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 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...

Iconic film that is now even better in 4k.