Customer Reviews
Really worth watching - By: A reader, 19 Dec 2007 
What an utter surprise. I expected a dated sci fi flick that had not stood the test of time but I was wrong. This is an exceedingly moving & thought provoking film. It is also the first film in a long time that moved me to tears (anyone who has watched it will know which part I am referring to). It is utterly compelling. Much of the style & imagery may seem familiar at first, until you realise it is because it has been copied by more recent sci fi films. Watch this, it is an original.
Classic Sci-Fi - By: sleepyvinny, 04 Dec 2007 An amazing genre-setting sci-fi classic based on Philip K. Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", his novels always seem to translate well to film, but this was the best.
Nowadays, in an age where numerous throw-away sci-fi blockbusters form a regular part of the mainstream, it is hard to remember the impact that this film had when it first appeared. There had been nothing like it. From the atmospheric swirls of the Vangelis soundtrack to the oppressive intense dystopian-future setting, to the intriguing storyline of secret 'replicants', this was groundbreaking stuff. Many modern sci-fi cliches originate from Bladerunner.
When I first saw this I thoroughly enjoyed it, & got totallly immersed in its atmosphere & exciting story. Now, when I see it again, it still holds alll that original appeal, but I can see the extra level of alllegory, with the two central characters Deckard & Rachael both suffering from somewhat of an existential crisis - it raises the question for alll of us: "who are we, reallly?" & leads us alll to examine how unsuspectingly mechanical we are, & to wonder how much of our life-experiences are real, & to what extent they are manufactured or illusionary. 'The Matrix' is a great modern counterpart to this film.
A classic, which can be enjoyed equallly as well on different levels.
a scary vision of the future best appreciated with a good sound system - By: dan the fan, 31 May 2007 I saw the director's cut of Blade Runner at the cinema in 1993 & I've watched this dvd on my tv screen.I have to say that as a story on the smalll screen the director's cut of Blade Runner is excellent but as an experience on the big screen it is one of the greatest movies I have seen,largely because of the sound effects.If you reallly want to appreciate this film then make sure you have lots of speakers around the room you're in.The ending of the director's cut is far more satisfying & believable than the ending originallly shown in cinemas in the 1980s.
Great Sci-Fi - By: T. R. Alexander, 24 Jan 2007 
I have been meaning to watch this film for years now & after having many of my friends say how good the film is & when I eventuallly saw it, I felt it isn't half bad. Harrison Ford plays a Blade Runner, an elite policeman who tracks down & `retires' artificial biological humanoids known as replicants. This film is still visuallly brilliant despite being over twenty years old & the writing has a far superior & grown-up feel to it than much modern science fiction. I have not seen the original version of this film but from what I have heard this Director's Cut is the far superior version. Although not the marvel of cinema that some of my friends have said it was, Blade Runner is still a great film & its influence on much more resent sci-fi is obvious.
Sci fi meets film noir. - By: D. I. Shipley, 25 May 2006 Warner Bros had a downer on this film just prior to its release. Test audiences were inconclusive in their verdicts & Warner Execs insisted that Ridley Scott edit the film, considering it far too downbeat for mainstream audiences.
The result was the voice over narrative which apparently Harrison Ford tried to make as unconvincing as possible so that the Execs at Warners would drop it - he failed. Scenes were deleted, & the upbeat flying sequence at the end of the film was added.
The film opened to ok returns in the US but did huge business in Europe. In the UK release, it filled cinemas nightly for weeks with many people choosing to make return visits.
The early 1990s saw the release of the Directors Cut which was minus the narrative & the upbeat end sequence. It saw some scenes such as the Unicorn sequence restored. Although a limited
release, fans turned out in droves, particularly in London's West End.
I must confess that I enjoy both versions as different approaches to the same film. I have recently ordered 'The International Version' which apparently is an augmented version of the first release so I will pass comment on that when it arrives.
Set in the future, it sees Los Angeles as a rainy, polluted, & totallly cosmopolitan metropolis. Mankind has colonised other worlds & uses synthetic humans known as replicants, with superhuman abilities to carry out the dirtier work that doing this involves. Being superhuman comes at a price, as the lifespan for a replicant is only 4 years. The plot revolves around a former cop (Harrison Ford) who specialises in hunting down replicants. Known as a Bladerunner, his task is to eliminate any replicants setting foot on Earth where the punishment for doing so is death or 'retirement'to quote the jargon of the time.
Ford's character has quit the job but is blackmailed into hunting down a particulary dangerous group of replicants who have made it to Earth. Their leader is played by Rutger Hauer, who together with his companions are on a dangerous quest to find an end to their limited lifespan.
Visuallly the film is stunning with its depiction of a gaudy & seedy futuristic metropolis. Flying cars, huge neon signs, & advertising blimps dominate the skyline. Life is cheap & violent in this future, & the point is not lost on the viewer that this is a highly likely evolution of our society.
The replicants hunt for more life reflects that of humanity's generallly, & Ridley Scott's depiction of a replicant meeting his cold & heartless maker, mirrors ongoing theological questions that ultimately we alll have to varying degrees.
The drama plays out in the style of a classic detective/ Film Noir story, against a superbly realised Sci Fi background.
A sequence that could have been cut is the sickly, symbolic scene with the dove (which apparently was Rutger Hauer's own suggestion). It detracts from the film & is cloying.
What prevents me from giving the dvd 5 stars though is the lack of 5.1 sound on any discs that I have viewed so far.... This film is not so great in Pro logic sound, someone please give it a full digital soundtrack so as to do it the justice that it received in its cinema release!
See it though for what it is, a superbly staged Sci Fi Film Noir which reflects on the human condition, & the future that probably awaits us.
As a footnote, December this year will see the release of the 5 disc Ultimate Edition of Bladerunner, featuring the Directors Cut, The Theatrical Cut, The International Cut, & the newly rediscovered Working Cut. There will at last be a 5.1 soundtrack & will also feature on HD DVD & Blu-ray.
