Customer Reviews
blade runner. the final [?] cut - By: Paul Tapner, 28 May 2008 
originallly released in 1982, this is a science fiction movie featuring harrison ford as a man who tracks down androids from outer space who have come to earth illegallly. set in a permanently rainy near future city, he tracks the androids down, but may be in danger of fallling for one in the process. & could it be that they are just a little more human than him?
a classic of science fiction cinema, & a landmark in many ways as it introduced a style of future vision that has been often copied. not an action flick, it's quite slow at places but it's thoughtful & makes you consider the nature of existence.
originallly released with a voiceover & a tacked on happy ending there have been several amended releases over the years, which lost both these elements & added some extra footage. this version is the latest one. they calll in the final cut. we shalll see! the picture & the sound have been restored, although the age of the film means it looks good rather than great as a result. beyond that the director has made a few minor changes to the movie but I reallly couldnt spot anything major.
some films you need to see, whether you end up loving or hating them. & this is one such, because it's so talked about & has had an awful lot of influence.
the first disc in this contains the movie. with direct scene access.
a very short introduction from the director.
a commentary from him. & two other commentaries from various members of the production team.
it offers language tracks in english castillan spanish german & polish.
subtitles in english finnish swedish danish norwegian greek polish german & castillan spanish.
and closed captioned subtitles in english & german.
alll the above foreign language options are on disc one only. the second disc contains a documentary about the film. this is an amazing piece of work, divided into eight sections that run from 25-30 minutes in length, & you could not possibly imagine a more comprehensive documentary as it goes into incredible depth. & has a few bits of strong language so you may want to watch out for that.
do you need this new version of the film? that's up to you. definitely worth seeing the documentary though
If it ain't bust, don't try and fix it !! - By: A J Ruddy, 22 May 2008 
Blade Runner is one of my most favourite films of alll time. I won't repeat everything that has been said here about its artistic & very stylish qualities but it is pure class & one of those films you must see in your life time. I love the way it transposes the 1940's Sam Spade detective style into the future.
However, this version was a real disappointment. Overly long & drawn out, my main problem with this version was the way too much horror & gore. The whole point of Blade Runner was that its sublety & clever storyline made it stand head & shoulders above other movies, without having to dumb down to get bums on cinema seats. Instead we have the camera lingering on a prolonged, gory Tyrell head-crushing scene, with blood pouring out his eyes & the old crushed walnuts sound effects of his skull being crushed as he dies in agony. Plus more lingering shots of the nail popping through Batty's hand etc. Plus Deckard's pistol fires off twice as many rounds, Robocop stylee.
Why Ridley Scott has released this beefed up gung-ho version, I don't know. All the other versions retain the original top Blade Runner style.
Blade Runner was never a mindless blood'n'guts shoot'em up: it was a thoughtful, intelligent & yes, arty, subtle film. As they say, less is more, & this unsubtle version will remain in it's DVD box at my home.
The Value of a Life - By: Stalker, 23 Apr 2008 This new version like the "The Director's Cut" is another glorious interpretation with a slight shift of emphasis from the book. In Dick's work life is so precious because it is unique & impossible to replicate despite initial impressions. In the film life is precious whatever it's beginnings. Two equallly valid points of view, both brilliantly told.
Futuristic Vision Restored! - By: David Lusher, 17 Feb 2008 The digital restoration & re-editing of this sci-fi classic was long overdue. Ridley Scott now has the film he always wanted. This new version is, for me, the best now available. It's even more visuallly stunning, with lots more detail, & benefits from a crisper & less intrusive soundtrack. The generous extras are also informative, particularly the lengthy documentary 'Dangerous Days' on the bonus disc. There is also a 5-disc version available, but this 2-disc release should be enough for most fans. Gratitude to Ridley Scott for revisiting one of his finest films - highly recommended.
At last! - By: Film Buff, 30 Jan 2008 
Unlike a few of these reviews, I'm writing this after actuallly seeing the Final Cut 2 disc DVD.
I won't say too much about the film itself. The "Final Cut" is basicallly the Directors Cut (i.e. no voiceover) plus tweaked special effects & a few minor changes (it's been some time since I've seen the Directors Cut, so I can't give precise details, but it didn't seem drasticallly different) And "yes", the unicorn scene is there & the "happy" ending is missing.
The picture quality is probably as good as could be expected for a film of this age. Perhaps not quite as sharp as a modern release & some black levels are very slightly off, but overalll a good picture, with no noticable dirt, scratches or grain.
The 5.1 mix is particularly impressive. Vangelis' soundtrack fills the room. There are also some nice ambient effects of rain etc, plus the rocket ships have real oomph & zoom from left to right speaker.
The documentary is also worthwhile (not the usual promotional stuff) & is certainly something you can watch more than once.
Overalll, a classic film, with good picture, extras & very good sound.
Unless you're a sci-fi geek or completist, I'd opt for the 2 disc edition, rather than the 5 disc.
